1 Fall 2010

AADS Introduces Voices of Imani DirectorChauncey McGlathery

Interview by Nathaniel TolbertWith every new year come changes, some

of them more momentous than others. After atwenty-eight year tenure at Boston College,retiring professor Hubert Walters will nolonger be the Director of the Voices of ImaniGospel Choir. While he will be missed, thetorch has been passed to a director who bringsa new energy to the position. Not only does hebring the perquisite of musical skill, but he hasa passion and knowledge of music that thegospel choir thrives upon. That person isChauncey McGlathery, a modern day Renais-sance Man, Mr. McGlathery has a diversebackground. He has a B.A. in engineering, aJ.D. in law, an extensive background on stageas an actor and a ongoing love affair withmusic. Needless to say, Mr. McGlathery is aunique individual, and through Voices inter-view with him we hope students will get toknow him better.What drew you to the Voices of Imani direc-tor position?I was initially informed of the position by a

colleague at Eastern Nazarene College. TheArtistic Director there had recently hired me todirect the music for Once on This Island-Story. ENC’s collaboration with Jacqui Parker’s Our Place Theatre Project provided the kind of college/community synergy that I

2010 -‐‑ 2011 New Directions Lecture Series

crave. She saw the posting and thought Iwould be a great fit for Voices of Imani andBoston College. How important is music to the culture of theDiaspora?

You don’t need me to tell you that music is the DNA of culture. This fact becomes evenmore critical for the culture of any people whoare scattered from one side of the world toanother. Since Voices of Imani has a home inthe African and African Disapora Studiesdepartment, I will further note that when cul-tures as explosive as those from the continentof Africa combine with the ambitious sparkand creativity of all of the Eastern and Westerncultures that make up these United States, theresulting performance jumpstarts the heartbeatof the world.How important are the gospels to blackmusical tradition?

If by “gospels” you are referring to the Bible, the first four books of the New Testa-ment, and the good news they share I wouldhave to say that the gospels are the reason thatmost of our spiritual music makes reference tothe Judeo-Christian faith tradition. Without thegospels, the sacred music of the African Dias-pora would not have been nearly as influentialto the creation of the theology of dispersedAfricans, nor would it have so clearly

by Ashley WoodsThe New Directions in African

Diaspora Studies Lecture Series is aprogram that has been ongoing for thepast four years to invite prominentscholars in the field to present theirwork to the Boston College commu-nity. In the past, New Directions hasinvited faculty from Columbia Uni-versity and Princeton University,amongst many other prominent aca-demic institutions. This year, NewDirections is excited to welcomeCharles Villa-Vicencio from the Insti-

tute for Justice and Reconciliation, Di-anne M. Stewart Diakité from EmoryUniversity, David Kyuman Kim fromConnecticut College, Curtis J. Evansfrom the University of Chicago andZain Abdullah of Temple University.Dr. Charles Villa-Vicencio is a Sen-

ior Research Fellow at the Institute forJustice and Reconciliation and VisitingProfessor of the Conflict ResolutionProgram at Georgetown University. OnThursday, October 28th, Dr. Villa-Vicencio presented his lecture, “Justice in the Sudan: ICC and the New Coloni-

alism?” This presentation will focus on the perception of Western colo-nialism on the continent.

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Voices of Imani Director Chauncey McGlatheryinfluenced Jazz, Blues, Rock and Roll, R&B and every otherform of African American music.Many singers of gospel music would say that without the

gospel and the music and celebrates the gospel tradition not onlywould there not have any other forms of African American mu-sic, but also there might never have been any deliverance fromslavery or its vestiges or at least not without armed revolution.

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„08-‟09 Lecturer Winnifred Brown-Glaude

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2 Fall 2010

Voices of the Diaspora

New Directions 2010—2011

continued from page 1

Also this fall, New Directions willwelcome Dr. Dianne M. StewartDiakité in November 11th. Dr. Diakitéwill be lecturing on the legacy ofCongolese Prophet, Kimpa Vita andher impact on Prophetic Christianityin Africa and the Diaspora.All New Directions events will takeplace at 4:30pm in Devlin 101. Formore information on the New Direc-tion sin African Diaspora Studies,please visit our website atwww.bc.edu/aads or email CatMcAteer at mcateerm@bc.edu

AADS Introduces continued from page 1

Of course, that is not the end of the story and norwas it the beginning. Originally, gospel musicprovided a space for the most ambitious and inti-mate of expressions between God and man everheard. I hope to lead the Voices of Imani and theBoston College artistic community back into thetime when gospel once again assumes it’s rightful position as the greatest social change agent theworld has ever known. You have a unique and accomplished educationbackground outside of the arts, what lead you intomusic?I was one of those unique kids that came into theworld literally composed of music. Music was thefirst language that I spoke. It was the first sense Ideveloped and it led me and still leads me intofully developing all my other senses. My father isan Aeronautics Engineer with NASA so he con-vinced me that engineering would make a muchbetter trade, so I displaced music to the role ofmistress while suffering in silence in ElectricalEngineering classes like “Power and Thermody-namics.” The more I studied and lived the further I got away from a profession in music. I was prac-ticing law in New York City when the towers fellin 2001. It was then that I came to my senses andreunited with my first love.

What are your goals for the voices of Imani? Doyou plan to expand the group or do anythingnew?One of the first things I did when I got to cam-

pus was attend the Multicultural Christian Fellow-ship meeting. I was disappointed to hear from aformer member of Voices that she did not feel thatthere was a place for the traditional African Ameri-can worship experience to be freely expressed. So,I have chosen this problem as my primary measureof success which I hope to solve by meeting twogoals.The first goal for Voices is a return to the

text. The first text we are returning to is the Bible,the blueprint of all true gospel music. The secondtext we are returning to is the lyric of the musicthat chronicles the journey of Africans and theirprogeny from the greatest continent in the world tothe greatest country in the world.

We are focused on “power” as the theme of the semester. I believe the students, the campus andthis community has yet to truly taste and savor thegood things brewing in Lyons Hall. But by thistime next year, the word will be out.

We are starting a “Jam” series this semester, which I hope will bring together the arts commu-

AADS Staff

Dr. Rhonda Frederick, Director(617) 552-3717email: frederir@bc.edu

Dr. Sandra Sandiford Young,*Associate Director(617) 552-4938email: sandra.sandiford.1@bc.edu

Caitlin McAteer, Administrator(617) 552-3238email: mcateerm@bc.edu

*(on leave)

„08-‟09 Lecturer Harvey Neptune

„08-„09 Lecturer Rhonda Williams

nity as a whole around the ideas that inspire communi-ties to move in coordinated action. Hopefully, next se-mester we will combine all of the our talents campus-wide to write, record and produce another CD worthy ofthe tradition we bear as artists in the African Diasporatraditions.

Director McGlathery

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Voices of the DiasporaVoices of the Diaspora

Word Around the Community

Each month Voices will include articles of note pertaining to the African and African Diaspora. Feel free to submit any articles thatpique your interest to aads@bc.edu.

Voters Are Much Less Optimistic AboutBlack-White Relations

Perceptions about the state of black-whiterelations in America have fallen dramaticallysince the summer of 2009. But voters are stillmore optimistic about that relationship thanthey are about relations between whites andHispanics and between blacks and Hispanics.

A new Rasmussen Reports national tele-phone survey finds that just 36% of voters nowsay relations between blacks and whites aregetting better. That’s down from 62% in July oflast year at the height of the controversy involv-ing a black Harvard professor and a white po-liceman. That number had fallen only slightly to55% in April of this year.

Twenty-seven percent (27%) now sayblack-white relations are getting worse, up 10points from July 2009, while 33% think they’re staying about the same.

African-Americans are much more pessi-mistic than whites. Thirty-nine percent (39%) ofwhites think black-white race relations are get-

whites think black-white race relations aregetting better, but just 13% of blacks agree.

Confidence in the nation’s course among African-Americans soared after BarackObama’s election. But then several prominent Democrats, perhaps most notably formerPresident Jimmy Carter, suggested that oppo-sition to the president’s health care plan was motivated in part by racism.Read the rest of this article at rasmussenre-ports.com (10/6/2010)

The Mean Girls of MorehouseWritten By Alyia S. King

Within the openly gay community atAlanta’s Morehouse College, there’s a sub-group: gender benders who rock makeup,Marc Jacobs’ tote bags, sky-high heels andBeyonce- style hair weaves. Can a man ofMorehouse be gay? Absolutely. But can he bea woman? Meet the plastics.

Diamond Martin Poulin, 20, teetering instrappy sandals with three-inch heels, steps

into an eclectic clothing boutique in LittleFive Points, a quaint cluster of shops andrestaurants two and a half miles outside ofdowntown Atlanta. “Ooooh,” squeals Dia-mond. “What about this?” Holding up a white floor-skimming skirt with an eyelethem, he swoons. The proprietor of the storelooks up at Diamond, does a double take, andimmediately picks up the cordless phone atthe register. “There’s a man in here with heels on!” she whispers loudly into the phone. Diamond raises his eyebrows andcontinues browsing the racks. He shrugswhen asked if the comment bothers him.“Isn’t it true?” he says, chuckling. “There is a man in here with heels on.”

Read the rest of this article at Vibe.com(10/11/2010)

The President of Morehouse‟s response to the article can also be found at Vibe.com

Culture on Campus

Boston College has a rich tradition of cultural clubs pertaining to theDiaspora. Culture on Campus’ goal is to make students aware of saidclubs‟ events

Nov 3rd – 12th Love Your Body Week 2010Time & Location: Boston CollegecampusDescription: Love Your Body week isa week-long series of events centeredbody awareness and healthy body im-age for Boston College students.

Nov 8th Constructing the Student AthleteTime & Location: 7pm@McGuinn121Description: Join us for a panel dis-cussion where Boston College studentathletes will be sharing their experi-ences as members of the community.

We'll be looking into the positive andnegative aspects of being a studentathlete. Of special interest is how thetitle “student athlete” changes the community’s perception of a person, and how this changes for men andwomen. Bring your questions!(Sponsored by Brotherhood forChange and the Student Athlete Advi-sory Committee)

Nov 9thth Lecture by Dr. Gail Dines: Sex(ism), Identity and Inti-macy in a Pornographic CultureTime & Location: 7:30 pm @McGuinn 121Description: Popular culture bom-

bards us with sexualized im-ages of idealized women andmen, and conveys powerfulmessages that help shape oursexuality. In this powerfulmulti-media presentation, Dr.Gail Dines, author ofPornland: How Porn has Hi-jacked our Sexuality, exploreshow masculinity and feminin-ity are defined by a consumer-driven image-based culture,and the ways public imagesspill over into our most privateworlds.(Sponsored by Women’s and Gender Studies, WRC,CSOM, CommunicationDept., English Dept., Sociol-ogy Dept., and Newton Col-lege Alumnae Chair)

Nov 11th Seeing the Black Body, Loving the Black BodyTime & Location: 12 pm@

WRC - McElroy 141Description: Come eat anddiscuss differing concepts ofthe black woman's body. Howdo societal perceptions andmedia representations affectour understanding of and in-teractions with black women.AADS Professor RhondaFrederick and women fromSIESTA will help lead a dis-cussion looking at the ways inwhich black women and soci-ety can start viewing the blackbody as a positive representa-tion of womanhood. Lunch isserved.Sponsored by SIESTA

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4 Fall 2010

Voices of the Diaspora

Ms. Costanza is a senior in Artsand Science on track to graduatewith a B.S. in Sociology.• Why did you choose to mi-nor in African and AfricanDiaspora Studies?I chose to minor in Africanand African Diaspora studiesbecause of the diverse curricu-lum offered. As sociologymajor, I thought the coursesoffered are really importantand share a lot of commonal-ities with my interest in racerelations. During my collegecareer, I wanted to deepen my

Musings from the Diaspora

Each month, “Voices” will pick a topic of interest relevant to the Africans in the Diaspora and submitted by its readers. The goal of these editorialsis to promote dialogue;; after each editorial, readers are encouraged to submit written replies. Respondents may respectfully agree or disagree, butalways remember that the goal is dialogue. The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer.

Race and Politics: The Elephant inthe Room?by Nathaniel Tolbert2008 was a momentous year in

American history. Theoretically, withthe election of President BarackObama, the American people helpedshatter the glass ceiling that has been abarrier to political power for black menin this country. President Obama’s tenure as the President of the UnitedStates has been one of the most fasci-nating stories in this nation’s history. Much of the fascination with PresidentObama stems from his "rock star" per-sonality, his oratory skills and his abil-ity to bring people together. Anotherfascination factor, althoughnot directly acknowledged, is PresidentObama's race. As the son of a whiteAmerican mother and black father fromthe African country of Kenya,many Americans wanted to believe thatthe election of President Obama hadushered in an era of racial har-mony. However, that does not seem tobe the case. In fact, there seems to be anundercurrent of racial tension brewingsince his ascension to this coun-try's exalted position of power. As thecountry moves toward midterm elec-tions it is plain to see that America hasnot become a bellwether of racial har-

mony. The almost rabid furor of theRepublican Party, and newly formedTea Party Movement, to "take our coun-try back" has a decidedly unharmonioustone. Interestingly, the news media,particularly conservative talk showpundits, and also the supposedly objec-tive main stream media, appear to bethe driving force behind the reinvigo-rated biases that lurk in the Americansubconscious.Would there be a Tea Party Move-

ment if Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck,Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly, toname a few of the conservative opera-tives who are stoking the flames of fear,were not on the airways daily demoniz-ing President Barack Hussein Obama?Would there be conspiracy theoriesregarding his citizenship and rejectionof his legitimacy to be President of theUnited States if it were not for the ra-cially tinged and blatantly disrespect-ful rhetoric spewed by the aforemen-tioned talking heads? ABC News politi-cal blogger Steven Portnoy re-cently reported that Rush Limbaugh,who appears to be the heart and soul ofthe conservative fraction of the Repub-lican Party, referred to President Obamaas a "jackass", an idiot, and "economicilliterate," questioned whether the levelof disdain and disrespect displayed byLimbaugh was "over the top." BillO'Reilly, a well known and polarizing

figure whose provocative statements arehis stock and trade, has frequently madethe statement on his show "The O'ReillyFactor" and other televised talk shows aswell, that "...white Americans are terri-fied," inferring that because a black manwith a funny name is President somehowwhite people are in danger. This bogey-man attitude of Bill O'Reilly was evidentrecently on the mid-day talk show TheView.When asked about the controver-sial issue of the mosque at the 9/11ground zero site in New York City,O’Reilly responded “Muslims killed us on 9/11”, a statement that so dis-gusted The View regulars Joy Behar andWhoopi Goldberg that they walked offthe set. Muslims, 911, and Barack Hus-sein Obama are the staples the conserva-tive media uses to rally their troops andto frighten other Americans into joiningtheir cause. As O'Reilly stated "Muslimskilled us on 9/11", Barack HusseinObama sounds like a Muslim name;;therefore they have to be con-nected. Irresponsible ranting is also aconstant of another FOX News punditSean Hannity. Hannity's favorite epithetfor President Obama is "socialist"--thenew scare word. "Obama is a socialist.Doesn't he know that socialism killswealth" claims Hannity. A recent Han-nity diatribe accused President Obamabeing "wrong on health care, wrong onthe economy", and causing the recession,

as if the two term Bush Presi-dency and the debacle it causeddid not exist. Someone once said,to paraphrase, "If you tell a lie,and keep repeating it, people willbelieve it to be true." And thatseems to be the strategy of Presi-dent Obama's foes. Say anythingto denigrate him. Turn Americaagainst him. Obama must go. "Wewant our country back."...

Read the rest of this article atthe AADS website. bc.edu/aads

AADSMinorSarahCostanza

Minors Profile: Sarah Costanza ‘11

understanding of the historicaland current issues that affectthe African Diaspora commu-nity in the United States andhow that relates to the greatersociety.• How do you think it will af-fect your professional life mov-ing forward?The African and African Dias-pora studies minor will affectmy professional life movingforward by allowing me todiversify my approach to inter-acting with individuals frommany different background

experiences. After having takenmany classes to fulfill the mi-nor I feel like I will be able tobetter relate not only to theAfrican and African Diasporacommunities within the US butalso other underrepresentedcommunities in the larger soci-ety.• How do you feel AADS ispromoting diversity on cam-pus?In regards to the AADS minor,I do feel it is promoting diver-sity on campus by offering awide variety of courses that areoutside of the mainstream cur-riculum that students can take.Students who may not other-

Wise be exposed to the material within theAfrican and African Diaspora context havethe ability to explore a course as a culturaldiversity core.

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