A conference Saturday aims to help students to understand how Africans maintained their culture after they were forced out of their traditional way of life, according to conference sponsors.
The Caribbean Students Association will have its inaugural African Diaspora Research Conference thanks to a $900 grant from the Diversity Policy Institute, which assists Ball State University in making campus more diverse.
Diaspora is defined as any group of people that is separated from its traditional homeland. The African Diaspora is the dispersion of Africans to different parts of the world, including the Americas and Europe during and after the trans-Atlantic slave trade between 1441 and 1888.
Sheron Fraser-Burgess, co-faculty sponsor of the Caribbean Students Association, said the conference will explore the African Diaspora and issues of identity formation and quality of life. The conference will also involve artistic facets, including local musicians and a lunch with Caribbean food.-á
"The goal is to explore research being found about people who were and are apart of the diaspora," Fraser-Burgess said. "However, it is also a time to celebrate ways in which African culture has been expressed here and all over the country."
Descendents of people involved in the African Diaspora, as well as students and professors who have researched various aspects of the African Diaspora experience, will give presentations at the conference.
Charlene Alexander, associate professor of psychology-counseling and co-sponsor of the Caribbean Students Association, said the goal of the presentations is to inspire discussion about the African Diaspora.-á
"We really want people to actually understand the origin and history of the African Diaspora and to exchange thoughts with us and each other," Alexander said.-á
Despite conferences on African Diaspora being attended at universities around the country, Fraser-Burgess and Alexander said they hoped to make this conference special. The eventual goal is to have other multicultural organizations throughout Ball State become a part of this event in order for all cultures to be represented at the conference, Fraser-Burgess said.-áIf all groups are represented, students of various cultures can feel more comfortable discussing issues with one another, she said.
"Our goal is to give this conference a life of its own," Fraser-Burgess said. "This is one way to really bring up the issue of diversity especially on this campus compared to others. This will give people an opportunity to learn and express their feelings about diversity, which is a good thing."-á
The conference will take place in the Art and Journalism Building rooms 225 and 289 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is free to attend, and registration will take place throughout the event.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
