I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda...I am for truth, no matter who tells it. I am for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I am a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole (p. 373).

Spring 2008 Public Events
All events are free and open to the public.

Special Black History Month Event
The Civil Rights Movement in the Era of Globalization, Immigration and Increased Social Stratification: Where do we go from here?
Date: February 6th, 2008,
Time: Noon-1:30 p.m.

Location: College Center, Moraine Rooms
Description: The Civil Rights movement in the U.S. has to deal with its successes, and the impact of globalization on the American economy. American society and the Black community are more diverse than ever. What are the challenges and opportunities inherent in these changes? Panel members will include

• Dr. David Johnson, Professor of Sociology, South Suburban College

• Berve Power, Civil Rights Attorney

• Dr. Conrad Worrill, President, National Black United Front, Northeastern University

• Eddie Read, President, of Chicago Black United Communities

African-American Men Tell Their Stories
Date: March 5th, 2008
Time: Noon-1:30p.m.
Location: Building L, Library Lounge
For thousands of years, humans have used stories to communicate knowledge about the world. Stories provide contexts for our understanding of facts, emotions, discoveries, history, relationships, and all kinds of human interaction. In this panel discussion, some of Moraine Valley's African-American men come together to tell their own stories and reflect on the roads they have taken to Moraine Valley. This is a special event to which the larger Moraine Valley community is invited to come together and listen to our friends and colleagues share their own stories. Panel members will include

• Dr. Vernon Crawley, President, Moraine Valley

• Lenard Wynn, Sociology

• Dana Campbell, Chemistry

• Mario Borha, Mathematics

• Courtney Reese, Developmental Ed.

• Delwyn Jones, Moderator

Special Women’s History Month Event
Women in Islam
Date: March 25, 2008

Time: 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Location: Building L, Library Lounge
Description: What does the The Qur’ān say about women in Islam? What role do women play within the Muslim communities in our area? Panel members from around the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago will discuss the role of women within the Islamic faith. Panel members include

• Itedal Shalabi, Arab American Family Services

• Huda Krad, Orland Park Mosque

• Joyce Yakub, Nation of Islam

• Krista Appelquist, Moderator

Race in America: Talking About America's Biggest Issue
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Time: 12:30 p.m. -1:45 p.m.
Location: Building L, Library Lounge
Description: Would you laugh at a racist joke? Would you date somebody of a different race? Do you worship with people of a different race? Are your neighbors members of a different race? To a large extent, America remains segregated along racial lines, but how often do we discuss this segregation in a meaningful way? Why are we afraid to talk about this issue? This panel will set aside the fear and delve into race issues in America. Students, staff, faculty, and community members are invited to join the discussion. Panel members include:

• Ricky Cobb, Sociology

• Delwyn Jones, Speech

• Kevin Navratil, Political Science

• Amy Williamson, Psychology

• Bill Muller, Moderator

Fall 2007 Past Public Events
Visit the library Podcast page to listen to past events.

Opening Lecture featuring Dr. Abdul Alkalimat

Date: Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007

Time: 12:30 p.m.
Description: Dr. Abdul Alkalimat, director of Africana Studies and professor of Sociology at the University of Toledo, opens our events related to Malcolm X.  Dr. Alkalimat is a nationally recognized scholar and teacher who has published numerous books, articles, and Web resources on the Civil Rights Movement, African-American culture, and Malcolm X. 
Listen to this event

 

The Basics of Islam featuring Sheikh Kifah Mustapha

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007

Time: noon
Description: Sheikh Kifah Mustapha, Imam and Associate Director of the Mosque Foundation of Bridgeview, will present "The Basics of Islam."  This lecture and discussion will review the core beliefs, history, and practice of the Muslim faith.  Students, staff, faculty, and members of the public are invited to come and learn about one of the world's major religions as it is practiced in the US and around the world. 
Listen to the event

 

The Other 1960s: What We've Forgotten About the 60s featuring
Dr. Lendol Calder

Date: Wednesday., Oct. 10, 2007
Time: 1 p.m.

Description: Dr. Lendol Calder, Professor of History at Augustana College, will ask audience members to think about the 1960s in new ways.  What is the popular-cultural view of the 1960s, and what does the historic record show us?  Students, staff, faculty and members of the general public are invited to come and learn about the other 1960s. 

Listen to the event

 

Who is Malcolm X?: The Real-Life Malcolm X Contrasted with Film, Books and History featuring Delwyn Jones

Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Time: 1 p.m.
Description: Delwyn Jones, Assistant Professor of communications at Moraine Valley, asks us to consider the question who is Malcolm X?  Is he a pop-culture icon, historic figure, inspirational leader, or racial agitator?  Jones will contrast the Malcolm X presented in Alex Haley's The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Spike Lee's Malcolm X, and the historic record, to come to an understanding on the importance of this leader.
Listen to the event

“I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive. I certainly wasn't seeking any degree, the way a college confers a status symbol upon its students. My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America. Not long ago, an English writer telephoned me from London, asking questions. One was, "What's your alma mater?" I told him, "Books." You will never catch me with a free fifteen minutes in which I'm not studying something I feel might be able to help the black man.” (p. 182)