Campus Events

On Wednesday, February 25, Bucknell was visited by Genesis Butler, an Afro-Indigenous animal rights and climate activist from Long Beach, California. Genesis is the great-niece of labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. She…

On February 11, I went to the We Were Here: The Untold Story of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe (2025) screening and Q&A with Italian-Ghanaian filmmaker Fred Kuwornu. The film unveils the untold history of…

On Wednesday, February 4 we had the pleasure of having Dr. Edda Fields-Black discusses her book Combee. Last semester I actually had the opportunity to read her book and lead a book talk about it,…

Event Hosted by The Griot Institute On the 11th of February, the Griot Institute hosted a Student/Alumni Panel which gave two alumni and two current Bucknell students the opportunity to speak on the way Youth…

-Grace Ifiegbu

In a time when universities often prioritize fields with clear expectations and tangible results, the humanities can feel overlooked. This lunch with Dr. Edda Fields-Black was an opportunity to engage in conversation regarding the unique…

Kieron Dwayne Sargeant is a multifaceted artist, choreographer, performer, drummer, dance researcher, and educator hailing from Trinidad and Tobago. His extensive career is rooted in the exploration and promotion of African-Caribbean diasporic traditions. Currently, he…

On January 29th, I attended a seminar, “Agree to Disagree”, hosted by Susan Jordan, as part of the MLK week activities. Jordan’s presentation on engaging in cordial disagreement accomplishes a direct imperative of Martin Luther…

During the week honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this tradition felt especially alive. Dr. King’s leadership in the Civil Rights Movement both made him a global symbol of liberation or justice, demonstrating that the…

Black Arts Fest is a week dedicated to celebrating Black students on Bucknell’s campus. It is a week full of creative events hosted by the Black Student Union executive board during which the black students,…

Do movements need heroes? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in the United States is well known, but his philosophy was never only domestic. King considered freedom globally and weighed in on international struggles and…

As I walked inside Larrison dining hall, bright lights illuminated the room. Although the lights were shining in my eyes, the aroma of food quickly grabbed my attention; steaming pastelitos and egg rolls lay so…

In Collaboration with the Griot Institute for the Study of Black Lives and Cultures Stephen Stacks, Ph.D. Musicology Hello everyone! I know you guys just heard from me about Mr. Dobson, but guess what? You…

In Collaboration with Phi Lambda Theta Chapter of Chi Phi Fraternity Incorporated Jan. 2026 Devin T. Dobson, M. Education Last Thursday, January 6th, 2026, I had the opportunity to attend this critical event in which…

As you walk into the gallery, you are met with walls adorning black letters. They face you immediately, leaving space to ease you in. To your right and slightly behind you is a portrait of…

The Bucknell Special Collections Department is featuring an exhibit located on the first floor of the Bertrand Library, titled “150 Years of Black Excellence, Resilience, and Impact”. The exhibit was curated by Giana Depina, ‘26,…

The Griot Institute co-hosted a lunch event, “Dissecting the Moral and Social Implications of Modern Technology”, as part of their Martin Luther King, Jr. week series this Wednesday, January 21. The event was co-hosted by…

MLK Week 2026, started off strong with a viewing of Dr. King’s speech, “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution,” which was delivered at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. on 31 March 1968. I noticed that…

Picture this. You’re walking through the streets of a Latine country in South America or the Caribbean Islands. Your skin is embraced by the warmth of the sun, your ears by the sounds of city…

This Wednesday, November 5, the Griot Institute hosted a book group discussion about Edda Fields-Black’s book, Combee. Combee won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for History and tells the story of the Combahee River Raid, an…

This Wednesday, the Griot hosted a screening of the 2025 movie Sinners, followed by a group discussion led by Dr. Aisha Cort. The film is a Southern Gothic take on vampire horror starring Michael B.…

At the recent Public Policy Conference, Darrick Hamilton delivered a powerful message on power, paradigm, and political economy—themes that continuously shape our world. His talk was more than a lecture; it was a call to…

“Precious Metals” is a story of resilience, authenticity, and humanity baked into a dazzling one-woman show presented by the one and only Carolyn Harrison. The performance was part of the weekend celebrating 150 years of…

This Wednesday, I attended the first book group of the semester which focused on Richard Wright’s autobiography, Black Boy. The attendees were a mixed group of students, faculty, and staff. Professor Cymone Fourshey opened the…

Charlotte Hill O’Neal is recognized by multiple names, with the most notable being Mama C. This name was coined by the people of the Arusha Region in Northern Tanzania, as they found it easier to…

During the last weekend of September, the Griot hosted its annual Dancing Mind Challenge, a two day event that challenges you to put away all devices and read and write for 2 to 8 hours.…

Brace yourself, this is going to be a long one… I woke up this morning with a song in my heart, craving sounds from home. I think it was the rhythm that made the impact…

The Annual Griot Student Leadership lunch has come and gone as student leaders gathered and extended hands of welcome and partnership to one another. Bucknell is a small liberal arts institution but boasts a robust…

On Friday, September 5, the Griot Institute hosted their annual faculty and staff lunch. The lunch purposed to bring together student interns, Griot staff, and Bucknell University faculty in order to discuss programming for the…

On Saturday, September 6, the Bucknell community came together to celebrate the opening ceremony of the Griot Institute for the Study of Black Life and Culture. From 12 to 2 p.m., the Terrace Room in…

On Thursday, September 4th, Bucknell University welcomed William H. Turner, Ph.D., as the first speaker in the Humanities Department’s Black Appalachia and the Search for Nowhere series. Dr. Turner holds a B.S. in sociology from…

Dr. Monica Cox, a leader, engineer and author taught us a lot about leadership during her talk. She opened up by stating she would be keeping it real with us, while being vulnerable and open.…

– Mercy Ifiegbu ’26

ATTENTION ALL ACTIVISTS AND ARTISTS! This past week, The Griot Institute welcomed Cuban-American interdisciplinary artist, curator, and writer, Coco Fusco to the Gallery Theatre Stage here at Bucknell University! Earning her B.A. in Semiotics from…

The return from spring break kicked off with the arrival of Griot Institute guest speaker, Coco Fusco, Cuban-American interdisciplinary artist and writer whose work explores topics such as gender, identity, race, and structures of power.…

One of our Griot guest speakers, Ephraim Asili, a filmmaker and educator whose work focuses on the African diaspora, came to chat over lunch with faculty and students. Asili answered listeners questions from varying disciplinary…

I am here to take you back,All the way black to the future. Close your eyes and imagine a future—That’s what we live for.More than just seeing the next day,We live for more. It’s the…

Gather round historians and modernists, for we are taking a high-sailing trip this evening across the Ocean Blue (aka Lewisburg to Selinsgrove) guided by our beloved Captain Nikole Hannah-Jones.  The skies are bright, and know…

The Griot recently hosted guest speaker Dr. Stephanie Jones, an Associate Professor in Education at Grinnell College, researching racial trauma in the education system. As an informal introduction to Jones and her research, the Institute…

MLK Week – Exploring the Intersection of Conflict and Culture presented by Dr. Jen Fry In one of my previous blogs, To Be Heard, inspired by Shanee Stepakoff’s Testimony, I wrote: “To be heard, there…

This year’s MLK Week theme, Learning to Action: Movement Toward Just Communities, encourages individuals to participate in active listening, self-reflection, and meaningful action toward social justice. On January 24th, Bucknell’s Student Government MLK and Diversity…

It seems that Punxsutawney Phil isn’t the only thing emerging from the grasslands of Pennsylvania this winter. There seems to be a carousel of change chipping away at the ivy walls of our very own…

MLK week brings a host of opportunities for Bucknell students, faculty and staff as well as the greater Lewisburg community to learn more and engage with the teachings and life of Dr. Martin Luther King,…

Star Trek. Futurama. The Simpsons. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Bucknell. Long ago the five nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Bucknell nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements,…

In his famous I Have a Dream speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called for national recognition and accountability— a plea that, as time passes, remains as necessary and as relevant today as it was…

It is with great humility I welcome you back to my elongated rants disguised as blogs. I’ve missed you, readers, and I’m so excited to talk your ears off this Spring season. Without further ado,…

The Black Alumni Association hosted a student appreciation brunch during Homecoming weekend 2024 to show appreciation for graduating seniors, who would soon become black Bucknell alumni themselves.  The event started at 11 a.m., with breakfast…

What comes to your mind when you think of human trafficking? At first, I thought of the image of a person chained to a wall in a basement somewhere miles away from civilization, being forced…

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I would love to be home, but home is too far and can’t come to me?” Naturally, you bring home to you. But with home, there’s a sense of…

This semester brought about a wonderful day of international and cultural celebration on campus with the International festival. Both Bucknellians and Lewisburg locals came together to appreciate the hub of diversity that exists within our…

In the Griot Institute’s second book group meeting of the fall semester, J.T. Roane’s Dark Agoras: Insurgent Black Social Life and the Politics of Place was discussed in depth. The book explores how working-class Black…

Music and sound have a lasting impact on individuals worldwide. This is because music can be viewed as an additional language—one that fosters a sense of belonging, something not easily shared across all environments. For…

Have you ever questioned your identity or faced a situation where it was deeply challenged? For many women worldwide, this is an unfortunate and persistent reality. For African American women, these challenges are compounded by…

This semester I have been working on a Ghana archive for the Griot. The project aims to have two major parts, part one is an archive for the Bucknell in Ghana Program (BIG). Bucknell runs…

The trees have wrung themselves bare, and their bark has charred under the arcane rays of global warmings’ sun. The fall tributes of our beloved town of Lewisburg, lay aflutter on the cold concrete. Many…

Fresh to the grounds of our sweet bubble in Lewisburg, Benjamin Barson is quickly making a name for himself amongst Bucknell’s campus. Having joined Bucknell as an Assistant Professor of Music and Affiliated Faculty in…

This past Friday, November 1st, I attended the Diversity Symposium. I went to session 3: Crafting A New Vibe: How the Zero Proof Movement Maximizes Inclusion & Belonging. Initially, I did not know what the…

On Thursday, October 24th, I attended the The Right To Be (Seen), Part 3 film screening. Four films were shown: Elia Mouatamid’s Maka, Laila Petrone’s The Power of the Smile, Giuseppe Briganre’s Unknown, and Nadia…

On September 18, Dr. Alicia Lazarinni gave a talk on her research exploring contemporary and colonial investment in Africa. Dr. Lazarinni is an economic geographer whose interdisciplinary research engages geographical and feminist political economy, postcolonial…

The world today is transforming in real-time, with everything from Artificial Intelligence (AI) breakthroughs to ongoing Middle Eastern conflicts underscoring that change is both constant and unavoidable. Last Tuesday, October 22, stand-up comedian, director, author,…