Campus Events

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 Nikkole 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,…

On October 3, the Music Department, led by Prof. Benjamin Barson, organized a jazz concert at Bucknell’s Rooke Recital Hall, featuring jazz musicians Albert Marques and Keith Lamar. Keith Lamar is currently on death row…

In collaboration with the Bucknell University Press, The Griot Institute hosted a reading and Q/A with Dr. Mel Michelle Lewis, Vice President for People, Justice, and Cultural Affairs at American Rivers and author of the…

Lewisburg, PA, has always been the grounds for nature’s greatest phenomenons: a canvas for the astral aurora borealis, a picture-perfect palette of warm autumnal colors from the fresh fall’s foliage, and most recently, a landing…

Bucknell is in bloom! Between the fruitful new foliage of the Pennsylvanian grasslands, five furious flowers have sprouted this fall. Josh Pearson’ 28, Kaylin Reynolds’ 27, Athaliah Elvis’ 26, Omuhle Ndhlovu’ 26, and Naomi Malone’…

The capacity for imagination is often overlooked in our modern time, relegated to unproductive pastimes or associated with childhood fancy– unimportant, useless activity with no functional purpose in our society. Yet, despite this customary neglect…

The Dancing Mind Challenge brought students, faculty and staff, and community members together for a lightheated reading competition. The goal, inspired by Toni Morrison’s reflections in her essay “The Dancing Mind,” challenges participants to unplug…

Soul in Motion African Dance & Drum is a team of 11 dedicated and passionate performers who have performed nationally since 1984. This group aims to share the untold experiences of West African-American culture through…

Let’s be honest: the spring semester can feel like a drag. You’re probably juggling a million things—between academics, extracurriculars, and personal commitments—and the weather can’t decide if it’s spring or winter. On top of that,…

This past Tuesday, I attended a Black Experiences Lecture titled “Dancing the African Diaspora: Shared Memories and Memoralizations in Motion ” by Thomas F. Defrantz. Defrantz is a professor at Northwestern University. He is also…

Recently, several campus organizations came together for a lively and welcoming event. Groups like the Black Student Union (BSU), Bucknell African Caribbean Student Association (BACSA), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society for…

The African Drum and Dancing session with Soul in Motion, held on Sunday, 9/8, brought an engaging and memorable afternoon. As members of the workshop made their way to the Tustin studio, the resounding beat…

In university, you are used to your professor at the front of a classroom—telling you what to do, grading you, and mentoring you, depending on how comfortable you feel with them. This dynamic, rooted in…

The blue skies of Bucknell on September 10th slowly darkened as white stars exploded across the campus’ canvas, leaving trails of red. Patriotism had struck Bucknell’s bubble, infecting students, professors, and locals of Lewisburg with…

On September 7th, the Griot Institute welcomed Bucknellians and friends to the new school year with the annual Griot Institute Opening Celebration. Kicking off the Griot’s season with a performance from the first-year pre-orientation group,…

“No matter what you do to us, you could never take my joy away from me.”  In honor of Black Women’s History events, the film screening in my mother’s garden was organized. Here is a…

The Griot Institute recently hosted a film screening at the Campus Theatre in our downtown Lewisburg. The Pieces I Am is a documentary about renowned Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. In the documentary,…

LaToya Hobbs is an artist, wife, and mother of two from Little Rock, AR, currently living and working in Baltimore, MD. Her exhibition record includes national and internation venues, her work is housed in private…

Moradewun Adejunmobi is a Professor at the University of California, Davis in the African American and African Studies Department. She also makes significant contributions to the French and Comparative Literature departments as well as a…

As the curtains close on another spectacular Black Art Fest, we find ourselves reflecting on the culmination of this vibrant celebration of culture, creativity, and community. The grand finale, Stomp Out, was a testament to…

On February 21st, The Griot Institute welcomed Iyana Ife as a speaker for one of the spring series talks. Ayana Ife is a modest fashion designer with over fifteen years of experience dressing women of…

Author’s Note: Each academic year, the Griot Institute identifies a question or issue of interest that’s central to the continued study of Black lives and cultures and develops a series of programs to explore these questions…

On February 27th, I attended a very engaging and uplifting vision board workshop with Modest Fashion Designer and Activist Ayana Ife. Ife has been dressing women of all sizes for over 15 years, with aims…

Ambiguous six-word title are the only words given to the event in the Bucknellian cover above. No story accompaniment on March 1 issue On February 23, 2024, the Bucknell Black Student Union (BSU) once again…

Ayana Ife is a fashion designer who creates modest clothing for underserved women, helping them feel beautiful and comfortable in styles that empower and represent their values. She aims to find creative solutions for each…

This is the first in a 4- series movie screening. My elders always told me: “Education is one thing no one can take away from you.”Unfortunately, this was one of the things that the black…

The Griot sponsored luncheon event that marked the conclusion of this years Martin Luther King Week, titled “Where Do We Go from Here,” provided a crucial platform for addressing actionable steps toward equality within Bucknell…

The lovely ladies, Reverend Angela Jones and her sister, Dr. Alisha Lola Jones, graced us with their presence on Sunday, the 21st of January, 2024. It was such a heartwarming experience that two sisters shared…

Black Arts Fest Week at Bucknell University commenced in full force with a vibrant kickoffbrunch on February 18th, 2024. Hosted by the Black Student Union (BSU), this thirteenth annual tradition brought together Black students and…

In the spirit of MLK week, on January 21st, Rooke chapel, Gospel Choir, and Bucknell religious and spiritual life in collaboration with the griot institute hosted awonderful service at the chapel to Commemorate the Life…

Lecture: Joy and Pain, the Representations of Black Life from Slavery through the Gilded Age On October 3, 2023, the campus of Bucknell University hosted Erica Armstrong Dunbar, an esteemed American Historian from Rutgers University.…

On January 19th, Bucknell University hosted a pivotal MLK Week Event centered on the imperative task of unlearning racism within our institution. The event, held in the Hildreth Mirza Great Room, drew significant attendance as…

Each academic year, the Griot Institute identifies a question or issue of interest that’s central to the continued study of Black lives and cultures and develops a series of programs to explore these questions from…

((Written by Ninah Jackson and Ryleigh Roberts)) Our 2024 Keynote Speaker and Bucknell Alum, Gbenga Akinnagbe, came to campus for a lunch Q/A and gave a lecture for the Sustaining Social Movements series. Founder of…

Written by Ninah Jackson and Ryleigh Roberts “Imagine, if you will, that in hopes of making your way to some not-so-far-off destination, you board a flight and find yourself lucky enough to get bumped up…

Sustaining Social Movements marks a time when we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the influential figures who stood alongside him. Throughout January, the MLK Week Committee curates a…

Author’s Note: Martin Luther King Jr. Week is an annual campus community gathering to honor the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. through learning, discussion, community engagement and art. The theme for…

Bucknell Alum Frank Wood ’62 joined us virtually to reflect on his experience during his time on campus as a student from 1957 to 1962. Frank Wood graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering, was…