Performances by teenagers from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds will be the highlight of "Fiesta!," a celebration of diversity taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 6-8:30 p.m. on the lawn of Sterling Divinity Quadrangle. The event, built on the theme "around the quad, around New Haven, around the world," is free and open to the public.
"Fiesta!" is one of several events planned in September and October as part of "Racial Legacies and Learning: An American Dialogue," a project sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) and part of President Bill Clinton's Initiative on Race. Yale is one of more than 50 colleges and universities hosting events nationwide to address the question "What should higher education be doing with its local communities to prepare graduates to address the legacy of racism and the opportunities for racial reconciliation in the United States?"
"Two of the universal concerns that we all share is love of good music and pride in our children," says Demetrius Semien, a Yale Divinity School student who is coordinating the local "Racial Legacies and Learning" activities. "'Fiesta!' celebrates these commonalities, while highlighting the diversity of cultural expression."
"Fiesta!" will feature performances by teenagers from New Haven's Latin, Jewish, European-American, African-American, Chinese-American and Korean-American communities. Among the groups performing will be No World Improvisations, an internationally recognized, ethnically diverse musical ensemble from New Haven which aims to demonstrate that people who are very different from one another can come together in music. Its members include Abraham Adzenyah, who performs Ghanaian percussion and is also a singer; Joseph Celli, a performer of double reed instruments from around the world; Jin Hi Kim on komungo, changgo and electric komungo; and Min Xiao-Fen, who plays pipa and also sings. The group will perform in the Great Hall of the Institute of Sacred Music, located on the Divinity School Quadrangle at 409 Prospect St. The performance is supported by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.
Frances "Bitsie" Clark, executive director of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, will discuss the role of the arts in race relations and will serve as mistress of ceremonies. Throughout the evening, information booths set up around the quadrangle will display information about New Haven's rich ethnic and racial diversity.
During the celebration, Richard Wood, dean of the Divinity School, will present Youth Achievement Awards to the performers in appreciation of their participation and in recognition of their leadership role in promoting understanding from within their respective communities.
"Enhanced appreciation of the many racial and ethnic groups that make up the fabric of New Haven is crucial," says Dean Wood. "Many of us do not realize the extent to which we are influenced by racism. Dialogue is not just talk. It is learning to hear each other, in this case learning to hear one another's music and take pride in one another's children, allowing others to make a difference in our lives."
"Fiesta!" coincides with the start of classes at the Divinity School, which this year is welcoming approximately 130 new students. The incoming class represents a continuing increase in the diversity of the student body. "It is exciting to welcome another multi-talented and experienced class to the Divinity School and to New Haven," notes Guy Martin, associate dean of admissions. "Fiesta!" offers a new and important beginning to the on-going discipline of dialogue that remains such a critical component of the Divinity School's educational experience."
Additional activities planned as part of the "Racial Legacies and Learning" project include three town meetings, which will be offered Tuesday-Thursday, Sept. 15-17, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Divinity School common room. Each of these conversations will feature university and community leaders focusing on a topic of concern in race relations. Race and economics will be the topic on Sept. 15; race and religion will be explored on Sept. 16; and the issue of race and health care will be examined on Sept. 17.
The project will conclude on Tuesday, Oct. 6, with a 10 a.m. national press conference hosted by the AACU, at which time the results of the association's national poll on race matters will be released. At 4:30 p.m., the Reverend James A. Forbes, the first African-American to serve as senior minister of The Riverside Church in New York City, will speak in the Divinity School's Marquand Chapel. More information on his talk will appear in a future issue of the Yale Bulletin & Calendar.
For further information, call Demetrius Semien at 501-0363
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