2008 Woodie Awards
The Daily OrangeAfrican American Studies | Department commemorates bicentennial of slave trade's abolition with initiative
By Sarah DiGuilio
Posted: 3/21/07, 11:00 PM EST Section: News
Sounds of anguish, terror and tranquility will help people understand the atrocities of being in bondage, said William Cole, a Syracuse University professor of African-American studies.
Cole will perform a song titled "The Journey" on the didgeridoo, an Australian instrument, to commemorate the bicentennial of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and raise awareness of human rights struggles. He said he chose the instrument because it can be manipulated to make sounds that echo bondage.
"I think the journey is not ended yet," Cole said.
"The Journey" will occur during the closing night of the Africa Initiative's "Validating the Humanity of All," a series of speakers and discussions that started Tuesday and will run until Monday. The event commemorates the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Black Holocaust that continues today. Human rights issues from the slave trade, to sex trafficking to genocide lead the dialogues.
"We believe the commemoration of the Black Holocaust is important to remember the past in order to transform the future," said Horace Campbell, professor of African-American studies at SU and director of the Africa Initiative, a campus-wide project within the department of African-American studies.
The intellectual culture is still underdeveloped, he said, adding he believes the realities of genocide and white supremacy still dominate the curriculum of schools. The program's first goal is to educate the Syracuse community about the Black Holocaust.
"The struggle to abolish slavery is the struggle to abolish all forms of bondage and servitude," Campbell said.
Campbell organized the program after the United Nations designated Monday, March 26 as a day to commemorate the bicentennial of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But the program commemorates more than the slave trade. It also discusses the ways slavery still exists today, he said.
Millions of black Americans were killed during the trans-Atlantic slave trade and during their servitude, said Sundiata Salaam, a graduate student in Pan African studies and part of one of the program's discussions. It was a systematic genocide against black Americans, he said. The systematic way of killing people still exists today as part of the Black Holocaust.
Cole will perform a song titled "The Journey" on the didgeridoo, an Australian instrument, to commemorate the bicentennial of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and raise awareness of human rights struggles. He said he chose the instrument because it can be manipulated to make sounds that echo bondage.
"I think the journey is not ended yet," Cole said.
"The Journey" will occur during the closing night of the Africa Initiative's "Validating the Humanity of All," a series of speakers and discussions that started Tuesday and will run until Monday. The event commemorates the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Black Holocaust that continues today. Human rights issues from the slave trade, to sex trafficking to genocide lead the dialogues.
"We believe the commemoration of the Black Holocaust is important to remember the past in order to transform the future," said Horace Campbell, professor of African-American studies at SU and director of the Africa Initiative, a campus-wide project within the department of African-American studies.
The intellectual culture is still underdeveloped, he said, adding he believes the realities of genocide and white supremacy still dominate the curriculum of schools. The program's first goal is to educate the Syracuse community about the Black Holocaust.
"The struggle to abolish slavery is the struggle to abolish all forms of bondage and servitude," Campbell said.
Campbell organized the program after the United Nations designated Monday, March 26 as a day to commemorate the bicentennial of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But the program commemorates more than the slave trade. It also discusses the ways slavery still exists today, he said.
Millions of black Americans were killed during the trans-Atlantic slave trade and during their servitude, said Sundiata Salaam, a graduate student in Pan African studies and part of one of the program's discussions. It was a systematic genocide against black Americans, he said. The systematic way of killing people still exists today as part of the Black Holocaust.
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