The eighth annual Talented Tenth Leadership Institute of the African American Male Congress (AAMC) will culminate its baccalaureate event April 23, with a keynote address from world-renowned scholar and Princeton University Professor Cornel West. The event will take place at 4 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. It is open to the public; free tickets are available at the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center Box Office.
"Over the years, I've been impressed with how this organization continues to evolve," says Larry P. Thomas, associate director in the Office of Graduate Preparation Programs. "Not only have the scholars of the Congress aggressively recruited the brightest undergraduate scholars and future leaders of our local, national and international communities, but they have successfully engaged the University in a co-curricular experience that highlights the significant contributions of African American intellectuals. Therefore, it makes sense to have Dr. Cornel West salute these young men as they begin a life-altering journey through the African American Male Congress."
Following his address, West will become the fifth honorary member of the AAMC, joining Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs at SU; Francis McMillan Parks, director of Students Offering Service (SOS) and African American Programs at SU; Michael Eric Dyson, Avalon Professor in the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania; and Henry Louis Gates, W. E. B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities and chair of the Department African and African American Studies at Harvard University.
West is the Class of 1943 University Professor at Princeton University. He has held previous positions at Union Theological Seminary, Yale University, Harvard University and the University of Paris. West has written numerous books, including "Race Matters, The American Evasion of Philosophy" (Beacon Press, 2001)and "The Cornel West Reader" (Basic Civitas Books, 1999) His "Beyond Eurocentrism and Multiculturalism, Volume 1 and 2 (Common Courage Press, 1993) won the American Book Award. West will sign copies of his latest book, "Democracy Matters" (Penguin Press, 2004), following the event.
Baccalaureate 2005 is sponsored by the Gateway Learning Community, the Collegiate Science & Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), the Division of Student Affairs, The College of Arts and Sciences and the Student Fee.
Thomas founded the African American Male Congress in 1998, with the goal of making it the premier student organization for emerging leaders among African American men at SU. The baccalaureate event celebrates aspects of moral life and its relation to leadership through song, dance and readings from sacred texts.
"The greatest pride I feel regarding the African American Male Congress is definitely being amongst men who constantly teach me new things. I am taught not by way of forced knowledge, but simply by the members possessing insight beyond their years," says Rotimi Paul, AAMC vice president. "As I continue my journey both as a member of the Congress and as an emerging leader, I remain most impressed by the ability of this organization's members, both current and alumni, to heed the call to action that society has posed for young males. Dr. Cornel West provides the perfect inspiration for the new members to make the transition from apt pupils to leaders, role models and men."
