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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Visits Hamilton
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Godfrey, Carolyn
North Country Paper
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NBA Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar visited Hamilton and Colgate University last week as part of the college's celebration of Black History Month. After signing copies of his book, Black Profiles in Courage, at the Colgate Bookstore, Abdul-Jabbar discussed black history when he addressed students, faculty and staff during a talk at the Memorial Chapel.
The line at the Bookstore began to form early in the morning, said Bookstore officials, with a lady from Rome arriving at 9 AM in order to be first in line. She waited calmly all day, moving from chair to chair, but never losing her place in line.
"She said it was first-come, first-serve and she wanted to be sure she got in," said Linda Miers, Assistant Director, Textbook Manager.
When the signing began at approximately 4:30 PM, the line zig-zagged through the first floor of the store as those seeking the basketball great's autograph on his book were moved to the third floor in small groups. Abdul-Jabbar, who appeared bigger than life to some, sat patiently and signed his work - sometimes a stack of books for those with more than one copy.
Abdul-Jabbar, who played 20 seasons in the NBA, has distinguished himself as a best selling author, actor and film producer. Throughout his career he has also devoted countless hours to charity and in 1989 "Kareem's Kids" was established by Athletes and Entertainers for Kids, with the goal of motivating youth to stay in school.
Both programs were sponsored by the university's Brothers group, who annually invites a speaker to campus during Black History Month. |
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PBS Panel on Armenian Genocide Stirs Protest
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Farhi, Paul
Washington Post, The
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Thousands of Armenian Americans are protesting the Public Broadcasting Service's planned panel-discussion program about Turkey's role in the deaths of Armenians during and after World War I.
The 25-minute program has generated an outcry because the panel will include two scholars who deny that 1.5 million Armenian civilians were killed in eastern Turkey from 1915 to 1920.
The program is scheduled to air April 17, a week before the annual Armenian Remembrance Day commemoration, and will follow a one-hour documentary, "The Armenian Genocide," which describes the events surrounding the deaths, as well as denials of complicity by successive Turkish governments.
Armenian Americans have publicized an online petition that asks PBS to drop the discussion program. As of last night, more than 6,000 people had electronically added their names to the petition, making it one of the largest organized protests of a PBS program.
"We strongly feel that debating the Armenian Genocide is akin to arguing about the Jewish Holocaust in order to project a sense of balance," the petition reads. "Would PBS ever contemplate such a program?" Noting that the film already includes Turkish denials, the petition concludes that the panel discussion "would serve to emphasize the Turkish state's official position and undermine the non-political nature of [PBS] programming."
The events surrounding the deaths of Armenians in Turkey by factions of the ruling Ottoman Empire remain emotionally charged and politically contentious. Armenians have long contended that the killings were government policy designed to suppress an Armenian uprising and Armenian support for invading Russian forces. Armenians also call it the 20th century's first genocide, a view that has gained acceptance among Western scholars and governments.
Successors to the Ottoman Turks have acknowledged that there were a substantial number of Armenian deaths -- Turkish estimates range from 300,000 to 600,000 -- but Turkey maintains that the deaths resulted from warfare, starvation and epidemics that affected all segments of Turkish society.
The controversy continues to resonate in Ankara and Washington. Turkish prosecutors last year indicted the country's best-known novelist, Orhan Pamuk, on charges of denigrating the country's national identity after he asserted, in an interview with a Swiss magazine, that Turkey was denying the extent of Armenian killings. His indictment became an issue with European countries that are considering Turkey's application to join the European Union; the charges were dropped this month.
For decades, U.S. administrations have dealt tentatively with the issue, not wishing to offend Turkey, a key political and military ally. In its Remembrance Day message last year, the Bush White House noted "the forced exile and mass killings" and "horrible loss of life" of Armenians but avoided referring to the events as genocide.
As the title implies, "The Armenian Genocide," a documentary by New York filmmaker Andrew Goldberg, is unequivocal in its take on history. PBS agreed to air the film -- whose $650,000 budget was partly funded by Armenian Americans -- without major changes, said Goldberg and Jacoba Atlas, a top PBS programming executive.
In the course of reviewing rough cuts of the film, however, Atlas said PBS officials agreed to add the panel discussion to explore other views, particularly the question of why denial exists. "It's a terrific documentary, and while we believe [the genocide] is settled history . . . you still get dissenters," she said in an interview yesterday. "We said, 'Let's approach this head-on and say why this is still contentious.' We thought it was a good thing to have both sides talking to each other. We felt the more you can shed light on an argument, the more the truth becomes clear."
"This remains a contentious piece of history," Atlas added. "There are just questions around it. Rather than have those questions dismissed, it seemed like a good idea to have a panel and let people have their say."
Atlas acknowledged that such an approach is rare for PBS and said that the Alexandria-based service has not had other panels to discuss opposing views of documentaries during her five-year tenure. She declined to say whether a documentary about the Holocaust or about the genocides in Rwanda or Cambodia would require a similar post-documentary discussion. "Those are hypothetical questions," she said.
The panel discussion, hosted by NPR's Scott Simon, was taped last week. Colgate professor Peter Balakian, an adviser on the documentary, and University of Minnesota professor Taner Akcam supported the film's view. University of Louisville professor Justin A. McCarthy and Turkish historian Omer Turan offered an alternative perspective.
Balakian, an Armenian American who wrote the best-selling "Tigris Burning: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response," said that he did not want to participate in a panel with "two bona fide deniers" but that he felt "backed into a corner" by PBS. If he had boycotted the panel, he said, it would have jeopardized the broadcast of the documentary, which Balakian called "a major and comprehensive piece of work."
Goldberg, the filmmaker, said he did not think the panel was necessary, "but I didn't fight it. It wasn't up to me and I had nothing to do with its production."
In an interview yesterday, McCarthy said the history of the period is complex and does not lend itself to simple judgments and labels. He said that he could not find evidence of 1.5 million Armenian deaths. He also said 3 million Turks died during the same period.
"If saying that both sides killed each other makes me a genocide denier, then I'm a denier," he said.
Titling the documentary "The Armenian Genocide," he said, "is a false description of a complicated history."
PBS said it is up to its 348 member stations to decide individually whether to air either the panel discussion or the documentary. |
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Bypassed Doctor, Ballerina For Art Gallery Director
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Duncan, Brenda
Post-Standard, The
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Editorial assistant Brenda Duncan recently spoke with Elizabeth Barker, who began July 1 as the director of Picker Art Gallery at Colgate University. Name: Elizabeth Barker
Age: 35
Current address: Hamilton
I'm originally from: Brunswick, Maine
Education: I studied at Yale as an undergraduate and did my master's and Ph.D. at the Institute of Fine Arts, which is NYU's graduate program in art history.
What did you do before coming to Central New York? I used to be an associate curator of drawings and prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City.
How is it different here than it was in New York City? First of all, it's lovely to be in the country, in a really beautiful part of the world. And it's wonderful to have the chance to work with Colgate students, and I'm enjoying the change of pace from being a small cog in a big machine at a large institution like The Met to having the chance to try my hand at many more things than I had done before.
Do you have a favorite artist? I did my Ph.D. on an artist named Joseph Wright. He painted candlelight scenes in the late 18th century.
Do you create your own artwork? I don't, no. I learned pretty early on that I was more interested in looking at beautiful things than making my own things that didn't turn out very well.
My hobbies are: I like to go sailing, and I'm interested in cooking.
What type of music do you listen to? A little of everything. I like classical music, especially opera. I'm interested in early music from the Renaissance period. I like country and swing music from the '50s and '60s. I like some hip-hop and rap and rock music.
What is your favorite movie or TV show: I really like "Alias" on ABC, if they would bring that back. I love the idea of someone who is a graduate student by day and a secret agent by night. We all wish we were that glamorous.
If you had an extra hour each day, what would you do? I think I would read more poetry. There was a period when I was less busy when I was able to do that and I really miss that.
Do you have a proudest moment? I suppose finishing my Ph.D. was a nice hurdle to pass.
Do you have a key philosophy in life? People make their own good luck with hard work and being ready to take advantage of an opportunity.
The person who has most inspired me is: my grandfather. He was intelligent and capable and kind and had time for everyone.
When you were a child, what did you dream about becoming? Some days it was a doctor and some days it was a ballerina.
Do you have a most embarrassing moment? I gave a slide lecture recently and brought the wrong slides with me and had to run back and make a swap.
I highly recommend this book: A book by the author Italo Svevo, the title is sometimes translated as "As A Man Grows Older" in English. It's very funny and beautifully written and I laugh until tears roll down my face every time I read it.
What advice would you give the president? Listen to the people.
The most serious question facing my community: I wonder if I've been here long enough to be aware of it. I guess it would be our future growth as we enter the 21st century.
What's the most annoying thing other drivers do? Two extremes: creep along or zoom past impatiently.
What is the best vacation you ever took? I think my best vacations are the quietest ones where very little happens; where I'm not traveling but I'm able to relax and unwind with friends and maybe a good book.
If I could spend the rest of my days with only one person, I'd want it to be: I haven't met that person yet. |
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Political economist, educator dies at 92
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Vincent M. Barnett Jr., who helped found the Williams College program in political economy, died Saturday, the college announced Monday. He was 92.
Barnett helped found the college's Center for Development Economics, which since 1960 has brought economists from developing countries for its one-year master's degree program.
"Vince Barnett has left a remarkable legacy," Williams President Morton Owen Schapiro said in a statement, "not just at Williams but around the world."
Barnett was president of Colgate University from 1963 to 1969, before returning to Williams, where he retired in 1984.
Barnett also served as an economic adviser for the U.S. government, including for the U.S. Embassy in Rome during the 1950s, later was a consultant for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other governments.
He was born in Whittier, Calif., and graduated from UCLA in 1935. He earned a Ph.D. at Harvard in 1938, and taught there from 1937-39.
Barnett is survived by his wife, Barbara; sons Peter M. Barnett and Stephen V. Barnett of Monson, Mass.; daughters Deborah B. Venman of Middlebury, Vt., Mary J. Barnett of Starksboro, Vt., and Wendy B. Barnett-Mulligan of Chatham, N.Y.; 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is planned at Williams College on Feb. 25. |
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Struggle continues
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Kollali, Sapna
Post-Standard - Madison County Bureau, The
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Colgate University professor Pete Banner-Haley is passionate about civil rights. The coordinator of the college's African-American studies program said while the nation no longer has Jim Crow laws and segregation, the civil rights movement is far from over.
The modern civil rights struggle, he said, is about "jobs, employment and economic opportunities."
"Most white Americans believe there has been an immense amount of racial progress since the heart of the civil rights movement, and that equality is a fact of life," he said. "It's just the opposite for blacks. A lot of blacks think things have gotten worse."
Banner-Haley said his ancestry includes famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and he spent several years in the mid-1980s working on the King Papers Project in Atlanta. Next year, he will become the second Arnie Sio Chair for Diversity and Community at the university.
He recently spoke about Black History Month and his work at Colgate:
What do you think of the recent controversy surrounding Black History Month?
Black History Month wasn't created for black people, it was created for white people to show that black Americans are central to American history, that they made major contributions to shaping American culture and politics.
It's not saying this is the only time of year that we talk about black people and then for the rest of the year, we forget about them.
Has Black History Month been effective in educating people about black achievements and civil rights?
In America, historical amnesia tends to run about every 10 years. People forget, and every 10 years, you have to remind them.
Some of the things going on now, we could see coming a long time ago. . . . It's no accident that Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito come right out of the Reagan era . . . with paperwork that they were against women's rights, against civil rights, against affirmative action, against every single thing the civil rights movement is about.
How are your African-American history classes received on campus?
The first nine years I was here, the majority of my students were white. I had maybe one or two black students. But in the last eight years, it's been almost 50-50.
I have to say I've enjoyed the last eight years better because there is a more vibrant discussion. Race is a very volatile issue. We get into a lot of very interesting conversations and arguments.
Are you the first African-American to hold an endowed chair at Colgate?
Brian Moore (director of the ALST program) holds the (John D. and Catherine T.) MacArthur Chair, but he's Jamaican. And Roy Bryce-Laporte held it before that, and he's Panamanian. So speaking strictly about African-Americans, yeah, I'm the first one. I hate being first. |
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