Under the baobab: Moments of wonder and events that build community
“We are created of such stuff from which wonder can be woven.”
For four minutes we were just people living in a moment of wonder.
Like many we traveled to Erie in order to see the eclipse in totality. We hoped that the clouds would part so that we would actually see the event. A bunch of us, 15 carloads to be exact, met serendipitously at the EV car charging station outside the Walmart. Strangers to each other, some had come from California, Connecticut, Canada, Maryland. I don’t know their political affiliation. The subject didn’t come up. There was a Sikh couple and a family originally from India.
An astronomer from Newburgh, New York, set up telescopes and gave us all detailed descriptions of what was going to happen. The clouds dispersed; the sun went behind the moon. The corona beamed. Night descended. We laughed and sighed. Some cried. Strangers no longer, we were transformed into a community on a blue marble planet sharing a once in a lifetime experience.
This spring, we have also been trying to build community.
Master trumpeter Terence Blanchard, together with the E-Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet, mesmerized nearly a thousand people in Eisenhower Auditorium with their existential performance of “Absence,” a celebration of the jazz styling of Wayne Shorter, who joined the ancestors last year.
Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy, the School of International Affairs, Department of Comparative Literature and the Humanities Institute marked the 30th Anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections with a weeklong series of events that included readings and lectures by South African poets Koleka Putuma, Jolyn Phillips, Antjie Krog, Tembi Charles, Nadia Davids and Gabeba Baderoon.
Congratulations to friend and School of Theatre colleague Michele Dunleavy, who was named 2024-25 Penn State Laureate. She is associate professor of dance and known for her innovative choreography. Active in the community, she recently choreographed the For Good Troupe performance with Roots of Life.
Also at the SOT, Christopher Campbell directed and choreographed a provocative all female cast rendition of Michael John LaChiusa’s “Bernarda Alba” featuring: Kayla Louison, Lucy Snyder, Lav Raman, Nadezhda Bluvshtein, Katie Walsh, Hannah Bank, Regine Torres, Malena Ramirez, Madison Palmer and Ririka Kuroki.
Next Stage Theatre Company is presenting “Outside Mullingar” by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Elaine Meder-Wilgus and featuring Regina Brannen, Mandy Brown, Brent Ottaway, and Michael Waldhier. The show runs until April 21 at The Attic at the State Theatre.
In other news, Eid Mubarak. Chag sameach. Penn State Thespians presented a matinee of the popular children’s play, “Pinkalicious;” The U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials are being held at the Bryce Jordan Center from April 19-20; Jenny Hamer held an informal gathering at her home for senior faculty mentors and other community members, providing an opportunity to connect with colleagues, share news, and relax a bit; the 2nd annual Asian Pacific American (APIDA) Heritage Festival, “Night Market” will be held on April 20 from 3-8 p.m. on MLK Plaza and Fraser Street.
The State College Borough, in partnership with the American Association of University Women, Community Diversity Group and the Racial Equity Advisory Commission, hosted the second community discussion, “A Conversation to Identify Strategies to Help Break Down Racial Barriers,” for community leaders, activists, students and public officials. Chiluvya Zulu, DEIB director for the Borough, was the coordinator. Participants discussed, “What do you consider to be a barrier to racial healing in our community?”
“My main goal with these conversations is to make sure people understand that regardless of what race you are, you have a stake in talking about race and dismantling the system of racism,” Zulu said.
Let us continue talking and building community, brothers and sisters. The world we create can be wonderful.
Charles Dumas is a lifetime political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for U.S. Congress in 2012. He was the 2022 Lion’s Paw Awardee and Living Legend honoree of the National Black Theatre Festival. He lives with his partner and wife of 50 years in State College.
