Credits

A GATHERING OF GRANDMOTHERS by Mei MacQuarrie

The 5 students in Brown Paper Studio taught by Professor Judyie Al-Bilali and Sabine Jacques will be performing online A Gathering of Grandmothers on May 2nd at 4:30pm.  Company members will be performing a script created from conversations with elder Black women of the Five Colleges and the Valley and the “I Am” personal anecdotes of what Ubuntu is in their lives, a powerful task that asks students to look at their histories and who they are.  In this, they learn to trust and express who they are.  These conversations have created a community that focuses on the history of UMass’s New Africa House and the impact of Black culture in the Valley.  There is importance and spirit in student activism in order to change.  Centered around Black women’s voices, we learn what New Africa House is and why we need it, and learn about the beautiful, rich history of Black student activism and creative life in the Valley that put UMass on the map.  Black student work brought the space to life and continues to do so with different creative projects and transformations.  In doing so, there is a safe space for love, creativity and being.  Through the rehearsal process students have learned about trust in self and community, and the beauty in standing firm in oneself and their history to create a theatrical performance.  As Sabine describes in 3 words, A Gathering of Grandmothers is “Ubuntu, care and Black history.”

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A Gathering of Grandmothers 

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Creative Team:

Sabine Jacques

Jasper Schifrin Pershing

Mary Mbeyu Elineema-Kidela

Christpher Jimenez

Jessica Maldonado

Angela Kwebiiha

Afrikah Smith

Chris Govang

Awotunde Judyie Al-Bilali

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HONORED GUESTS – A Gathering of Grandmothers

 

Sister Nobuntu Ingrid Askew

Sister Nobuntu Ingrid Askew is a life-long cultural activist, evocative theatre maker, thoughtful educator, powerful speaker, and razor-sharp organizer. Ms. Askew is the Executive Director at Crossing the Waters Institute for Cultural Exchange USA where she leads the important work of developing cultural awareness, sustainable exchange partnerships, and opportunities tailored to the needs of communities at home and abroad through education, the arts, and healthy living initiatives. Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Askew led the historic year-long walk 1998-1999 known as the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage: Retracing the Journey of Slavery, that followed the Transatlantic slave route in reverse from the United States, through the Caribbean, Brazil, West Africa, and ending in South Africa, where she lived for ten years.     

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Ms. Askew’s work has always been centered around the goal of bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to build transformative communities and lead effective and lasting social change initiatives. Ms. Askew is the founder of the newly registered NPC, Crossing the Waters Institute, South Africa.

 

Dr. Terry Jenoure

Dr. Terry Jenoure musician, writer, visual artist and educator was born and raised in the Bronx into a Puerto Rican and Jamaican family.  Her lifelong commitment to the extended imagination is felt through various projects on five continents.  From her early formal training as a violinist and vocalist and a protégé of the Free Jazz Movement, to her self-taught doll sculptures featured at the Smithsonian Institute, to her academic publications, a recently completed novel, and a one-woman theater performance, arts have fueled her passion throughout her lifetime. Holding Masters and Doctoral degrees in Education and a B.A. degree in Philosophy, Terry was on the graduate faculty at Lesley University for 18 years, and an independent researcher focusing on the creative development of teachers, community leaders and social workers in South Africa, Mexico, Israel, and Colombia.  She served as the Director of Augusta Savage Gallery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for three decades. 

 

Kuji Theresa Cooper-Gordon

Theresa Cooper-Gordon is one of those special individuals that is truly committed to community.  Theresa has spent much of her professional career in positions that aim to empower people and the community.  She has over 25 years of experience working with people from diverse populations, as an advocate to provide information, resources and to enhance overall qualities of life.  In the past Theresa has worked as a social worker for children and families, resident director for the National A Better Chance Program and helped start the Lebron-Wiggins-Pram Cultural Center at Hampshire College.  Theresa Currently works for Partners for Community as a family specialist and is also the Chairwoman of The Board of Commissioners for Holyoke Public Housing.  She is also a board member for Commonwealth Academy School in Springfield, MA.  The many experiences that Theresa has had as a Human Service provider/advocate has equipped her with the skills to facilitate communication strategies and effective techniques in challenging circumstances. Theresa was a recipient of the Pa’lante Restorative Justice “Paper City Hidden legends” award which celebrates community members that have worked to make a change in the city of Holyoke by way of social activism.  Theresa was also one of the 2019 recipients of The Massachusetts Commission of Women’s “Unsung Heroines Award”.

 

Dr. Carlie C. Tartakov
Dr. Carlie C. Tartakov is an emerita professor, from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa State University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Professional Studies. Her Masters and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study were earned at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). She did her undergraduate work at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Tartakov taught courses in ethnicity and learning and multicultural education and was the project director for University Studies: Dialogues on Diversity. She participated in the creation of Iowa State University's African American Studies program. Before teaching at ISU, Dr. Tartakov taught in public schools in Massachusetts and California for over two decades. Throughout her career, she has been involved in the implementation of anti-bias/anti-racist, multicultural practices in educational settings. Among Dr. Tartakov’s honors: 2020 Commonwealth of Massachusetts Heroine Award, 2020 African American Female Professor Laureate Award, Iowa Africn American Hall of Fame, ISU's College of Human Sciences Faculty Laureate Award, (2015), Iowa African American Hall of Fame (2007), YWCA Woman of the Year Award (2005), NAACP President’s Award, (2004), The City of Ames Human Rights Commission Humanitarian Award (2003), Early Outstanding Achievement in Teaching (1999).

Since returning to Amherst 2009 Dr. Tartakov has participated Amherst Neighbors Board of Directors, in the Civil War Plaque Project, Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee, Justice for Charles Campaign, Amherst Democratic Town Council Committee, Scholar and Liaison to schools in Springfield on a Mass Humanities Grants. Emancipation Proclamation Committee, Juneteenth Committee, Kwanzaa Committee, Crossing the Waters South African Project, National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) Mentoring Committee, Presenter and Reviewer for National Conference Presentations, is on the Board of the Roger Wallace Excellence in Teaching Foundation. She is co-host of Black in the Valley (WHMP Radio).