Ethnic Studies Students Discuss 'Genesis of Hip-Hop'

Albion College's Ethnic Studies Scholars discuss "The Genesis of Hip-Hop" with a panel and discussion Wednesday, April 4, at 6 p.m. in the Bobbitt Visual Arts Center.

The event will cover the origins of hip-hop, its social and political context, and original purposes. The presentation will focus on 1970-80s development, but presenters include current student researchers and performers.

This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information contact event organizer Calvin Walds () or Demetrius Washington (

Ethnic Studies Week Reveals 'Untold Stories'

Intimate, fascinating and entertaining "Untold Stories" are the focus for Albion College's Ethnic Studies Week. All events are free and open to the community, although some events may not be suitable for all ages. For more information, contact Albion College's office of Intercultural Affairs at 517/629-0501 or .

Monday, October 3: I a.m. THE QUEEN explores how three Puerto Ricans negotiate being a teenager and transgender in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, while competing in the Cacique Queen pageant. Directors Josue Pellot and Henrique Cirne-Lima will answer questions following after the screening. 7 p.m., Norris Science Center Towsley Hall

Tuesday, October 4: The Untold Stories of Muslims in America, a presentation led by Albion College's adjunct ethnic studies professor Rosina Hassoun and students. 6 p.m., Olin Hall Room 113

Wednesday October 5: Freeze, a unique performance presentation project. Students will "freeze" for 5-10 minutes, displaying t-shirts and posters that highlight facts, events and people that have often been neglected in our understanding of history. Noon to 1 p.m., Baldwin Hall steps

Thursday, October 6: Histories Untold. Spoken word performance by Flint-based poet Mona Haydar, artist-in residence with Ethnic Studies Week. 7:30 p.m., Kellogg Center.

Albion Professors Togunde, Yewah Publish Book on African Immigration to U.S.

Emmanuel Yewah, left, and 'Dimeji Togunde display their new book.Professors Emmanuel Yewah, left, and 'Dimeji Togunde display their new book.Albion College professors Emmanuel Yewah and ’Dimeji Togunde have added a new perspective to the intellectual discourse on African immigration to the United States in their edited book, Across the Atlantic: African Immigrants in the United States Diaspora, published in December 2010 by Common Ground at the University of Illinois.

As one of the justifications for the publication of the book, Togunde, chair of the Anthropology and Sociology Department and the John S. Ludington Professor in the Social Sciences, stated that “unlike previous studies of African immigration, this book is the first to document how media and African literary texts create images [of the U.S.] in the minds of Africans living in Africa.”