国产探花

鈥�Let there be peace on earth, let it begin with me 鈥︹赌�

The audience 鈥� on their feet and clapping along to the beat 鈥� sang in rounds at the direction of the internationally renowned, Grammy-nominated a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. Their music and storytelling, grounded in African American traditions and filled with messages of hope and change, captivated the sold-out crowd at Zankel Music Center. 
  
The Sept. 26 performance was 鈥渁 powerful, soul-nourishing moment for our community,鈥� says Wyckoff Center Director Mariel Martin. It was a highlight of this fall鈥檚 In It 10 series of events, which brought a particularly historical lens to cultural interconnectedness, justice, and inclusivity at 国产探花 and beyond.

The series was also history in the making 鈥� marking 10 years of the suite of programs designed to deepen our understanding of different perspectives and foster a more connected community. 
  
Joshua Woodfork, vice president for strategic planning and institutional diversity, says he and Martin had been working for years to bring Sweet Honey in the Rock, who have been an ensemble for more than five decades, to 国产探花.  

Its legendary founder, the late Bernice Johnson Reagon, had deep connections to Saratoga Springs and 国产探花. She performed at the historic music venue Caff猫 Lena in the early 1960s as a member of the Freedom Singers, and she served as 厂办颈诲尘辞谤别鈥檚 2016 Commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient following her McCormack Visiting Artist-Scholar Residency in 2015. That same year, Bernice and her daughter, Toshi Reagon, performed a concert in Zankel Music Center that was introduced by Tashawn Reagon 鈥�16 鈥� Bernice鈥檚 granddaughter and Toshi鈥檚 daughter 鈥� marking a multigenerational evening of music, activism, and artistry. 
  
鈥淚t was a truly full-circle moment,鈥� Woodfork reflects.

History Wall Unveiling

In It 10 kicked off on Sept. 19 with the unveiling of a history wall 鈥� a timeline of cultural spaces at 国产探花 鈥� in the Wyckoff Center. The installation 鈥� displayed alongside the recently dedicated portrait of longtime trustee, educator, and activist Linda Jackson-Chalmers 鈥�73 鈥� highlights the 国产探花 spaces that have fostered belonging and inclusion over time, beginning with the establishment of the Black Cultural Center in 1970.

鈥淲e鈥檙e so excited to celebrate this history here, in the center of campus in a space that itself grew out of student, staff, and faculty vision and collaboration,鈥� Martin said before unveiling the timeline. 鈥淔or more than 50 years, cultural and community spaces at 国产探花 have reflected the evolving needs, activism, and aspirations of our students and community. From the Black Cultural Center in Grove House to today鈥檚 Wyckoff Center, each of these spaces tells a story of connection, activism, creativity, and belonging.鈥�

The event also featured remarks by Associate Professor of Political Science Emmanuel Balogun; Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion Hillary Montague-Asp; and Student Government Association Vice President for Institutional Diversity Kylie Lederman 鈥�26.

Land Acknowledgement and Meaningful Action

The Wyckoff Center again overflowed with students, staff, faculty, and outside community members on Oct. 8 for a discussion between Kay Ionataie:was Olan, a local Mohawk storyteller and educator and 厂办颈诲尘辞谤别鈥檚 2025-26 Indigenous Elder-in-Residence, and Siobhan Hart, a 国产探花 professor of anthropology, about the importance of creating land acknowledgements. 
  
厂办颈诲尘辞谤别鈥檚 John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS) has been working with Olan since 2020 to digitize a rich collection of material by and about the region鈥檚 Indigenous peoples that she has been gathering for decades 鈥� particularly about the Mohawk community of Kanatsiohareke, where she served as director for three years. The effort was one of the first partnerships of MDOCS鈥� Co-Creation Initiative.  
  
By establishing a shared sense of place and connections between land, history, and community, Olan and Hart explained, land acknowledgements can serve as a foundation for meaningful action. 

鈥淭here has to be truth in the statement 鈥� you have to accurately come to terms with what happened historically,鈥� Olan said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to dwell, but we want to learn from what happened. We want to restore, or instill, friendly relations.鈥� 
   
The event concluded with an open invitation to all to join in the ongoing work toward developing a meaningful land acknowledgement for our community.

Dialogues on Black Dimensions in Art

Inspired by the Tang Teaching Museum exhibition 鈥�,鈥� on display until Nov. 2, the final event of In It 10 explored the historical impact of the Black Arts Movement and the cultural impact of the Capital Region鈥檚 longest-running Black arts collective, Black Dimensions in Art. 
  
During the Oct. 9 panel at the Tang, interdisciplinary artist Willie Cole 鈥� whose work is featured in the Tang exhibitions 鈥淎ll These Growing Things鈥� and 鈥淪ee It Now: Contemporary Art from the Ann and Mel Schaffer Collection鈥� 鈥� discussed Black liberation, racial justice, and the importance of supporting Black arts organizations with Saida Grundy, associate professor of sociology and African American Black diasporic studies at Boston University, and 鈥淯p to Us鈥� exhibiting artist ransome. 

The Tang Teaching Museum and MDOCS have been assisting Black Dimensions in Art in building an archive of photographs, posters, brochures, postcards, and other material from its 50-year history, and 鈥淯p to Us鈥� celebrates BDA鈥檚 milestone 50th anniversary. The exhibition reflects on the organization鈥檚 legacy in the Capital Region, honors the dedication of its leaders past and present, and imagines its future possibilities. 
  
Rooted in 厂办颈诲尘辞谤别鈥檚 2025-30 Strategic Plan and its commitment to Our Interconnectedness to Our Past and Present, the entire In It 10 series invited both our campus community and local community partners to reflect on our collective responsibility to learn, remember, and act.  
 
Over the past 10 years, In It events have included conversations with leading educators, such as Freeman A. Hrabowski III of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; explored ways to address antisemitism, racism, and other forms of bias; engaged the community in discussions on building a more inclusive campus and society by examining themes ranging from religion, faith, and spirituality to class; and featured diverse cultural programming, from Tuvan throat singing to contemporary art and film. 
 
The series title comes from a favorite expression of President Emeritus Philip A. Glotzbach about community at 国产探花, that 鈥渨e鈥檙e all in it 鈥� together鈥� 鈥� a commitment that current President Marc Conner has continued.