Kwanzaa Celebration at UMass Campus Center

Tonight The Malcolm X Cultural Center and The University of Massachusetts, Amherst and People of Color United and Amherst Regional High School presented their Community Kwanzaa Celebration. The celebration was scheduled from 6-9 p.m.

Me, Andrew, Katelyn, Kasey, Mike and Eric got there while keynote speaker and UMass Professor John Bracey was giving a speech to the attendees. Katelyn interviewed Bracey, check it out here.

Concluding Bracey's inspirational speech, students from UMass and Amherst High lit candles for each of the seven symbols of the Nguzo Saba (the seven principles of Kwanzaa.) Mike reported on the history and origins of Kwanzaa, if you want to know more, check it out here.

After the light ceremony performers took to the stage. Here is a video of the Cape Verdean Student Alliance dancers.



Two poets from ARHS, Briana Figarella and Kindyl Tolson spoke and a UMass Grad, Denise Daley. A drummer performing in the West African Tradition, Backa Niag performed. Niag got the crowd clapping. A singer from ARHS, not noted in the program performed. After him, the UMass Gospel Choir sang Psalm 23.

Eric talked to the crowd, check out what he reported here.

People found that the symbols and colors come together and create a greater impact, “The music and songs are nice, but it is the symbols and lessons we have learned from our past that makes this such a great holiday, “said Simone Williams, “People need to be reminded that our struggles are not over, even with a black president coming into office.”

Andrew was live twittering the event, check it out here.

Then it was time to bless the feast. Kasey covered the decor and the Karamu (feast) here.

See the event in photos here.

Features

Today the article I told you that I was writing before ran in the Daily Collegian. I wrote a profile piece of the father of western Massachusetts blogging, Tom Devine.

Here's the intro to my story:

You've probably seen him hanging around the Haigis Mall; a man about the age of your father, in his daily uniform: a worn baseball cap, a ratty T-shirt, some classic blue jeans and usually some well-loved Converse Chuck Taylors. Thomas "Tommy" Devine was a student the University of Massachusetts in the late 1970s, during its party hey day. Now, Devine is known as the "father" of the western Massachusetts blogosphere. He never did finish his degree at UMass, but still went on to become influential in the Pioneer Valley.

I hope you'll read the story, I linked it above. Devine's life is a very interesting one.

It's funny because I just bumped into him at the W.E.B. Du Bois library, while he's making his daily blog post himself.

I have a couple other articles in the works now, one potential one that will run in the Arts and Living section about my trip to NYC next week to see SNL. I'll chronicle my time there, touring the NBC studio, how I got the tix etc.

The other story will be a feature for my section about the Flywheel in Easthampton. The music venue was a staple to the local scene for years. They moved out of their old location and have yet to finish remodeling the old town hall in Easthampton to re-open in.

Running my own section of the paper this year has been interesting. I hope if anyone in class wants to write features stories that they'll contact me! I need stories guys!

This blog was getting really politically heavy... so I hope today and yesterday lightened it up a bit.

here's another SNL skit for chuckles.

Tommy Devine

Well today I had a long day.

I met with Tommy Devine, The Baystate Objectivist, the author of the first western Mass blog. I met up with him at Haymarket cafe in Northampton where I took that picture of him. I am starting to write a story about him as a feature article for the Daily Collegian.

I have always found his blog fascinating. Tommy has probably the most honest blog I've ever seen. He's not afraid to put himself out there. He's a former UMass student, journalism major and Daily Collegian writer. He posts entries about his sex life, politics, and even his former drug addictions. He isn't ashamed about any of it either.

It doesn't hurt that Tommy is always very easy to talk to and supportive of my blogging.

Tom covers a lot about UMass, Northampton, Amherst and Springfield in his blog. Though at first the Springfield native focused on Springfield's seedy side of politics. You probably see him at Haigis Mall all the time.

Here's a video of Tommy talking about why he likes Amherst.