GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University will recognize the diversity in the nation, the region and on campus with a thought-provoking week of activities that includes two special opportunities for the community to participate.
Anup Kaphle (Photo credit: George Etheredge for Rest of World)
“Diversity Week will enrich the lives of the Tusculum family and community members who come to campus,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “Tusculum University has a rich tradition of promoting equality and respect, being the first institution of higher education in Tennessee to educate an African American and the first Presbyterian educational institution to admit women. The Tusculum family is diverse, and we are all Pioneers.”
The week will kick off Monday, Feb. 7, and conclude Friday, Feb. 11, on the Greeneville campus. As part of this celebration, the College of Civic and Liberal Arts will host “An Evening with Anup Kaphle” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the Meen Center lecture hall and via the Zoom platform. In addition, Acts, Arts, Academia will present “Of Ebony Embers, Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, in the Marilyn duBrisk Theatre of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center.
“We encourage the community to join us for these two exceptional events, which will inspire the audience to champion the value of diversity,” said Wayne Thomas, dean of the College of Civic and Liberal Arts. “Anup is a tremendous young professional whose impressive path to career success began as a student at Tusculum, reflects the caliber of our English program and embodies our mission. ‘Of Ebony Embers’ is an excellent production that will inform those in the seats about the contributions of African American artists in our society.”
During his appearance on campus, Kaphle will lead a conversation about the role of diversity in international journalism and reporting. He comes to the table with extensive experience on that subject and in the journalism profession.
Kaphle, who graduated from Tusculum in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in English, is executive editor of Rest of World. This international nonprofit journalism organization documents what happens when technology, culture and the human experience collide, in places that are typically overlooked and underestimated.
He previously managed international reporting teams as BuzzFeed News’ deputy foreign editor and oversaw digital efforts for the foreign desk at The Washington Post. He also served as editor-in-chief at the Kathmandu Post, the leading English-language daily newspaper in Nepal, and worked with Anthony Bourdain at the James Bear Award-winning Roads & Kingdoms, an online publication.
The Kaphle event is free. Those who cannot attend in person can watch virtually at https://tusculum.zoom.us/j/89718445079.
This is the cast of “Of Ebony Embers.”
“Of Ebony Embers” celebrates the music and poetry of the Harlem Renaissance era in New York City. This is a chamber music theater work conceived and performed by The Core Ensemble. The group has produced and performed new music theater works based on multiculturalist, feminist and humanistic topics since 1993.
The Core Ensemble promotes intercultural understanding, explores social justice issues through artistic interpretation, provides education programs and offers emotionally impactful cultural experiences that lead to the promotion of equality for all.
“Of Ebony Embers” examines the lives of three outstanding, but very different, African American poets – Langston Hughes, Countee Culllen and Claude McKay – as seen through the eyes of the great painter and muralist Aaron Douglas.
“Of Ebony Embers” costs $10 for anyone 12 or older and $5 for those who are younger. To reserve seats, please call Tusculum Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620 or email Jennifer Hollowell, director of the Tusculum Center for the Arts, at jhollowell@tusculum.edu. Payment is by cash, check or credit or debit card at the box office, which opens one hour before the show. Seating is general admission.
Face coverings are required at both events.
In addition to Kaphle’s conversation and “Of Ebony Embers,” Tusculum faculty, staff and students will have an opportunity to participate in other internal events on the Greeneville campus. One of them is a viewing of the docuseries “High on the Hog: How African America Cuisine Transformed America” and a discussion of African America foodways as participants eat a meal prepared by the Black Student Union.
Another is the National African American Read-In in which participants read a portion of an African American author’s work that appeals to them. The final event will be a discussion by Dr. Katy Ross, an instructor of communication at Pellissippi State Community College, about the positive impacts of an inclusive campus culture for students who identify as LGBTQ+.
The Tusculum cafeteria will also serve food items during Diversity Week that complement the events taking place on campus.
For more information about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.