Each centered person becomes an owner, not a renter of knowledge.
These words, spoken by Dr. Molerfi Kete Asante, Keynote speaker at the OCSS Conference on Friday, April 11, have central importance to a conference on critical thinking and a nation facing racial and ethnic difficulties not yet surmounted.
Dr. Asante is often referred to as the Father of Afrocentricity, having been the first to define Afrocentricity as a philosophical concept in two of his early books, Afrocentricity and Kemet, Afrocentricity and Knowledge. Dr. Asante defines Afrocentricity as the process of centering persons of African descent within their cultural and historical base, with an African-American world view.
Centering can be applied to all cultures. Dr. Asante sees centering as a necessity for complete understanding and intellectual as well as emotional ownership of history, culture, and personhood. Centering each child in his or her own culture is required to make education relcvant and works to enhance school success across cultures; and areas of study.
Dr. Asante is chair of the Department of African American Studics, Temple Univcrsity, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and founder of its graduate program, the only graduate program to offer a doctoral degree in African American Studies. In 1994 he was selected by the paramount king of Tafo in Ghana and Queen Mother to be installed as one of thirteen governing nanas, or kings of the realm.
Dr. Asante is a prolific writer, with thirty-eight published books and more than 120 articles. He is founder of the Journal of Black Studies. Books most familiar to many classroom teachers are Classical Africa and African American History, A Journey of Liberation, the latter being the first high school African American history text written hy an African American scholar. This text has been adopted by schools in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton.
A frequent guest on network news, Nightline, Black Entertainment Television, McNeil-Lehrer, and news-related talk shows, Dr. Asante is accessible to discuss and create dialog on cultural issues, especially those related to persons of African American descent. He is regularly cited and interviewed by major newspapers, including The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Dr. Asante has debated or collaborated with leading historians and scholars ranging lrom Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. and Linda Chavez to Henry Louis Gates, Cornel West, and Shelby Steele. In debate Dr. Asante continues to encourage dialog as a means of promoting cultural understanding and centeredness.
At the OCSS General Session on Friday, Dr. Asante will speak on the topic: Critical Thinking: Challenges and Prospects in Social.Studies. Purchase of a luncheon ticket will assure those interested in hearing Dr. Asante's remarks of preferred seating. Chairs will be set up at thc back of the room for those who wish to hear him but not stay for the lunch. Please purchase the luncheon tickets early since demand is expected to bc great and the area is expected to be packed with interested educators.
Continuing the focus on Afrocentricism started by Dr. Asante, Mr. K. AsafoAgyei Okrah, the Slate Linguist ot Chana and Praise Poet of Ghana's President and Protocol Officer, will be thc Kcynote speaker at Saturday's General Session. Mr. Okrah, one of Ghana's top cultural specialists, can discuss a myriad of aspects but will address OCSS members on Critical Thinking and Conflict Resolution Within Ghana's Chieftaincy Structure to provide more international flavor to the critical thinking theme.
Mr. Okmh is a lecturer, teacher, author and has a B.A. (Honors) in Religious Studies and Diploma of Education fron the University of Cape Coast, and an M.A. in International Affairs with an African Studies major from Ohio University. He is presently in the Doctoral Program in Social Studies Education at Ohio University. His publication is entitled Ghana: Arts & Culture For Home And Classroom and has audio and video supplements to it.
The speech by Mr.Okrah will begin at 1:00 following the luncheon. Again, priority seating will be at the lunch tables for those who purchased a luncheon ticket, but extra chairs will be placed in the back of the room for those who wish to only hear the address.
Since both Dr. Asante and Mr. Okrah are authors, they will be available after their speeches to sell and autograph their books at the book signing table located in the Exhibit area of the conference. The signing and selling of books is being done through the auspices of Mindfair, out of Maumee, Ohio. Check the program tor specific times.
All the Write Stuff
Building on a trend started at OCSS Confcrences several years ago, this year's lineup of sessions will be bigger and better than ever before. A total of three Pre-Conference Workshops, seventy-seven presentations (45 on Friday, 32 on Saturday), eight Networking Scssions, two breakfasts, two luncheons, two General Sessions with Keynote speakers, and a Friday dinner and entertainment package will highlight the 1997 OCSS Conference at the Radisson North Hotel in Columbus.
Keynote speakers Dr. Molefi K.Asante and Mr. K. Asafo-Agyei Okrah will headline the Gcncral Sessions as described elsewhere. Their sessions, ahyng with eight others scattered throughout the conference, will feature published authors of materials useful to classroom teachers. Each of the authors will have their publications on sale and will be available, either in their session or at a book signing table located in the Exhibit Area.
The following is an alphabetical list of the other author/presenters:
John Ballard -three sessions tied into his novels on Africa and India
Nancy Clouse -a session about writing and illustrating children's literature
Richard L. McElroy -a session on William McKinley by the author ol a pictorial history of McKinley and several books on American presidents.
Roger Osborne -a session relating to his book about Appalachia
Scott Sanders -a session on how to utilize historical fiction in a social studies classroom
Sandy Taylor -a session relating to her storytelling abilities and her book on Ghanian culture, co-authored with Mr. Okrah.
The list of accomplishments of each author/presenter is too long to present here. But each person is immensely qualified and is a delight to hear. Please consult the Program Descriptions Section to ascertain when their presentations will be given.
Attempting to provide for a little fun and entertainment at the Conferenec, OCSS Vice President Jim Lane has put togcther a Friday evening package which includes dinner, a reader's theater (performed by seven of your peers), and a 1960s style coffeehouse, all to bc held within the Radisson North Hotel.
Dinner is your selection from 3 menus:
A) Grilled Swordfish Steak topped with tequilla, lime and roasted garlic butter, Wild Rice Blend, Sauted Zucchini and Yellow Squash, and Chocolate mousse
B) Adouille Stuffed Chicken Breast with Tasso Cream Chicken breast stuffed with Andouille Sausage, Peppers and Onions, served with Tasso Cream Sauce, Dirty Rice, Vegetahle Medley, and Chocolate mousse
C) Beef Bourguignnone Tender Beef Tips braised in a Burgundy Wine Sauce with Carrots and Onions, served over Noodles with Fresh Vegetable, and Chocolate mousse.
Following thc meal, a reader's theater will perform Shelley Pearsall's play, Rise at Sunrise, Rest bv Midnight, a moving presentation about the Underground Railroad across Lake Erie-a perfect continuation of the day's activities. The seven roles will be performed by fellow OCSS members who have a deep yearning to go onstage and "trip the light fantastic."
At the conclusion of the play, guests will be transported to a 1960s style coffeehouse to reminisce and to sing about those intriguing times and their tribulations. Folksingcr and journalist (CNN at the Ohio Statehouse), Bill Cohen will talk about the big news events and trends that shaped the era, provide us with 60s trivia questions, and lead us in folksongs made famous by Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Buffy St. Marie, Joni Mitchell, Tom Paxton, Simon and Garfunkle, Pete Seeger, and others.
Friday evening is a happening not to be |missed! All-inclusive price for dinner, reader's theater and the 60s Coffeehouse is only $28 per person. Please check this event on your Registration. Please note that this function is extra and not included in the Registration/Meal Package.
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