AMIRI Baraka, a man renowned for his contributions to the African-American community, graced the Rotunda Dome Room with his presence last Tuesday night for the first installment of the Explorations In Black Leadership Fall 2002 series. Known widely for his efforts as a revolutionary activist in the 1960s and more recently for his critically acclaimed published works, Baraka (whose American name is LeRoi Jones) truly illuminated the entire University with his presence, poise and perspective. The night was wonderful for those who were fortunate enough to be seated in the Rotunda setting. Unfortunately, the evening also was an untimely awakening for the 80 people who were so disappointingly turned away from the event before even Baraka himself had arrived.
The problem that was made very plain at this event was the selection of venue. Because the annual, 3 year-old series is co-sponsored by the University's Institute for Public History and the Darden School of Graduate Business Administration, the options in determining locale are fairly extensive. Naturally, the Dome Room would be a popular choice considering the historical value it has among the University community -- our dome room is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful rooms in America. Perhaps this is true, but beauty does not surpass knowledge, at least when it comes to those students seeking to listen to the nuggets of wisdom that Baraka so freely shared. More emphasis seems to have been placed on the setting of the event as opposed to the actual educational goals to be achieved by this event.
What must be considered is the purpose of an event like this. If the University is trying to attract famous speakers to Grounds with the sole function of saying that they were here among all of our Jeffersonian history, then by all means, let them speak in the Rotunda. But if the purpose of an event involves a serious attempt to propagate diversity and broaden the horizons of all students, then at least grant all students who desire to be present the mere opportunity to participate in such an event.
There is no way to estimate the size of an expected crowd at the University, but the number of people present last Tuesday was less than what would be anticipated for a person of such stature as Baraka. There was no warning to students that seating would not be available, thus, many did not foresee this missed opportunity. However, upon realizing that so many people -- not only students, but administrators, deans and members of the community -- were pleading to be let inside of the Rotunda to at least glimpse Baraka, the venue should have been changed.
Granted, changing locations can seem disrespectful to the people who arrived an hour early, and it is not as easy a task to move everyone who was seated inside and waiting outside of the Rotunda as it would be to move 20 people. Still, a change in venue could have happened, and our University community as a whole would have benefited even more from having Baraka's visit. The problem of changing the venue also included aspects of the media's role in this event. Even though the equipment had been set up to perfection and the lighting was just right, this does not outweigh the once in a lifetime experience of hearing Baraka speak in person.
There is no description of how much some of the students who walked away from the Rotunda last week would have given to have even watched Baraka on television in the overflow room located on the first level of the Rotunda, which also was full. Many would have gladly accepted poorer lighting or quality on Baraka's media tape -- which is incomparable to hearing him in person -- in order to at least allow their peers to share in this experience with them.
It is wonderful that there are people at this university who are sincerely concerned with recruiting minority leaders and role models to come and share their wealth of knowledge with University students. However, the value of this knowledge is only as great as the people who have the opportunity to hear it and expound upon it in their daily lives. As the first lecture in the series of four-part discussions on Explorations in Black Leadership, a great response could not have been particularly expected from students at the University since organizers selected a venue with such limited capacity. Still, it is extremely saddening to see so many students denied a wonderful opportunity. At the least, the next segment in this series will be held in Old Cabell Hall. Hopefully, everyone interested will have the opportunity to be present for this second installment.
(Amey Adkins' column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at aadkins@cavalierdaily.com.)
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