These are just a few of the upcoming events on Rutgers' campuses. For more events, view the universitywide calendar. To add an event, click here. You will need a Rutgers NetID and password to add an event.

Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series commemorates 40th anniversary of MLK’s death
Governor Corzine to welcome guests

Sunday, February 16
9:30 a.m.

Paul Robeson Campus Center
350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Newark

One of New Jersey’s oldest and most highly esteemed Black History Month events, the Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series will mark its 28th anniversary by examining Private Grief and Public Mourning in African-American Life and History.

Governor Jon S. Corzine will welcome guests attending the lecture series. Other dignitaries expected to attend include Secretary of State of New Jersey Nina M. Wells and Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

The keynote lecture will be given by Bernice Johnson Reagon, professor emerita of history at American University and a scholar and artist in African-American cultural history and music. Afternoon speakers include John Vlach, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Kim Lacy Rogers, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and Juanita Moore, president and CEO, Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History, Detroit, Michigan. The afternoon presentations will be followed by a reception in the Paul Robeson Gallery, featuring entertainment by the Bradford Hayes jazz trio.

Since 1981, the Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series has drawn thousands of people to the Rutgers–Newark Campus in observance of Black History Month. The annual conference was named for East Orange, New Jersey, native Dr. Marion Thompson Wright, a pioneer in African-American historiography and race relations in New Jersey, and the first professionally trained woman historian in the United States.

For additional information about the program, visit the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience website or contact Marisa Pierson at 973-353-1871, ext. 11, or mpierson@andromeda.rutgers.edu.

Writers House Bookmark Series: Remembering Toni Cade Bambara

Tuesday, February 19
6 p.m.

Murray Hall
Writers House Executive Seminar Room
Room 002
510 George Street
New Brunswick

The second installment of the Writers House Bookmark Series will focus on Savoring the Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara, edited by Cheryl A. Wall of the Department of English in New Brunswick, and Rutgers alumna Linda Janet Holmes.

The extraordinary spirit of Toni Cade Bambara lives on in Savoring the Salt, a vibrant and appreciative recollection of the work and legacy of the multitalented, African American writer, teacher, filmmaker, and activist. Among the contributors who remember Bambara, reflect on her work, and examine its meaning today are Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka, Pearl Cleage, Ruby Dee, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Nikki Giovanni, Avery Gordon Audre Lorde, and Sonia Sanchez.

Savoring the Salt includes excerpts from Bambara's published and unpublished writings, along with interviews and photos of Bambara. The mix of poets and scholars, novelists and critics, political activists, and filmmakers represented testifies to the ongoing importance and enduring appeal of her work.

Rutgers–Camden announces events to celebrate diversity during Black History Month in February

A series of compelling performances will celebrate cultural diversity at Rutgers–Camden during Black History Month in February.

Thursday, February 7
6 p.m.

Camden Campus Center
Main Lounge
326 Penn Street
Camden

Noted artist David Garibaldi will perform his celebrated “Rhythm & Hue” show by using splatter paint techniques to create six-foot portraits of such iconic figures as Ray Charles, Bob Marley, and Nelson Mandela. Garibaldi combines music and motion into the creation of his paintings during this unique performance. This event is free of charge.

Thursday, February 14
6 p.m.

Recording artist Joann Rosario will perform a concert of gospel/soul music. Rosario has recorded such albums as Now More Than Ever…Worship and More, More, More. Her 2007 release, Joyous Salvation, debuted in the top 15 on Billboard's gospel albums chart. She has been interviewed on BET and was an on-air host during the Gospel Music Channel’s 2008 Stellar Awards.

Admission is $5 for the general public and free for Rutgers students.

Wednesday, February 20
7 p.m.

Acclaimed performance artist Maxine Maxwell will perform “Echoes of the Past and Voices of Hope” in celebration of African-American women. During this special performance, Maxwell will bring to life the historic struggles and achievements of five African-American women, including antislavery activist Sojourner Truth, journalist Ida B. Wells, “Little Rock Nine” student Elizabeth Eckford, South-African leader Winnie Mandela, and Henrietta King, an elderly slave. This event is free of charge.

For more information, call 856-225-6161.

Recognizing Black History Month in New Brunswick

Lecture by Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Jr.

Tuesday, February 12
4:30 p.m.

Winants Hall
Assenbly Room
7 College Avenue
New Brunswick

The Center for African Studies presents Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Jr., chair of the Rutgers Board of Governors, speaking about his term as president of the American Committee on Africa and other Africa-related experiences. Contact rdelance@rci.rutgers.edu or 732/445-6638 for details.

Lecture by Prince Cedza Dlamini from South Africa

Tuesday, February 12
8 p.m.

Busch Campus Center
Multipurpose Room
604 Bartholomew Road
Piscataway

The Rutgers University Program Association (RUPA) presents “Ubuntu: Interconnectedness and Conflict Resolution: Lecture with Prince Cedza Dlamini from South Africa .”Ubuntu is a South African value system based on compassion, respect, integrity and tolerance of others. Prince Cedza provides pragmatic means of conflict resolution on a local, national, and global scale and offers positive alternatives to unproductive and destructive lifestyles. Cedza engages young people in imagining what the world can be and how the future can look if we incorporate communal values. Contact RUPAinformation@gmail.com or call 732/932-5395 for more information.

Complete list of Black History Month events in New Brunswick

Supreme Court justice talks at Rutgers about his Italian roots

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
1:30 p.m.

Rutgers Student Center
Multipurpose Room
126 College Avenue
New Brunswick

Italian Studies at Rutgers marks its fifth anniversary with a free lecture by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, “Reflections on Growing Up as an Italian American in New Jersey.” The event is open to the general public.

On January 31, 2006, Alito, a New Jersey native, was confirmed as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was born April 1, 1950, in Trenton, New Jersey, and from 1987 to 1989 served as U. S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush nominated Alito to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and he was unanimously confirmed by voice vote by the U.S. Senate.

Thirteen/WNET to air Rutgers documentary about Newark

February 18 and March 21
5:30 p.m.

Thirteen/WNET New York, a flagship PBS station, will broadcast The Once and Future Newark, a documentary that celebrates the rich cultural and historical heritage of Newark, New Jersey. The documentary – which premiered in October 2006 on the New Jersey Network to widespread acclaim by critics and viewers alike – has garnered major honors, including an Emmy nomination, while opening many eyes to Newark’s history and exciting future.

The documentary is narrated by renowned Rutgers historian Clement A. Price and produced by Rutgers–Newark, in association with Blackbird Media Group. The film follows Price as the Newark resident tours the city with colleagues, visiting 18 historical, cultural, and in some cases, uniquely Newark sites. These include Branch Brook Park, the Ironbound, Weequahic High School, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Essex County Courthouse, and the Rutgers–Newark Campus. The film also incorporates a treasure trove of historical images.

Since its 2006 premier, the documentary has been honored at the national, state, and regional levels, including, most recently, an Emmy award nomination in the category Historic/Cultural-Program or Special, by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Rutgers Theater Company presents Romeo and Juliet

Through Saturday, February 16

New Theater
87 George Street
New Brunswick

At its heart, Romeo and Juliet is about much more than love, says Joe Discher, who directs the Rutgers Theater Company production opening February 1.

“It’s really about young people trying to exercise their free will,” he says. “And though it is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, it also contains a healthy dose of comedy and action, swordfights and sexual humor – not to mention some of the most beautiful romantic poetry ever written.”

Romeo and Juliet runs through Saturday, February 16 at New Theater. Performances are February 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, and 16 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for the general public, $20 for Rutgers alumni/employees and senior citizens, and only $15 for students with valid ID.

For more information on any Mason Gross event, visit www.masongross.rutgers.edu or call the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center ticket office at 732-932-7511.

Bildner Center lecture explores the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls

February 12
7 p.m.

Douglass Campus Center
Trayes Hall
100 George Street
New Brunswick

The importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls in understanding the Bible, early Judaism, and the birth of Christianity will be explored by Shalom Paul, professor emeritus of Bible studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and chairperson of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation. His lecture, “The Ever-Alive Dead Sea Scrolls,” will be presented by Rutgers’ Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life. Advance registration is requested.

Paul is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the Bible. He was the editor of the Encyclopedia Judaica’s Bible section and has written six books and more than 40 articles on nature and scientific exploration from a biblical perspective.

To register or get more information on the Bildner center’s spring programming schedule, call 732-932-2033, email csjlrsvp@rci.rutgers.edu, or visit jewishstudies.rutgers.edu.