Author and musician James
McBride was the featured speaker at Susquehanna University’s
Winter Convocation on Jan. 21. McBride's speech, titled "Our
Common Dream," touched upon searching for identity, appreciating
cultural differences and making Martin Luther King's dream a reality
in America.
McBride, an award-winning writer, composer and saxophonist, is
probably best known for his landmark memoir, The Color of Water.
A native New Yorker, McBride studied composition at The Oberlin
Conservatory of Music in Ohio and received his master's degree in
journalism from Columbia University. He holds several honorary doctorates
and is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York
University. The Color of Water, a New York Times bestseller for two years, is a moving
account of McBride's mother, a Jewish woman from Poland who raised
12 black children in New York City and sent each of them to college.
Susquehanna President L. Jay Lemons delivered opening remarks,
discussing how the legacy of Martin Luther King continues to challenge
and inspire all Americans. The program also had Susquehanna Honors Program student and creative writing major William Paris
’10 deliver his essay Arrived on the topic of Martin Luther King's
dream. Read Arrived here.
In addition, over 100 student musicians and vocalists participated
in the celebration.
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The Susquehanna University Brass Ensemble, conducted by Assistant Professor of Music Eric L. Hinton, performed
Fanfare for the 99th Fighter Squadron by William Grant Still.
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The Susquehanna University Orchestra, conducted
by Associate Professor of Music Jennifer Sacher Wiley, performed
movement two, Alla Sarabande, from Generations Sinfonietta No.
2 by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson.
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The Susquehanna University Chorale, conducted
by Lecturer in Music Judith White, performed “There Is A Balm
In Gilead,” arranged by William L. Dawson.
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The Susquehanna University Symphonic Band, conducted by Assistant Professor of Music Eric L. Hinton, performed movements one and three, Work Song and Dance, from From the Delta by William Grant Still.
