Poet Sonia Sanchez to Speak at Oakwood University during National Poetry Month

by Ramona Hyman, Ph.D., associate professor, English & Foreign Languages

The Department of English and Foreign Languages at Oakwood University and the Alabama State Council on the Arts will host a very special reading by poet, mother, professor Sonia Sanchez on the "Artist as Creator of Social Values" on April 14, 2016, at 7:00 pm, in the Moran Hall Auditorium. The reading is free and open to the public.

Sonia Sanchez is the author of over 20 books including Homecoming, We a BaddDDD People, Love Poems, Shake Loose My Skin (Beacon Press, 1999), and most recently, Morning Haiku (Beacon Press, 2010). In addition to being a contributing editor to Black Scholar and The Journal of African Studies, she has edited an anthology, We Be Word Sorcerers: 25 Stories by Black Americans. BMA: The Sonia Sanchez Literary Review is the first African American Journal that discusses the work of Sonia Sanchez and the Black Arts Movement.

A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts, the Lucretia Mott Award for 1984, the Outstanding Arts Award from the Pennsylvania Coalition of 100 BlackWomen, the Community Service Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. Sonia Sanchez has lectured at over 500 universities and colleges in the United States and has read her poetry all over the world.

Currently, Sanchez is one of 20 African American women featured in "Freedom Sisters," an interactive exhibition created by the Cincinnati Museum Center and Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. In December of 2011, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter selected Sonia Sanchez as Philadelphia's first Poet Laureate, calling her "the longtime conscience of the city."

Oakwood Chaplain Serves as a Guest Lecturer

In a recent Christian Ministry class, guest presenter Chaplain Kimberley Mann, from Oakwood's Office of Spiritual Life, electrified students in Dr. Jeffrey Brown's students with her presentation, "When the Pastor Marries a Man" (no pun intended). Some of her points were:

You are always on stage, even when you are not. "I am pastor at church but my husband is priest at home," and the pastoral role and the priestly role are different. The pastor's family doesn't want a preacher for worship in the home, they want a parent who makes time for them and treats his/her family with love and respect.
Save some of that energy for your spouse and children, otherwise they will feel that's how God treats us. Choose a spouse who has the courage to have boundaries: boundaries between between the two of you while you are dating, and boundaries between home, church and marriage.
Couples need support after the wedding day. Have a mentor who is not your senior pastor, not your best friend, and preferably not your age. Your mentor will call to say, "How are you?" He/she will be interested in you as a person, not just your profession. After all, pastor is not who you are, pastor is what you do.
Pastors don't have a person to go to when we're struggling, so go and see a counselor twice a year, as you would the doctor and the dentist. Celebrate your spouse and keep family day for your family, yes, but one of the best gifts you can give your spouse is a knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses.
Marriage is already tough. Marriage and the female pastor is a learning curve. There is no blueprint. You have to know how to be hard and soft. You need a spouse who will give you permission to be a pastor and one with the discernment to pull you back when necessary. It's about cutting, joining together, and healing.

Oakwood's NOBBChE Chapter Hosts Community Science Event

by Naomi Coggs, student writer

Oakwood's student chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBBChE) held its second annual community science event on April 1, at the Northwood Community Center in Huntsville.

During the two-hour event, science, engineering, nursing, biology and psychology clubs showcased careers in their fields to elementary school students and their parents. Interactive booths were also presented for the elementary school students to enjoy.

The goal of the program is to instill in minority children with a desire for a career in the sciences. It also serves as an opportunity for clubs on campus to be involved in the community. NOBBChE members promoted the event by going door-to-door, hoping to reach as many people in the community as possible.

NOBBChE plans for the Community Science Event to take place annually. They hope to encourage clubs around campus to also get involved with the event.

Legal Notice: Special Meeting of Members

Notice is hereby officially given that the quinquennial meeting of the members of Oakwood University Inc., a Corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the state of Alabama, will be convened in the McKee Business and Technology Building Auditorium, on the Oakwood University campus, 7000 Adventist Blvd. NW, Huntsville, Alabama, 35896, on Sunday, April 17, 2016, at 8:00 a.m. (CDT) for the transaction of business that will come before the Corporation. The purpose of the meeting is to receive reports, approve amendments to the Articles and Bylaws of the Corporation and to transact other matters related thereto.

Dan Jackson, Chairman

Leslie N. Pollard, Secretary

Help Us Win the Home Depot Competition - Again!

With your help, for the past three years*, Oakwood has won top prizes in Home Depot's Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program. Since the program's inception in 2010, over one million dollars in grant money has been awarded for campus improvement projects at the nation's HBCUs.

Participating schools have submitted grants for campus improvement. Schools are judged on the creativity of their grant proposal as well as by the number of online votes and social media activity. Oakwood's three proposals highlight how each project will make a lasting, positive impact on the campus. The three projects are:

$50,000 (Tier 1) - Outdoor bathroom facility by the Unity Pond

$20,000 (Tier 2) - Seating (bleachers) for soccer field

$30,000 (Campus Pride) - Outdoor picnic/study area in between Blake Center and Library

Help support Oakwood now in the Retool Your School by clicking here and voting for Oakwood. You can vote on all of your devices including desktop, laptop, tablet, smart phone - daily. Oakwood will also be judged on social media activity. Help us acquire high votes by also using #Oakwood_RYS16 in all of your social media communication. Online voting will take place until April 24, 2016. The winners will be announced on May 18, 2016, in Atlanta.

Team Oakwood -- we did this (and won for the past three years. In 2013, Oakwood won the Tier 1 prize of $50,000. In 2014, Oakwood won the Campus Pride prize of $25,000. In 2015, Oakwood again the Tier 1 prize of $50,000. Let's show them we can do this -- again!

April STANDOUT Focus

Trust in God is the health principle emphasized during the month of April in the 2015-2016 STANDOUT Calendar. Trust in God improves out outlook, bringing peace, reducing anxiety, and building resilience to deal with physical and emotional stress. Even at its best, life is filled with frustrations. However, God promises to give us peace in the midst of our trials, when we trust in Him. Trust in God also helps us build strong, caring relationships with others. Trust God first! He will give you the strength to endure.

Alumni News

Jessica Cook, '01, a partner at Fisher & Phillips LLP, has been chosen by the Daily Report, Atlanta's leading legal newspaper, as a member of the 2016 "On the Rise" class - the top 40 Georgia lawyers under the age of 40.

The Daily Report selected Cook based on her impact on her clients as well as her community. She serves on the board of directors for the Oliver White Hill Foundation, where she is the co-chair of the summer internship committee and has recruited and placed several law school students in summer internships at different civil rights organizations in Washington, D.C. Cook was also recently selected to participate in the 2016 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows Program, and was selected in 2015 for inclusion in The Legal 500 - Immigration.

As a member of Fisher & Phillips' Global Immigration Practice Group, Cook has extensive experience representing and advising employers in all areas of business immigration, including temporary employment visas, labor certifications, permanent residency, and outbound visas. Cook represents local, national and multi-national companies with regard to their immigration needs in such industries as higher education, health care, information technology, manufacturing, and other fields.

Oakwood University Alumni Association president Cynthia Powell-Hicks, '76 and JoAnne Powell-Lightford, '83, discuss the significance of Oakwood's Alumni Homecoming Weekend, on The JoAnne Powell Show, which airs on WCOBM Hollywood. Click here to see the segment.

In an additional video, several alumni share their memories and their "Oakwood experience."

The Friday night AYS and Saturday night Aeolians concerts can be viewed online on the Oakwood University Alumni Association website,

oakwoodalumni.org.

DVDs of the Friday night service are available for $19.95, and can be ordered by sending an email to Debi Slack, at rvpsouthcentral.ouaa@gmail.com. To obtain a DVD of the Saturday night program, contact the Oakwood University Church Media Department, at (256) 837-1255.

Would you like to share Alumni news with us? Please send to pr@oakwood.edu.

About Oakwood

The mission of Oakwood University, a historically black, Seventh-day Adventist institution, is to transform students through biblically-based education for service to God and humanity.