April 30, 2003
USM Hosts Amistad Tour Film and Lecture
Two of the events occurring during the Amistad Portland
Roots to Reconciliation Tour in May will take place at the
University of Southern Maine. The Freedom Schooner Amistad
will make its first and only scheduled stop in Maine, staying
in Portland Harbor May 7-13.
This vessel is a reproduction of the La Amistad that, in
1839, was taken by the mutiny of the 53 kidnapped Africans
who were to be sold as slaves.
On Saturday, May 3, beginning at noon, USM will show Steven
Spielberg's "Amistad," followed by a public discussion, "Fact
vs. Fiction," that will be moderated by USM Provost Joseph
Wood. This event is free and open to the public and will take
place in Luther Bonney Auditorium on the Portland campus.
Howard University Professor of African Studies Sulayman Nyang
will present a free lecture, "Islam in America: Past and Future,"
at 2 p.m. in Luther Bonney Auditorium, Portland. He will also
sign copies of his book "Islam in the United States of America."
Nyang has served as Deputy Ambassador and Head of Chancery
of the Gambia Embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 1975-1978.
After which he immigrated to the United States to teach at
Howard University in Washington D.C. He has written extensively
on Islamic, African and Middle Eastern affairs.
These two events are part of the Amistad's seven-day Portland
visit. For more information on the tour, see www.amistadmaine.org/amistad.htm
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