Celebration strives for unity

It's come a long way in one year. The second annual Black Unity Celebration, which began last night with a reception in Dubois College House, has more support this year than founder College junior Juanita Irving ever thought she would see so soon. "Last year, two students basically did everything," she said. "But this year we had 20 student volunteers plus lots of donations from area businesses, various academic departments, administrators, both African-American and non-African-American, and several black churches in the area." Irving said she originally founded the celebration, which sponsors speakers and recognizes Philadelphia area student achievement, to create a forum for issues concerning black unity, both within and outside the University community. "I wanted to foster a sense of unity in the African-American community by having an annual celebration," she said. "This year we've established more than I ever thought we would, what with the donations from [local] businesses and the overall [community] support." Irving, who co-chairs the Black Unity Celebration Committee with College junior Jennifer Pogue, said she thinks an important part of achieving black unity is reaching out to the surrounding Philadelphia community. "I've always had a great belief that black students should be involved with the outside community," she said. "This year, we've definitely extended our outreach. Last year, we honored five local high school students. This year, we're giving nine awards, including one for a teacher and administrator." The celebration opened last night with a two-hour reception that included performances by the a cappella group Shabach, dramatic monologues by College senior Sherri Porter and a speech by Lawrence Burnley, associate minister and director of programs at the Christian Association. Burnley, who stressed the dilemmas of black disunity during his speech, said that black unity is a "very critical issue" for the black community. "The challenge before us today is how to move from the current disunity to unity and empowerment," he said. "And the first step is understanding the basis for our disunity." Burnley added that disunity arises because "as a people we do not know who we are" and "we do not know whose people we are." He urged his audience to "burn the midnight oil" and research black history because "the information that will set you free is not on the required reading list at the University of Pennsylvania." After his speech, Burnley said he accepted the invitation to speak at the reception because he feels the need to reach out to students. "It was something I really wanted to do," he said. "It was a tremendous opportunity to talk to students and I think God has given me something to say." The celebration lasts five days and will feature speaker Frances Cress Welsing, author of The Isis Papers, on Friday and the Black Student League recognition awards ceremony for Philadelphia area students on Sunday.