On April 9, 2015, the University of Connecticut will welcome Charlotte Hill O'Neal to Storrs. This visit is being sponsored by UConn Education Abroad, UConn Global Affairs, the African American Cultural Center, UConn Departments of History and Sociology, and other groups.
“Mama C,” as Charlotte O’Neal is known to many, is an accomplished poet, musician, author, filmmaker and visual artist whose work has been exhibited in galleries around the world. Charlotte is originally from Kansas City, Kansas, though she has lived in northern Tanzania since the early 1970s. Charlotte’s most definitive work is likely her co-founding (with her husband, Pete O’Neal) of Tanzania's United African Alliance Community Center (UAACC), and the broad range of work the Center has done over the years.
Several films have been commissioned that tell the story of this remarkable couple including Mama C: Urban Warrior in the African Bush, the story of how Charlotte’s and Pete’s past as Black Panthers affects their work among the urban and village youth of East Africa and America.
Please join us at one of the following sessions on Thursday, April 9:
10am - 12 pm (Class of 1947 Room, Homer Babbidge library)
"An Afro-American Woman's Life in Africa" - Presentation and discussion of Charlotte’s life and work in Tanzania.
2pm - 4 pm (African American Cultural Center, Community Room)
Film showing and discussion: clips from Mama C: Urban Warrior in the African Bush; A Panther in Africa, and other materials as appropriate.
7:30pm (Laurel Hall 307)
Presentation: this will be time for Charlotte to share original musical compositions, play traditional African instruments, and offer some of her poetry, all within the context of her time in East Africa, and history as a member of the Black Panther Party.
All events listed are free and open to the public!
For more information, contact: Education Abroad at abroad@uconn.edu