POET NIKKI GIOVANNI AND SCHOLAR OBA T'SHAKA TO BE FEATURED SPEAKERS AT PITT'S BLACK WEEK

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 1 -- Nikki Giovanni, one of the most widely read American poets, and Oba T'Shaka, author, scholar, and activist, will be the featured speakers as the University of Pittsburgh's Black Action Society (BAS) celebrates Black Week Nov. 5 to Nov. 10. T'Shaka's presentation is on Tuesday, Nov. 7, and Giovanni will lecture on Thursday, Nov. 9; both events are at 8 p.m., in the William Pitt Union (WPU) Assembly Room.

T'Shaka, a professor at San Francisco State University, is a leader and master organizer who led the largest and most effective civil rights movement in the north as chairman of the San Francisco Congress on Racial Equality. He is national vice chair for the National Black United Front. T'Shaka is one of the principal architects of the African Centered Educational Movement.

Since 1968, Giovanni has established herself as a best-selling poet, author, and essayist. All but one of her nearly 20 books are still in print, with several having sold more than 100,000 copies. Her newest book, "Blues: For All the Changes," made the Los Angeles Times Best Seller list, the first time a poet has ever been listed. Giovanni teaches writing, poetry, and literature at Virginia Tech under the Commonwealth Visiting Professor Program.

A list of events for Black Week, which is free and open to the public unless otherwise noted, follows:

Sunday, Nov. 5 Gospel Night

4 p.m. Some of God's Children and guest choirs

Assembly Room - WPU

Monday, Nov. 6 Play: I Am a Black Woman

8 p.m. Kurtzman Room - WPU

Tuesday, Nov. 7 Oba T'Shaka

8 p.m. Destroying Self-Hatred:

Finding Your African Identity

Assembly Room - WPU

Wednesday, Nov. 8 Oba T'Shaka Open Discussion

noon Bridging the Gap Between

The Campus Community/Community At Large

Ballroom - WPU

Thursday, Nov. 9 Nikki Giovanni

8 p.m. Assembly Room - WPU

Friday, Nov. 10 Talent Show

7:30 p.m. Assembly Room - WPU

$4 BAS members, others $5

Friday, Nov. 17 Fashion Show

7:30 p.m. Assembly Room - WPU

$4 BAS members, others $5

For more information, call 412-648-7880.

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