The night of Black Theatrical Ensembleâs first performance on March 8, 1976, in the University of Georgia Chapel, founder Larry Calhoun and other members of the organization gathered in a circle to pray.
âWe knew what it meant to us â but we prayed that what we had to present would mean something to our fellow students on campus,â Calhoun said.
Calhoun decided to form BTE when he was a graduate student at UGA in 1976. Six years before Calhoun founded BTE, Nawanna Lewis Miller founded the Pamoja groups: the Pamoja Singers, Pamoja Dancers and Pamoja Drama and Arts.
Although UGA had been desegregated for nine and 15 years, respectively, when Lewis Miller and Calhoun formed their organizations, Black students had few opportunities to express themselves and find community on campus. Calhoun and Lewis Miller didnât form their organizations solely out of a desire to sing, dance or act â they formed the organizations out of a need for community and belonging.
rye, congratulations of bte. very nice work. angela, black turnout down nationally from 13% in 2012, 12% in 2016. it s such a tight election year. did these numbers make a difference? they absolutely made a difference. the biggest difference that we ve seen is white voter turnout, and who they voted for, it s been interesting to kind of watch this narrative over the last few days. they ve said hillary clinton failed failed to motivate millennials and minorities and white people failed hillary clinton. i don t think it s about us at all and the real issue is i wonder how they expected black people to vote after voting for first black president in 2008 and 2012. and african american women voted overwhelmingly, still