Under the baobab: Mending the holes in our Happy Valley foundation
Congrats to Coach Micah Shrewsberry and the Penn State men’s basketball team. For the first time in 12 years they won a game in the NCAA Tournament. Tenth seeded PSU handily beat seventh seeded Texas A&M, 76-59. Also congrats to Coach Cael Sanderson and PSU wrestling team for winning its 11th NCAA national championship, 10th in the last 12 years.
Brava to Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian actress to win the Oscar for best actress in “Everything, Everywhere All at Once.” In her acceptance speech she said, “this is for all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight. This is a beacon of hope and possibilities.” I first met Michelle years ago in Hong Kong where I was playing the policeman buddy of Chow Yun-Fat in John Woo’s action adventure, “A Better Tomorrow II.” A few years later she starred with Chow Yun-Fat in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
She was not the only Asian winner on Oscar night. Ke Huy Quan was named best supporting actor for his role in “Everything...” Daniel Kwan and his partner Daniel Scheinert won for best director and original screenplay for the film. Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga won the best documentary short subject award for “The Elephant Whisperers.” Perhaps most surprising was “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, written by Chandrabose and M.M. Keeravani, winning best original song. It is the first time that a song from a Bollywood film had been so honored. The inclusion of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Indian films into the mainstream of American movies, expands our cinematic world view which better reflects our diverse cultures. The Happy Valley community benefits from this expansion.
The University Park campus is a relatively insulated, quiet setting for academic study and research. PSU was listed 14th among U.S. institutions hosting international students in 2020-21, with 8,267 students at University Park in addition to more across the commonwealth campuses. Penn State is the No. 1 receiving institution in the state and is 2nd in the Big Ten. Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi is uniquely suited to lead this international center. She is the only Asian born university president in the Big Ten. With her experience and skill set she helps position the university in the vanguard of international higher education. But if we are to rise to transnational prominence, we must acknowledge the other side of the story. We have not always offered a generous spirit to our international visitors. Our house is not built on a strong foundation.
Monday is the fourth anniversary of the tragic killing of Osaze Osagie. He was the beloved son of professors Iyun and Sylvester Osagie, both of whom were born in West Africa. Osaze was shot by a police officer after three went to his apartment to serve a 302 mental health warrant. Mayor Ezra Nanes issued a proclamation that acknowledged the tragic collision and intersection of law enforcement, mental illness and race that sparked a movement for reform and justice in State College. It states that March 20 will remain a day of remembering and mourning.
To construct a solid structure, you begin by mending the holes in the foundation. In a spirit of solidarity many of us are participating in community service this weekend and a march this past Sunday. Monday, at Strawberry Fields, where Osaze participated during his life, volunteers will clean, paint and do yard work. You can serve all day or simply sign up for a two-hour shift. At 7 p.m., a candlelight vigil will be held in MLK Plaza downtown on Fraser Street sponsored by the 3/20 Coalition, Community Diversity Group, Jana Marie Foundation and Racial Unity Network.
Let us light our own beacons of hope.
“The whole world is one family. To understand is hard. Once one understands, action is easy.” -Sun Yat -sen
Charles Dumas is a lifetime political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for U.S. Congress in 2012. He was the 2022 Lion’s Paw Awardee and Living Legend honoree of the National Black Theatre Festival. He lives with his partner and wife of 50 years in State College.
