APSU to present award-winning documentary on January 31st

Clarksville, TN – A few years ago, the brothers Jeffery and Clifford Azize set out to discover what it means to be human. They wanted to explore the joy and pain that comes with existence. Their journey took them around world, from living with the homeless in New York City to visiting lepers in Africa.

Throughout their travels, they were accompanied by a group of independent filmmakers who shot hours of footage.

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Former Green Beret to read poetry at APSU on August 30th

Clarksville, TN – In 1993, a young Green Beret named Joe Shakeenab sought shelter from the hot sun in the African nation of Somalia. Sitting in his combat fatigues under the shade of a tent, he pulled out a notebook and a pencil and began scribbling a few lines of verse.

“When you’re gone on deployments, that’s the way you go on with yourself, just to maintain your own mind,” he said. “I wrote about what I’d seen and what I thought. I told the experiences through poetry.”

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AACC at APSU to hold Purses and Pleasantries fundraiser this month

Clarksville, TN – In observance of Women’s History Month, the Wilbur N. Daniel African American Cultural Center at Austin Peay State University will hold the annual Purses and Pleasantries event this month.

This year, women are encouraged to donate up to five new or slightly used purses, as well as business attire, from March 7th-18th.

The purses then will be on display in the African American Cultural Center, located in the Clement Building on the main campus, for a silent auction beginning March 21st and ending March 29th. Anyone may make bids on the purses that interest them. [Read more]

African American Cultural Center at APSU to celebrate 20-year anniversary

Clarksville, TN – Nearly two decades ago, the Wilbur N. Daniel African American Cultural Center opened at Austin Peay State University, with the author of “Roots,” Alex Haley, speaking as part of opening ceremonies.

At that time, in early 1991, the African American Cultural Center (AACC) was the answer to the frequently expressed wish among many on campus to have a special place for African-American students and faculty to focus on their contributions to the culture and heritage in the U.S.

That is still the case today, 20 years later. Although the center was operational in 1991, it did not bear its official name until November 1992, when it was named in honor of Daniel, the first black student to enroll at the former Austin Peay State College when the institution was still an all-white school. For the college, the end of segregation ended in 1956 when Daniel applied to the graduate school and was admitted. He received a Master of Arts in Education in 1957.

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