The 34th Annual Soul Food Dinner at Winona State University

Members of Phi Beta Sigma’s fraternity started off this year’s 34th annual Soul Food Dinner at Winona State University. The Harlem Renaissance was this year’s Soul Food Dinner theme. A cultural and artistic movement that started within the black neighborhoods of New York City in the 1920’s and 30’s, the Harlem Renaissance sought to celebrate the thoughts and ideas of black poets, musicians, authors, and artists. In addition to the dinner, there was a performance, Of Ebony Embers-Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance, which featured poetry of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude McKay and the music of Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and Jeffrey Mumford, among others. The performance consisted of a solo actor and a cello, piano, percussion trio. I was able to speak with the cellist, Tahira Whittington, and the actor, Chris White to talk about their touring performance and the importance of sharing the lives of these seminal men with audiences. Anna Flores hosts this edition of Culture Clique.

David Ranzenberger/Winona Daily News