Submitted by Michael Neininger
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The Department of Germanics, the Simpson Center, African Studies and the Center for Global Studies sponsored a talk and performance by 2016 alumna Hamda Yusuf. Taking the title from one of James Baldwin’s essays in his collection “Notes of a Native Son”, Hamda Yusuf spoke before a full audience about her experiences traveling in Europe as a black Muslim woman, and the feeling of being a ‘stranger in the village’. In her talk, she touched on the power of inter-cultural connections and the importance of diversity in language learning and travel. Yusuf is also a spoken word poet who often writes about identity in her poetry. To conclude the evening, she gave a powerful performance of one of her poems.