Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

Antar A. Tichavakunda, Ph.D. is a theorist, social scientist, and storyteller. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of California Santa Barbara. 

Tichavakunda has published over thirty peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters. His first book, Black Campus Life: The Lives Black Students Make at an Historically White Institution, is published with SUNY Press and is one of the few ethnographies about Black student life. His second book, Thinking with Critical Race Theory: An Invitation, will be available with the University of California Press in April 2027. An expert on race and higher education, his research has been featured in CNN, the Los Angels Times, Newsweek, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Outside of work, Tichavakunda enjoys watching anime, eating soul food, going to boxing classes, and writing in cafes.

Professor Tichavakunda's Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by the Open Academy at CMC.

Bernard Haykel is a scholar of the Arabian Peninsula, focusing on the politics, economics and history of the Gulf Cooperation Council states (GCC) and Yemen. He is professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University where he teaches courses on energy, history and politics. He is the author of Revival and Reform in Islam and editor of Saudi Arabia in Transition, both published by Cambridge University Press. His next book titled The Realm: MBS and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia will be published shortly by Penguin Press. Haykel has received several prominent awards, such as the Prize Fellowship at Magdalen College, Oxford, the Carnegie Corporation and Guggenheim fellowships and the Old Dominion Professorship at Princeton. In 2024 he was elected member of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters. Haykel appears frequently in print and broadcast media. These include interviews and articles in the Wall Street Journal, PBS, NPR, the New York Times, The New Yorker, Project Syndicate, Al Arabia, Al Jazeera, The Caravan, the Indian Express and the BBC among others. He earned his doctorate in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford.

This evening’s recital will also feature the 5Cs’ own a cappella group Midnight Echo, as well as a special performance by Mariachi Serrano of The Claremont Colleges.

Midnight Echo is an all-gender a cappella group at the Claremont Colleges that's been performing since the '90s. Co-led by Jordan Yates ‘27 and Carolina de Salvo SC ‘27, you'll find them performing around campus at Snack Concerts, SCAMFest, and hosting the yearly a cappella musicfest, Human Symphony! Their typical genres span a broad range, and their repertoire includes Sam Smith, Daniel Caesar, Jon Bellion, Shawn Mendes, Queen, Fleet Foxes, and much more. For videos from performances and more information, visit Midnight Echo on YouTube or @midnightechoacappella on Instagram and TikTok!

Mariachi Serrano of The Claremont Colleges is a vibrant student ensemble spearheaded by Robert Gama ‘28 and Lina Lasden PZ ‘29. Dedicated to sharing the rich tradition of Mexican folk music, the group performs classics across campus and throughout the wider Claremont community. Gama and Lasden are excited to join Music Mania for this evening’s performance.