Roughly a dozen steel drums pack into the crowded café, as the drummers eagerly await the start of the evening. A woman stands in front of the drums, light shining up onto her off the polished surfaces. Her hands come up and the drumsticks come down as the Hamilton Youth Steel Orchestra begins its song.
The performance is a part of the kick-off to the Roots en Route Festival, held at the Radius Café on James St. During Black History Month, several events will be put on by Matapa, a Hamilton arts and music…

Isaac Brown was a fugitive slave. He was accused of the attempted murder of a prominent plantation owner and suffered the fate of a guilty man. He was brutally flogged and then shipped like cattle from Maryland to a New Orleans slave enclosure. He made a daring escape and fled to the free state of Pennsylvania. But his wife and 11 children still resided in Maryland. Brown sent a heart-wrenching letter to his family across the country, telling them where he was. His slave master intercepted the letter and Brown was extradited back to…

As the 35-plus centimetres of winter white start to melt, Hamiltonians could be facing a new problem: flooding.
Mohawk student Tyler Watts has seen flooding that started as early as Saturday night in his student home located off West 5th, with his house not being the only one washed out.
“My student house and even my home in Cayuga got flooded pretty bad,” said Watts. “At first it was just leaks, but once you notice it can’t be stopped and just continuous steady current of water comes in you feel pretty hopeless.”
Property owners…

Homelessness is a growing problem for many cities across Canada, and anyone living in Hamilton may have noticed an increasing homeless population.
If you’ve never walked through the streets of downtown Hamilton you might be surprised by how many people have to find shelter on street corners and alleyways. However, the big question is why our homeless population is so high?
Graham Peacefull of the Hamilton-based band Blind Mule has started an initiative to find out why so many are living on the streets. He has started a project called ‘Homeless Not Helpless’ in…

With reading week just around the corner, and second semester almost half way done, the time has come for graduating hopefuls to get their applications in and grad photos booked.
The process is fairly straightforward for outgoing students: an application needs to be filled out and submitted to the Square. The form can be found at the Square or online.
“You apply, that form goes to your academic area, and they go through everything to make sure you are ready to graduate,” said one representative of the Registrar’s Office. “Get that form in as…

It was a morning of celebration and education as Mohawk College celebrated Black History Month. The ceremony included an interactive historical presentation as well as an African dance performance.
Bryan and Shannon Prince are involved with the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum located in Buxton, Ontario. The couple shared stories of black slaves and their journey from the southern States through the Underground Railroad to Canada. Bryan explained exactly what the Underground Railroad was.
“When slaves are escaping and people help them along the way… Quakers, a religious society that are opposed to…

With the MSA elections underway the candidates are finishing up their campaigns this week. Presidential hopeful, and current Vice-President of the Brantford campus Ryan Chow, says his focus is to bring the campuses together and create a more united Mohawk.
 
Ignite News: What’s your history with the MSA?
Ryan Chow: Well it’s funny story… it just so happened that the Brantford campus needed a Vice President. I actually at this point hadn’t actually had any involvement with the MSA, but I was a student and I was very ambitious at the school…The reason…

Voting is currently under way to elect a new Mohawk Students Association Executive. Current Vice President of Mohawk’ Fennel campus, Eddie Partito, is one of two candidates for President and says he believes the future President should have plenty of experience.
 
Ignite News: What history do you have with the Mohawk Students Association?
Eddie Partito: I’ve been a part of the MSA for three years, this past year as the VP of Fennel, and from 2009 until 2011 I was the Director and Vice President at the STAART Institute.
 
IN: Why did…

Another new service is now available to Mohawk students in the college’s Learning Support Centre located in the C-wing. In it’s pilot semester, the Peer Mentor program is now working with and looking for students to participate in the program.
“The mentors are a great team,” said program director Tammy Cox. “If I’ve got people coming up and I see what program they’re in and I know there’s an event coming related to their program, that’s something that might help them.”
The Peer Mentor program has a similar structure to the existing Peer Tutor…

The sudden announcement of Pope Benedict XVI’s impending resignation has surprised many Hamiltonians, but none more so than those intimately connected with the Church.
Most Honorable Douglas Crosby, Bishop of Hamilton, issued a brief statement to the media following the announcement Monday morning that Pope Benedict XVI would be leaving the Papal office as of February 28.
“The historic news of the resignation of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, due to weakening health was unexpected,” he said. “The leadership that he has given to the Church throughout his life has been remarkable. As…