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BLACK HISTORY MONTH
As the month of February comes to an end, we look back on the events that were held around campus
BY CORY CLAESON
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
ISSUE: 78/22
AP Photo / Richard lewis
Nelson Mandela.
AP Photo / Lacy Atkins
Rosa Parks, 84, holds a program
from the Rosa Park Elementary School
dedication in April 1997.
The month of February is Black History Month and students around the campus have been spending time trying to get the word out. The Black Student Association (BSA) worked to bring several events to campus to promote the education of black history. The events have seen mixed results among students.
“The events are put on for everybody,” said junior BSA member Hana Dinku.
The BSA is trying to form a connection with the campus and the community. The events that were here on campus during Black History Month included once-a-week movies such as “Amazing Grace” and “Sell My Lord,” according to Dinku. The BSA also sponsored the Hip Hop Debate, showed a television episode of “Black.White.,” and co-sponsored speaker Barry Scott with the Kirby Program Board, who spoke about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. excerpts, Dinku said.
A successful event was the Soul Food event, which, according to Dinku, sold out. “The BSA has worked really hard for Black History Month this year,” said BSA advisor Quinnita Morris. According to senior and BSA member Daniel Oyinloye, there are regular attendees who come to the events but they are looking for more students besides the ones that come as an assignment for class. “We think the community should be involved, and we want students to be involved,” said Oyinloye.
Beside Black History month, the BSA is hosting an Africa Week in March. It is a whole week of activities and events about Africa. Africa Week starts March 24 and lasts until March 30. Some of the activities include a soccer tournament, cultural events and lectures about human rights in Africa. There is also a talent competition in April. The BSA encourages students to come and prizes will be given out at some of the events.
BSA members Dinku, Oyinloye and Morris said they are excited about the success from of the past events and are looking forward to some of the upcoming ones in March. Black History Month brings together people of different cultures. It also brings awareness to people of African descent. The celebration is more than a month long, and it is an opportunity to expose the culture to all people, according to BSA member Sarah Stewart. “Hopefully people are more open to black history and culture,” said Stewart.
According to www.woodsonmuseum.org, the father of Black History Month is Dr. Carter G. Woodson, whose parents were former slaves. In 1926, Woodson proposed and launched the annual Negro History Week, which evolved into Black History Month in 1976, according to the Web site. The Web site also said that the month of February was chosen because Feb. 12 was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and the 14th was the accepted birthday of Fredrick Douglass.
