Black History Month
SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University will celebrate Black History Month in February with a theme of “The Dream in Motion.”
The motion in question is about fulfilling the dream of Martin Luther King Jr., articulated in his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech.
Black American history as a social movement is something deeply rooted at SRU, with the school first recognizing Black History Week in 1970 before it became a monthlong celebration in 1983.
“We've made so much forward movement that we wanted to recognize, with the selected theme, that the dream is happening now,” said Keshia Booker, assistant director for multicultural development in SRU's Office of Inclusive Excellence.
“There are many ways to be in motion or to have movement throughout the course of African-American history, as well as taking what most people view was Martin Luther King Jr.'s platform and putting that dream in motion,” Booker added.
Corinne Gibson, director of the OIE, said, “I think that Black History Month is important because there is so much that has not been uncovered or known.“This is a great time to educate not only the students but the community on the contributions of African-American people,” she said.While the OIE serves as the hub for organizing Black History Month events, many student organizations, academic departments and other entities on campus are participating.“There's a lot of excitement this year,” Booker said. “(Black History Month is at) the start of the semester, so everyone is full of energy, and it gets a lot of people involved with collaborative programming and things are happening around one cause. We have great programming and it gives African-American students an opportunity to showcase their heritage.”Gibson said, “I think it is a great opportunity for everyone and for us to shed some light on the contributions of African-Americans. That is what we want to do.”Reasons for excitement this year, said Booker, are the addition of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which joined the established Zeta Phi Beta sorority and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity as chapters of historically black Greek-letter organizations at Slippery Rock; and the Black Action Society taking its annual cultural immersion trip to Memphis.While in Memphis, the group of up to 50 SRU students will visit a variety of cultural locations including a stop at the National Civil Rights Museum, which is at the site of the Lorraine Motel where King was assassinated in 1968.Melissa Ford, assistant professor of history, is taking part in two campus activities.On Feb. 19, she will participate in a panel discussion at 12:30 p.m. in the Smith Student Center Theater, “Dream and Beyond.”“I am on the panel along with a student, Mohmed Manfoud, a secondary education major; Dr. Abdou Jallo from the School of Business, and it's moderated by Kennedy Moore, a senior in the Student Government Association,” Ford said.“It's an opportunity for us to expand on King's 'I Have a Dream' speech,” she said. “A lot of people don't know how deep and wide his interests were.”“For example, I'm going to discuss Dr. King's actions in the North to fight unemployment and housing discrimination.”“This is a time to counter the 'Santa Clausification' of King as some sort of lovable figure with something for everyone to love,” she said.“He was a controversial figure. He received death threats. He was stabbed,” Ford added.“The dream is in many ways unrealized,” said Ford. “There is unemployment in the North and poverty in black communities.”Ford said she is also taking part in “A Space of Their Own: The African-American Gardening Tradition” at 5 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Macoskey Center, the university's center for sustainability education.
“It's a look at race and the African-American gardening tradition,” said Ford. “During slavery, African-Americans would often have small gardens near their quarters. This is an area where whites would never go,” she said. “So the slaves would literally have a space of their own, independent of the system that dehumanized them.”“As time went on,” Ford said, “a similar theme continued: owning your own land was seen as a way to be independent.”OIE Director Gibson said while she will be attending many of the events, perhaps her favorite will be the Ebony Ball at 6 p.m. Feb. 26 in the Smith Student Center Ballroom.“It's the culmination of the month,” said Gibson. “A lot of alumni will be back.”The celebration is the result of the work of Harvard-educated historian Carter Woodson who started the black history movement and what is now known as Black History Month in 1926 to correct the misconception African-Americans' only history is that of slavery and not achievement.The movement became mainstream in the 1970s. Every U.S. president since 1976 has officially designated February as Black History Month.As the movement collected momentum at SRU in the late 1970s, the 1977 television miniseries “Roots” took hold in America, with more than half the population watching at least one episode of the series that chronicled 100 years of African-American slavery and racial oppression.“It made TV history; that's really hard when it's about such a brutal message,” said Ford, whose department had screened episodes of “Roots” for SRU students as part of its Black History Month programming last year.Ford offers a fresh perspective on the black history movement, especially after earning her doctoral degree in American Studies, with a specialization in black radicalism, from Saint Louis University.As Black History Month unfolds, Ford sees some troublesome trends.“I don't know exact numbers,” she said. “But there are less African-American students enrolled this year than there were last year. That's something to be concerned about.”Gibson said she didn't believe white predominance in the surrounding area was discouraging people of color from applying at SRU.“We have to continue to go where there are more diverse university applicants. It has more to do with how can we reach out and get more quality students,” said Gibson.
<b>Black History Month events include:</b>- 12:30 p.m. Tuesday: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Founders Day Celebration, Smith Student Center, Room 323, hosted by the NAACP chapter at Slippery Rock University- 5 p.m. Tuesday: “The Hate U Give” movie and discussion, Smith Student Center Theater, hosted by Phi Alpha Theta- 5 p.m. Thursday: Dating with a Twist: Smith Student Center, Room 323, hosted by the NAACP with a discussion about the expectations American society places on dating and relationships- 5 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Feb. 16 and 7 p.m. Feb. 17: SGA Movie Series presents “BlacKkKlansman,” Smith Student Center Theater- 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17: “Higher Learning,” Smith Student Center Ballroom, hosted by Black Action Society with a motivational speech by Devantae Butler on reaching new dreams- 6 p.m. Feb. 18: Wild 'n' Out comedy show, SRU edition: Smith Student Center Ballroom, hosted by the Black Action Society.- 12:30 Feb. 19: King's Dream and Beyond panel discussion, Smith Student Center Theater, hosted by the SRU History Department.- 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19: Conversation with Keke Palmer, actress, singer/songwriter:, hosted by the University Program Board, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, the Frederick Douglass Institute and the Gender Studies program. For more information including ticket information, visit: www.srupb.com.4 6 p.m. Feb. 20: Flexing in My Complexion, Eisenberg Classroom Building, Room 111, hosted by the Black Action Society with a discussion about how American society views African-Americans will different skin complexions.- 5 p.m. Feb. 21: The Evolution of Music from 1970s to Now, Smith Student Center, Room 323, hosted by Kappa Alpha Psi.- 12:30 p.m. Feb. 21: PNC Bank Prize Wheel, Smith Student Center lobby.- 8 p.m. Feb. 22 and 23, 7 p.m. Feb. 24: SGA Movie Series presents “Creed II,” Smith Student Center Theater.- Feb. 21 to 24: Cultural Immersion trip to Memphis, Tenn., hosted by the Black Action Society.- 5 p.m. Feb. 25: “A Space of their Own: The African-American Gardening Tradition,” Macoskey Center, hosted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence, the History Department and the Macoskey Center.- 6 p.m. Feb. 26: Ebony Ball, Smith Student Center Ballroom, hosted by the Black Action Society with dinner, dancing, an awards ceremony and live music by the Bill Henry Band.- 5 p.m. Feb. 27: Trailblazers of Yesterday and Today, Vincent Science Center, Room 102, a discussion hosted by Queens Org.- 5 p.m. Feb. 28: Soul Food Tasting, Smith Student Center Theater, hosted by Office of Inclusive Excellence and the Black Faculty and Staff Association.
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history.The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated February as Black History Month.Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to black history.4 The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.That September, Woodson and the minister Jesse Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by black Americans and other people of African descent.4 Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History the group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures.<em>The History Channel</em>
