Month of Celebrations: A look at how colleges and universities are celebrating Black History Month.
- Alabama A&M University, Normal
Black History Month Theme: “The Souls of Black Folk: Centennial Reflections”
17th Annual “Celebrating Black History Thru Jazz” Reception featuring Pianist/Composer Randy Weston; Benjamin Banneker Banquet; Poetry: Poet Joye Pettis, author of African-American Poets: Lives, Works and Sources.
- Benedict College, Columbia, S.C.
Black History Collegiate Quiz Bowl: The Quiz Bowl is a favorite African American History Month activity carried over from previous years where select Benedict College students compete against one another to test their knowledge of Black history. Communication Session: Brother to Brother: “Catch my Hand Before I Fall.” An essential session for men only to discuss their hopes, dreams, and fears. Communication Session: Sister to Sister: “Exhale Party,” an essential session for women only to discuss their hopes, dreams and fears. The Benedict College Harambee Festival: One of the largest college-sponsored African American festivals in the nation. A festival for the entire family that has plenty of food, music, fun, art and hard-to-find items and merchandise.
- Bergen Community College, Paramus, N.J.
Lecture/Music: James McBride, author of The Color of Water, A Black Man’s Tribute to his White Mother. A reading and concert by the author’s 12-piece jazz band; Poetry: Poetry Slam, a celebration of words by African American writers. Poetry reading by Bergen Community College faculty, staff and students; Lecture: Barkari Kitwana, author of Hip Hop Generation, speaks on young Blacks and the crisis in African American culture.
- Berklee College of Music, Boston
Music: Faculty pianist Matt Jenson presents a student ensemble performing the music of the Jamaican music icon Bob Marley; Kindred Spirits presented by Ron Reid, concert featuring contemporary compositions for the steel drum and lively soca and calypso arrangements; Performance by gospel group, Take 6. Lecture: Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., Encarta Africana: “W.E.B. Du Bois to John Coltrane.”
- Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Lecture: “Paul Robeson: A Bearer of a Culture,” by Paul Robeson Jr., who examines his father’s defining struggles, triumphs and humanity.
- Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant
Guest Speaker: Bobby Seale, founder of the Black Panther Party; Performance: National Pan-Hellenic Council Annual Stompdown, featuring BET/Comic View comedian Steve Brown; and “Soul Deep,” a production of skits and monologues presented by student assistant Mary T. Jenkins. For the first time ever at CMU, the cast for this production consists of all students of color.
- Douglass College, New Brunswick, N.J.
Annual Career Program: The Douglass College Africana House and the Douglass Black Students’ Congress Black History Month Kickoff Special: Douglass graduates in the fields of law, media, finance, science/pharmaceuticals, etc. return to tell students what they should do now to prepare for the successes and the struggles of the “real world;” fourth annual “Jazz ‘N Java” Poetry Night; Evening of Gospel: This celebration of gospel music has been going on at Douglass for more than 20 years.
- El paso Community College, Texas
Music: A Message in a Song, featuring the male choral groups from area churches;
El Paso BET (Black Entertainment), Music, song and dance.
- Fayetteville State University, N.C.
Lecture: Featured speaker is Bill Overton, author of The Media: Shaping the Image of a People; A Long Road to Hoe. Theater Presentation: The Black experience after slavery to the Civil Rights Movement is explored through riveting biographical narratives, poetry and prose. Written by Fayetteville playwright Olivia Green and presented as part of Black History Month by the Play Pen Theater Troupe. Music: Festival of Jazz, featuring some of the youngest African American musicians involved in various aspects of the African American music scene. Includes lectures, demonstrations and concerts.
- Hope College, Holland, Mich.
Conference: Third Annual Summit on Racism; Lecture: Dialogue on Race — “The Real Eve,” professor Christopher Barney, facilitator.
- Miami-Dade Community College, Fla.
Music: “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill,” this one-woman performance portrays the life of the phenomenal Billie Holiday, played by Treva Burke.
- Morgan State University, Baltimore
Movies/Films: “Sankofa” — screening of the 1993 groundbreaking film by Haile Gerima; Music: An Afternoon of Jazz featuring the Morgan State University Jazz Ensemble and the Norman Clark Project; Exhibits: “1001 Black Inventions” — an interactive exhibition that highlights inventions by African Americans that have added quality to our lives.
- Norfolk State University, Va.
“The Rise & Fall of Jim Crow,” viewing and discussion of PBS Series. Lectures: “Slave Museums: Are They for the Dead or the Living?” by Dr. Babetunde Agiri; “The 18th Century Slave Trade in Savannah, Georgia” by Dr. William Byrne.
- North Carolina Central University, Durham
Lectures: Glen Harris, professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. “Black-Jewish Relations, 1948-1972”; Tracy Burns-Vann, director, Charlotte Hawkins Brown Historical Site, Sedalia, North Carolina, “Blacks and Public History in North Carolina”; Tony A. Frazier, visiting lecturer, North Carolina Central University, “Self-Emancipation: Black Runaway Slaves, Servants, and Sailors in Late 18th-Century London.”
- Northeast Texas Community College, Mt. Pleasant
Music: New Arts Six — The Whosoever Will Pray Band, an ensemble dedicated to preserving and promoting the sacred folk music of African Americans presents a charming, comic slice-of-life gospel musical; Gospel Fest, gospel groups from the east Texas area perform.
- Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Conn.
Black History Month Extravaganza: Residents will be able to explore and learn more about the many facets of African American history and the numerous contributions African Americans have made to our society. Music: Classic Jazz, featuring Jazz Master bassist and composer Avery Sharp; Lecture: Juan Williams, one of America’s leading political writers and thinkers, is the author of the critically acclaimed biography, Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary. He also is the author of the nonfiction bestseller, Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965.
- Reed College, Portland, Ore.
Lectures: Randall Robinson, slavery reparations; Orlando Patterson, “The Consequences of Slavery for the Afro-American Present;” Poetry Reading: Sonia Sanchez.
- Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind.
Speaker: Victor Lewis, “Why Diversity is Important and Why it’s Good for You.” Lewis is an internationally recognized leader in the field of anti-oppression diversity work and alliance building. He is best known for his inspiring and catalytic leadership role in the award-winning race relations documentary, “The Color of Fear.” Lewis is co-author, with Hugh Vasquez, of Beyond the Color of Fear: Dismantling Racism, a facilitation and discussion guide for use in institutions wishing to integrate the film into their curricula and training programs. He is currently director of the Center for Diversity Leadership.
- Spelman College, Atlanta
Women’s Civil Rights Activism, featuring Mabel Williams, activist and co-founder of Radio Free Dixie; Lecture: “Beyond Bamboozled,” a lecture featuring Michael Ray Charles, artistic director of Spike Lee’s film “Bamboozled”; Dr. W.T. Lhamon Jr., author of Raising Cain: Blackface Performance from Jim Crow to Hip Hop; and Dr. Tarshia Stanley, assistant professor of English at Spelman College; Music: Sweet Honey in the Rock, featuring Spelman College Cosby Endowed Chair for Fine Arts Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon.
- SUNY Rockland Community College, Suffern, N.Y.
Music: 8th Annual Billy Parker Jazz Ensemble featuring Erica Kaplan; Movies/Film: African American Film Series; Performance: Haitian Talent Show, an evening of Haitian culture celebrating the talents of prominent Haitian artists.
- The University of Tampa, Fla.
Black History Month 2003 PEACE Volunteer Opportunity-celebrate Black History Month with a day of service. Music: Black History Month 2003 Gospel Luncheon; Movies/Film: Black History Month 2003 Film Series.
- University of California-San Diego
Music: Blind Boys of Alabama; “Lift Every Voice: African American Style;” Lectures: “The History of Political Activism”; “Exploring the History of African Americans.”
- University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Danny Glover: An Evening of Langston Hughes Poetry; Soul Food Dinner.
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
Poetry: Poetry Slam! Open mic night! Participants will read poetry related to the National Black History Month theme, “The Souls of Black Folk: Centennial Reflections;” Black History Month Keynote Address: Aaron McGruder, the cartoonist for “The Boondocks,” will give the keynote address.
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