Jessica Giannone, General Assignment Reporter-
Remembering the past and embracing the future is one way to perceive the importance of Black History Month, as Dian Brown-Albert, the coordinator of Multicultural Student Activities for the Multicultural Center, said.
“A time to share and reflect on history,” said Brown-Albert, “and appreciate and reflect on where we’re going.”
She said this month, the Multicultural Center is planning a number of events in celebration of Black History Month that can allow students to become inspired.
The events include educational components, serious discussions and “fun things as well,” according to Brown-Albert.
Felicia Reed, the secretary for the Black Student Union at Southern, said BSU has a lot of events planned this month, including a Post Traumatic Slave Disorder (P.T.S.D.) program; “Herstory,” an event on black women; a discussion of blacks in America; and presentations from black business owners.
“I think that the events impact the students because there are many different topics that we speak about and try and get our members thinking outside the box little by little,” said Reed.
She said they want members to see people that work in the community and live “right around the corner.”
Edisha Brandy, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said her club is taking a different approach this year. They are planning to have a campaign, which will be promoted through out the whole month, about black women who have made an impact in history.
“We plan to have one woman recognized per day,” said Brandy.
For health awareness week, Brandy said they are discussing topics that affect the black community.
Among the events sponsored by the Multicultural Center are “Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement,” which will be showing screen footage from the March on Washington, and “A Dedication to Martin Luther King Jr.,” where Pastor Samuel Ross-Lee will “reflect on how Dr. King touched his life, shaped [the] nation, and provided hope for a better future,” the event flier said.
“I thought, you know what?” said Brown-Albert, referring to the “Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.” event, “How many students have actually heard the speech ‘I Have a Dream?’ It’s one of the greatest demonstrations towards freedom ever.”
Brown-Albert said the event makes students stop and see.
“They weren’t there during that time to hear the words from that generation,” said Brown-Albert. “It allows [the students] to put into perspective and have an understanding of their lives, and how [the people from that generation] changed and moved forward from that.”
Aside from the history in general, Brown-Albert said some of her inspiration for the events came from spending time with students sharing what they would like to see happen on campus.
“We try to make sure that all the cultures are celebrated,” said Brown-Albert.
She said the factors the Multicultural Center considers when planning events are funding, purpose, and how students will be impacted.
Brown-Albert said they also try to incorporate and relate events in the classroom, and sometimes call professors to see if they have ideas for programs.
Jason Henderson, the co-representative for the Social Issues Committee for the Programs Council, said they are trying to do some smaller programs throughout the semester. He said they might show movies that are geared towards black history, and have also planned for different speakers to come in.
“We didn’t want to pull too much away from other events that are going on,” said Henderson.
He said they want to serve as an extra way of education for the students.
Brandy said, “We want to go ahead and make it a successful month, and [the students] can learn about what people have done that is truly amazing.”
She said NAACP’s goals are to ensure respect and stability for every student.
Some other events to come on campus are hip-hop classes, a race documentary, a fashion show, a “soul food” menu lunch and dinner and a heritage ball.
Event information can be found at the information desk at the Student Center and on the event boards and web-pages of the clubs.
“The more you learn about people, the more you can communicate effectively,” said Brown-Albert. “We all celebrate in different ways.”
