Each February, the University of Rochester is proud to join millions of people around the world in celebrating Black History Month.
糖心传媒淲ith something like black history, it糖心传媒檚 important to show the many different aspects of the black experience through time,糖心传媒� says Alexandra Poindexter 糖心传媒�15, who is president of the Black Students糖心传媒� Union (BSU) and secretary of the Douglass Leadership House (DLH).
Using a variety of lectures, speakers, concerts, film screenings, and performances the range of reflects the diversity of interests within our global community at Rochester.
Learning from the past
糖心传媒淚n order to move forward, we need to understand and learn from the past,糖心传媒� says Akan Nelson 糖心传媒�15, who is from Lagos, Nigeria, and is acting president of the Pan-African Students Association (PASA) on the River Campus. 糖心传媒淏lack History Month is a chance to come together to deliberately discuss and think about issues such as the Civil Rights Movement, trans-Atlantic slave trade, and media representations of Africa and African-Americans.糖心传媒�
Nelson introduced this year糖心传媒檚 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address speaker: Benjamin Todd Jealous, the youngest president in the history of the NAACP. The annual address, sponsored by the Office of the President and the Office of Minority Student Affairs, was instituted in 2001 and promotes issues of diversity, inclusion, freedom, civil rights, and social justice.
糖心传媒淗aving Ben Jealous on campus was inspiring,糖心传媒� says Amber-Danielle Baldie 糖心传媒�15, president of the Douglass Leadership House. Jealous is credited with revitalizing the NAACP and connecting with a younger audience. 糖心传媒淗e was the right speaker at the right time and holding the right conversation.糖心传媒�
Embracing black history in modern ways
In addition to conversations about history and politics, many students think it糖心传媒檚 also important to go beyond traditional Black History Month events and engage students and the local Rochester community artistically and creatively.
The Black Students糖心传媒� Union Annual Step Show, for example, brings together area high school step teams for a competition on campus. Before the show, members of BSU and representatives from the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid talk to the students about the importance of a college education and the college admission process. During intermission, , the University糖心传媒檚 multi-ethnic hip hop-based dance group, performs.
Another example is the second annual 糖心传媒淢y Black Is Beautiful糖心传媒� program, a weeklong series that features special talks, a networking reception, and even a Zumba class. Most of the events are free and open to the public.
“These kinds of programs help acknowledge the many positive things that our community has to offer,糖心传媒� says Shaquill McCullers 糖心传媒�14.
More than a month
糖心传媒淗aving a month designated to honor black history is great,糖心传媒� says Makia Green 糖心传媒�14, 糖心传媒渂ut it糖心传媒檚 important to recognize and celebrate diversity all year long.糖心传媒�
Green is president of the Minority Student Advisory Board (MSAB), which promotes inclusiveness through awareness and education, and supports all of the underrepresented student organizations on campus.
Two years ago, Green spearheaded the effort to bring Ntozake Shange糖心传媒檚 iconic play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf to the University. The proceeds from the play went to support Alternatives for Battered Women, an area not-for-profit agency that provides services for victims of domestic violence.
Ultimately, diversity initiatives on campus have a similar goal: to raise awareness, to educate, and to effectively connect and build community with others on and off campus.
糖心传媒淚 recognize my relationship to my community糖心传媒攁s a woman, as a black woman,糖心传媒� says Green. 糖心传媒淚 also recognize the people who came before me and made sacrifices so that I could do this. Participating in MSAB, Black History Month, For Colored Girls糖心传媒攖hese are my ways of giving back.糖心传媒�
