West Virginia University’s Center for Black Culture and Research will be hosting events all month long to celebrate Black History Month.
“Our theme ‘Framing the Future, Embracing Our Past’ helps us to understand how important our history is as we move into the future,” said Marjorie Fuller, director of the WVU Center for Black Culture and Research.
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. Black History Month is the brainchild of historian and West Virginian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.
“I am particularly excited about Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the Little Rock Nine, who will be on campus on Feb. 20 and his experiences at Central High School and subsequent experience as an activist,” Fuller said.
Events include the African American Read-In on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Rhododendron Room of the WVU Mountainlair.
Dr. Terrence J. Roberts, one of the “Little Rock Nine” will speak on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballroom.
NFL players Hamaza Abdullah of the Arizona Cardinals and Husain Abdullah of the Minnesota Vikings will discuss their Muslim journey as professional athletes on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Mountainlair ballrooms. The Abdullah brothers’ event is co-sponsored by the Muslim Student Association and the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.
Events planned include:
- Feb. 12—African American Read-In, co-sponsored by the African Student Association, Black Graduates Student Association, Center for Black Culture and Research, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Muslim Student Association and Black History Month.
- Feb 14.—Annual Brown Bag Lunch: Film and Discussion 1 p.m. at the Gluck Theatre of the Mountainlair, sponsored by the NAACP-WVU Chapter and Office of Multicultural Programs. Join student members of the NAACP who will present the film “Just Wright” followed by a discussion on body image and perceptions of beauty in relationships.
- Feb. 18-22—Alpha Week, sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Pi Mu Chapter. This week will include an array of programming, events and service coordinated by the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha.
- Feb. 20—Words from one of the “Little Rock Nine,” Dr. Terrance Roberts, sponsored by the Center for Black Culture and Research, at 7 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballroom.
- Feb. 21—Brown Bag Lunch and Discussion: The Rosa Parks Story, sponsored by the Center for Black Culture and Research, Gluck Theatre, 1:30 p.m.
- Feb. 22—Same Color, Different Cultures, sponsored by the Black Graduate Student Association. The panel discussion includes WVU faculty, who will share their expertise on how being black in America has differed in the past and present, and what they hope to see in the future.
- Feb. 28–The NFL’s Abdullah Brothers Speak at WVU, sponsored by the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. NFL Players Hamaza Abdullah of Arizona Cardinals and Husain Abdullah of the Minnesota Vikings will discuss their Muslim journey as professional athletes.
For more information on Black History Month and other events with the Center for Black Culture and Research visit the center’s website at http://www.cbc.wvu.edu.
