Archive: Around Town

Aurora, New York—Wells College's student organizations, faculty, and staff are proud to present a variety of events at the College in honor of Black History Month. The events, taking place throughout the month of February, consist of performances, a march and die-in, film screenings and discussions, campus displays, a trip to Auburn's Harriet Tubman Home, and more.

Black History Month—also known as African-American History Month—begun in 1926 as "Negro History Week", but it slowly expanded into a full month of events and celebrations, and in 1976 it was officially recognized by the U.S. federal government. Wells College has, over the years, offered students, staff, faculty and the neighboring community an opportunity to celebrate and engage in a healthy discussion about Black History Month.

The celebrations started on January 31 with a dance hosted by the student club Umoja. For the next event, Umoja will team with the students of POWER (Praising Our Work, Ethnicity, and Race) to present a gala on February 13 titled "My Black Is Beautiful" which will recognize the power of African-American women through poetry and music. Additional events for the month include a march and die-in on February 17 to call attention to the current struggles of African-American communities; a trip to the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, N.Y. on February 21; and a Harlem Renaissance Program on February 27 presented by Prodigy, a student dance troupe that uses stepping to empower students and convey positive messages of unity across the races.

Various campus groups are also contributing to the Black History Month Film Series, screenings held each Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (except where noted) in the  lecture room (209) of Stratton Hall. The series features "Dear White People" on February 4 (hosted by Umoja and Student Activities); "No! The Rape Documentary" on February 11 (hosted by the Women's Resource Center); "Cracking the Code" (hosted by Spanish Club and the Provost's Office) on February 18; and "Bamboozled" on February 25 (hosted by POWER – this movie will begin at 8:30 p.m.).

Moreover, informative posters about famous African Americans have been posted in various buildings on campus, and display cases in the Library and Cleveland Hall have been filled with representative objects and artifacts about the Afro-Hispanic and African-American culture. Each book, toy, music CD, etc. tells a story about a particular plight of people of color. Additionally, every Monday in Cleveland Hall there will be a documentary playing throughout the day: on February 2nd is the life of the first African American baseball player in the major leagues Jackie Robinson; on February 9 on Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the United States Supreme Court; on February 16, on Shirley Chisholm, the first woman to ever run for President of the United States; and on February 23, minister, activist, humanitarian, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

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