Black History Month

Every February Ujima and the Office of Student Diversity Programs team up on programs to celebrate Black History Month. One of the most popular events is the Ujima Fashion Show, scheduled Feb. 2.

For 2013, there are three major events on February’s calendar to celebrate Black History Month. Admission to all is free. Details are as follows: 

• Saturday, Feb. 2, 8 p.m. Bernhard Theater – Ujima’s 22^nd Annual Fashion Show. Join Ujima for its 22^nd Annual Fashion Show, “Our Black Diaspora: Lifting the Darkness!” Every year there is a central theme for the Ujima fashion show that club members deem critical for the whole campus to recognize. This year’s theme promotes a more inclusive look at Afro-culture/Blackness, with a focus on the diversity within the African diaspora. Primarily we are focusing on East Africa, West Africa, Afro-Latin American, the Caribbean, and North America. The fashion show will showcase clothing and performances – from dances to drumming to spoken word – that capture the rich art and messages from East Africa, West Africa, Afro-Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America. The goal is to demonstrate the riches of each distinct culture, as well as the connections among people of African descent.
  
  
• Wednesday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m., Scribner Library Media Room – “Loving Day” screening of the film “The Loving Story.” Join OSDP for the first Loving Day celebration, which recognizes the anniversary of the 1967 Supreme Court decision of Loving v. Virginia, which struck down all anti-miscegenation laws and legalized interracial marriage in the United States. Click here for more information. 
  
  
• Monday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m., Gannett Auditorium – “New Age Imperialism: A Crisis in Pan African Conscience” with Dhoruba Bin Wahad, an American activist and writer who was a field secretary in the New York chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP) from 1968-69, and co-founded the Black Liberation Army. He was imprisoned for 19 years in connection with a May 1971 incident in which two New York City policemen were shot. Originally sentenced to 25 years to life, he was released when a court found that he had been convicted with fabricated evidence. He successfully sued the FBI and the New York City Police Department and eventually won close to $1 million in damages. Still a political activist, he now advocates for awareness of the global convergence and for opposition to the US militarization of Africa. His talk is sponsored by Ujima, United Minds, Hayat, and OSDP.