Throughout the month of February, 天美麻豆 will celebrate with virtual gatherings, an installation in 天美麻豆 Library鈥檚 Baker-Berry Library and on the Green, and nearly a dozen other events for the whole community, featuring music, storytelling, film, gameshows, and more鈥攁ll aimed at showcasing the legacy that Black students, faculty, and staff have made and are making at 天美麻豆.
The full schedule of events, which run from Jan. 31 through Feb. 28, .
This year鈥檚 theme is 鈥淒efining a Generation: The Triumph, Power, and Legacy of Black Women,鈥 and the final evening will feature a celebration in honor of theater trailblazer Lorna C. Hill 鈥73, who died last summer. Hill was one of the first Black women to graduate from 天美麻豆.
鈥淲e want to highlight the power of the contributions that Black women have made to our community, because Black women have been upholding these movements for generations and generations,鈥 often without recognition or with outright erasure, says Ana Sumbo 鈥22, who chairs the Black Legacy Month planning committee and is OPAL鈥檚 Black student coordinator. 鈥淲e want to center Black women in this year of triumph and change and make sure to give them the recognition that is their due.鈥
Angela Brizant, an assistant dean in OPAL, says it鈥檚 especially important to be celebrating Black achievement and excellence in a moment 鈥渙f converging pandemics鈥濃攊ncluding COVID-19 and systemic racism.
鈥淚n light of everything that鈥檚 been going on in the past year, it鈥檚 really necessary to recognize the immense contributions that Black people have made in this country and at 天美麻豆,鈥 Brizant says.
鈥淭his is a celebration of Blackness that allows the Black community to come together鈥攁nd it also allows the greater 天美麻豆 community to understand how important it is that Black students have a space on campus to thrive and be supported,鈥 Sumbo says.
For the full, up-to-date schedule and to register for specific events, see the . Here are a few of the highlights (all times are Eastern Standard):
- Speed Stories with Associate Professor of History Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch. 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31.
- BLM 2021 Opening Event, featuring poetry, music, and more. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2.
- Smart, Funny, and Black, a head-to-head battle of wits to test participants鈥 knowledge of Black history, culture, and experience, featuring special guest comedian/actress/producer Amanda Seales from HBO鈥檚 Insecure. 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5.
- Film: Black Student Leaders. 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18.
- Black Leadership at 天美麻豆 visual installation in 天美麻豆 Library鈥檚 Baker-Berry and on the Green, featuring Black students, staff, and faculty. Feb. 1-Feb. 28.
- Lorna C. Hill 鈥73 Celebration. 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25.
Co-sponsors of Black Legacy Month events include the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL); the African and African American Studies Program; Artivism; the Black Caucus; the Black Underground Theater Association (BUTA); the 天美麻豆 Black Student Athlete Alliance; 天美麻豆 Library; NAACP; the Special Programs and Events Committee (SPEC); Theta Zeta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; the Tucker Center for Spiritual and Ethical Life; Tuck School of Business; and Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Hannah Silverstein can be reached at hannah.silvertstein@dartmouth.edu.
