Black History events to take place this month
Besides the popular annual keynote speaker and food taster, black history month events this year range from recognizing African American heroes to an educational event on reggae and its connection to R&B music.
“Being aware of what’s trending is important when you’re doing programming because that’s what people want to talk about,” said Cultural Programming Coordinator and Assistant Director of the Multicultural Academic Student Services D'Wayne Jenkins.
Jenkins coordinated all of the Black History Month events and also plans events for Asian Pacific Heritage Month and Native American Indian Month. He said he reached out to student organizations and coordinated with them to plan some events this year.
“When students are on an event, they take ownership of it and take it more seriously,” Jenkins said.
Black to the Future: Divine Nine Next Generation
7 p.m. on Monday Feb. 1
Anspach 161
Black Town Hall Meeting
7 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 3
Bovee University Center Auditorium
"The Detroit School Busing Case: Milliken v. Bradley and the Controversy Over Desegregation"
7 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 4
Charles V. Park Library auditorium
Unsung Heroes
7 p.m. on Monday Feb. 8
Bovee University Center Maroon Room
Documentary showing: "The Color of Friendship" and "Hidden Colors"
11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday Feb. 9
Bovee University Center Room 108
Annual Black History Month Food Taster
5 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 10
- $5 for students
- $7 for general public
Bovee University Center Rotunda
"The Making of a Slave" The Willie Lynch Letter
7 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 10
Charles V. Park Library
Celebration of Black Excellence
5 p.m. on Tuesday Feb. 11
Bovee University Center Mackinaw Room
The American Scene-Suite No. 5
7:30 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 11
Staples Family Concert Hall
NAACP's Emancipation Celebration Founder's Day
5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12
Bovee University Center Mackinaw Room
Black History Month Keynote Speaker: Jullien Cordon
7 p.m. on Monday Feb. 15
Bovee University Center Rotunda
Tunes @ Noon
noon on Wednesday Feb. 17
Bovee University Center Student Lounge
Jazz Night
8 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 18
Bovee University Center Rotunda
Impact your Life Talent Show: Glorifying God With the Gifts He Gave Us
7 p.m. on Friday Feb. 19
Pearce Hall Room 128
Multicultural Student Leadership
10 a.m. on Saturday Feb. 20
The Office for Institutional Diversity
Black History Month Family Feud
7 p.m. on Tuesday Feb. 23
Charles V. Park Library Auditorium
What would you do? Donuts and Discussion
7 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 24
Kulhavi Room 141
Soul Train
7 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 24
Kulhavi Room 141 and 142
Movie showing of "Selma"
7 p.m. on Friday Feb. 26
Plachta Auditorium
Straight Outta Greenwood
7 p.m. on Monday Feb. 29
Bovee University Center Terrace Rooms
One of the issues the MASS office faces is with funding cultural diversity events on campus. The budget Jenkins has been given to plan diversity events has stayed the same the past few years, even though the cost of putting event speakers up in hotels and paying for catering for events and other things has increased.
Jenkins said he tries to negotiate and make fiscally sound decisions for events to maximize the budget he is working within.
“A lot of things, like the cost of living, goes up (which affects) travel, lodging for events and for speakers and people who come so that factors into a lot of things but we try to do our best with being financially responsible and still being able to provide quality educational and entertaining events,” he said.
In terms of promoting the events, Jenkins said MASS works closely with University Communications to promote events through social media and CMU's website.
“Could there be better promotion? Absolutely,” he said. “But it needs to be a collective effort.”
President of African Student Society Chelsea Bowens said she would like to see people show genuine interest and ask questions during Black History Month events this year.
“Going into February, this 29 day stretch — the shortest month of the year — I would like to see the whole campus and Isabella County (at Black History Month events),” she said. “People are only making excuses (not to go) because maybe subconsciously they don’t want change."
