Black History Month celebrated on campus

Students, faculty and staff are once again partaking in Black History Month, taking time out of their busy schedules to reflect on black heritage and achievements.

Black History Month is observed across the country throughout February.

With an undergraduate class made up of an average of 6-percent black students, the Penn community is participating in the celebration as it does every year.

This year's keynote events range from guest lectures about black history to appearances by black celebrities.

Upcoming University-sponsored programs include:

n Black History Dramatic Presentations: Students will come dressed up as their favorite Black History legend and give performances in character. These presentations, sponsored by the African American Resource Center, will take place on Feb. 20 in the Fireside Lounge at the ARCH Building.

n The Sadie T. Alexander Lecture: Tina Campt, professor of women's studies at Duke University, will speak about the photo archives of the Black Diaspora in Britain. Her lecture will take place on Feb. 22 in Houston Hall. The lecture is being sponsored by the Departments of Africana Studies and Anthropology.

n Black Ice: The Def Jam poet will be giving a talk on his new album, The Death of Willie Lynch. It will take place on Feb. 23 at the Cabaret Stage, Platt Student Performing Arts House, and is being sponsored by UMOJA, the umbrella organization for black student groups on campus.

Students are getting involved in other activities in honor of the Black community beyond campus.

College sophomore Jason Saunders kicked off a community-service program last week called The Black History Scholars Program.

The program runs through the month and aims to inspire black urban youth to utilize their leadership potential.

By teaching about romanticized black leaders, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, "we are trying to emphasize that these were normal people who saw a problem in their community and tried to fix it," Wright said. "We are trying to teach social responsibility."

And some students have suggested spending the entire year, not just one month, to learning about black history.

College sophomore and UMOJA co-Chairwoman Erica Evans said that, because blacks have had so many struggles, "it is important that we do not condense [learning about black history] into one month," she said.

Alaina Williams, a College sophomore, added that, "once it is over, people forget about it until next year."

College junior Jerome Wright likewise said that "it's important to recognize the contributions of persons of African descent in this country. . Black history has to be more integrated into American education."

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