Worcester State University is celebrating Black History Month with a number of events looking at the experiences of African-Americans in the United States:
- On Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 10:30 a.m., May Street Building (formerly Temple Emanuel) auditorium, Kevin Powell will speak [1]. Powell is described as a writer, poet, entrepreneur, and political activist who has spoken out against violence against women and girls. He is considered one of the most relevant political, cultural, literary and hip-hop voices in America today. He is author of 12 books, including his most recent, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood. He will speak on “History is A People’s Memory: Celebrating the Past, Celebrating Us,” and will be available for a book signing immediately afterward. This event is in conjunction with WSU’s National African-American Read-In Day Celebration and is free and open to the public.
- Also taking place on campus that day is “Preview Day,” which the Admissions Office provides for about 120 Worcester High School students. The day consists of Worcester high school students attending mock classes conducted by professors, taking a campus tour, hearing from a student panel, and attending information sessions as well as the Kevin Powell lecture.
- On Sunday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Fuller Theater in the Shaughnessy Administration Building, the film Straight Outta Compton [2] will be shown. The screening is open to the campus community and is sponsored by the Presidential Arts Fellowship Program and co-sponsored by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership Development, the Office Residence Life and Housing, and the Visual and Performing Arts and Communication Departments.
- On Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m., in the Ghosh Science and Technology Center, Room 102, the film Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 [3] will be shown. Originally lost in an archive in Sweden until recent discovery, Danny Glover presents The Black Power Mix Tape, a compilation feature documentary film that illustrates the story of the African-American community from 1965-1975. A post-film discussion will be led by Professor Francisco Vivioni of the Sociology Department. Sponsored by the student organization, Third World Alliance, this event is free and open to the public.
- On Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m., in the Sullivan Academic Center, Eager Auditorium, the film Selma [4] will be shown. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This film screening is free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by WSU’s student group, Amnesty International.
- On Wednesday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m. in the May Street Building, Dr. Cornel West [5] will speak for the annual Courageous Conversations lecture series. One of America’s most provocative pubic intellectuals, West has been a life-long champion for racial justice and is a professor of philosophy and Christian practice at Princeton University. He burst onto the national scene in 1993 with his bestselling book Race Matters [6], a searing analysis of racism in American democracy. A book signing will take place immediately following the lecture. This event is free and open to the public.