Your future, our focus
Northwest College invites the public to celebrate Black History Month through a variety of events hosted throughout February in the college’s Intercultural House at 565 College Drive.
The lineup begins with an event titled “We Have a Dream: African-American Writers Who Have Made a Difference,” Thursday, Feb. 1. This program begins at noon and is led by Burt Bradley, NWC professor of English. Lunch will be provided.
He will share selections from the poetry and prose of major African-American writers whose work has influenced generations of Americans of all ethnicities and helped define the African-American experience.
The second scheduled event, “Still Working on the Dream: Contextualizing Contemporary Race Relations,” takes place Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 2:30 p.m.
In recognition of the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination, NWC Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Sociology Aura Newlin will offer perspectives on America’s progress toward King’s dream of racial equality by discussing her recent visits to Ferguson, Missouri, and the new National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
As the month unfolds, the next event to take place is a screening and discussion of the film “Hidden Figures,” the untold true story of three African-American women who played a key role in the launch of astronaut John Glenn into space.
The event takes place Friday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m., and a discussion led by NWC Associate Professor of History Amy McKinney will follow the film.
The final event in the series is an evening of African and African-American folklore Monday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. There will be a webcast performance of African-American folktale by late internationally known storyteller Opalanga Pugh and a live performance of Ugandan/African tales by Florence Ebila, visiting Fulbright scholar from Uganda.
All programs are free and open to the public.
For more information about these events, contact Kara Ryf, NWC intercultural program coordinator, at kara.ryf@nwc.edu or 307-754-6429.