UHCL celebrates Black History Month through various on-campus events
President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month (BMH) in America in 1976, as a way to honor the many accomplishments and milestones by black Americans. Since then, Americans have celebrated BHM each year with a special theme. The national theme for 2020 is African Americans and The Vote. Here at University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), organizations and students have created different opportunities for individuals to engage and educate themselves on what Black History Month entails.
The Black Student Association (BSA) here on campus is hosting eight separate events this February in honor of BHM. Sheridan Allison, the vice president of BSA, said she and the rest of the association are bringing recognition to the topics that get left out during BHM, including the controversies that lie behind it.
Allison said that there are many milestones that have been crossed and achieved in black history that will be celebrated this month.
“Picking a favorite milestone in black history would be like picking a favorite kid; you just can’t,” Allison said. “Any progress and breakthrough that we are able to achieve is worthy.”
The BSA is starting off February with Black Fridays Film Festival. Every Friday of this month there is an opportunity to watch a movie with fellow colleagues that highlights historical events and iconic people in black history such as Muhammad Ali (Feb. 7), Tina Turner (Feb. 14), Jean-Michael Basquiat (Feb. 21), and N.W.A. (Feb. 28). All movies will be screened in the SSCB Lecture Hall from 4-6 p.m.
Other events that BSA is hosting include the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day; Is Black History Month bullsh*t, beneficial or both; and the Black Vote Forum: Let’s talk politics.
The National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day took place Feb. 7, and consisted of various social media interactions and resources that are shared around campus. “Is Black History Month Bullsh*t, Beneficial, or Both?” took place on Feb. 11 from 4-6 p.m. in the Garden Room.
A discussion about love will also take place on Valentine’s Day at The Black Love Roundtable at noon in the Neumann Library’s Hawk’s Nest. This event is going to have arts & crafts, board games, food, music, and a photo booth. Students who attend are going to have the ability to discuss, and learn the different types of black love including romantic relationships, friendships, and familial relationships, as well as self-love.
“As a person who is mixed with Caucasian and Hispanic, I see huge differences in both sides of my family and how they have raised my sister and I,” Halley Ortega, chemistry major. “Each side has different norms and ways of living, so watching the two combine has been very helpful to my life and understanding as an adult. It would be really interesting to learn the ways of family love from another race.”
The relationship an individual has with themself is also a topic that is going to be discussed at the roundtable.
“Self-love is huge,” Sheridan Allison explained. “So many individuals throughout black history have been encouraged to hate or look down on themselves because of their race, and I think that self hate also has surfaced in our generation as well. Loving yourself is so important, regardless of your race.”
The last event that the BSA is going to be hosting The Black Vote Forum Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. in Bayou 1324 Mock Trial Courtroom. This event correlates with this year’s national theme of African Americans and The Vote. This theme is in honor of the 15th and 19th Amendments, the 1920 women’s suffrage – making 2020 its centennial anniversary – and the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the right to vote. This forum is going to be a reflection on the black community, and politics.
“There is a large problem with races being generalized to have one political view or belief,” Allison said. “African American’s, for example, are typically perceived to be democrats when in reality a lot of us have different beliefs.”
Hosted on President’s Day, The Black Vote Forum will represent needs and wants in this modern time, while hosting a respectful debate in a safe space to listen and reflect on other opinions.
The Office of Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (SDEI) will also be hosting a series of events to honor BHM including Black Movies Matter film festival; Soul Food: Flavor and History; Skin Deep: Experiencing Colorism; and Voice It: Race & Ethnicity. Information about the times and locations of these events can be found on the UHCL calendar, SDEI’s social media accounts and by calling 281-283-2575.
Other opportunities to celebrate BHM on campus include The African American Artists Exhibition, located in the Art Gallery, which will be available for viewing until March 21, 2020, and the Friday Morning Continuing Education Series. This series includes distinguished alumni and students and began with a video interview with Professor Emerita of Education Anita Parrott George of Mississippi State University, who spoke about her experiences as a student activist in college during the Civil Rights movement.
To find out more about the Friday Morning Continuing Education Series, visit www.uhcl.edu/academics/extended/friday-morning-ce/ or call 281-283-3033.
