MSU celebrates Black History Month with array of February events
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜s home to one of the Southeastern Conference鈥檚 most diverse student bodies, 幺力视频 is hosting a variety of free programs in honor of Black History Month.
The month-long celebration kicks off Feb. 3 with a 9 p.m. screening of the 2017 drama 鈥淢arshall鈥 in the Colvard Student Union鈥檚 first-floor Dawg House. Starring Chadwick Boseman, the film follows young Thurgood Marshall鈥檚 journey in battling through one of his career-defining cases as the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. Along with the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, the event is sponsored by the Center for Student Activities as part of its new 鈥淒awgs After Dark鈥 late-night and weekend programming initiative.
Other free events include:
鈥擣eb. 7, noon-2 p.m., 鈥淏arbershop Talk鈥 in the Colvard Student Union鈥檚 first-floor Dawg House. Sponsored by MSU鈥檚 Men of Excellence student organization, the event will consist of a casual conversation on the effect of respect, love and relationships on African-American males. The featured speaker is Le鈥橰oy Davenport, program coordinator at MSU鈥檚 Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement and executive director of Racial Equity in Mississippi Community of Practice.
鈥擣eb. 9, 8 p.m., 鈥淛azz and Poetry Night鈥 in the Colvard Student Union Dawg House. Along with spoken word, poetry and singing, the event sponsored by the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center will feature sounds of a professional jazz band. Refreshments will be available.
鈥擣eb. 12, 6 p.m., #Matter, a structured conversation on issues impacting the black community sponsored by the Black Student Association. The event takes place in the Union鈥檚 third-floor Fowlkes Auditorium.
鈥擣eb. 13, 5-7 p.m., Afro-Latino Panel Discussion sponsored by the Latino Student Association. During this event in the Union鈥檚 Fowlkes Auditorium, speakers will discuss their personal experiences of being Latino.
鈥擣eb. 15, 6 p.m., 鈥淔annie Lou Hamer: America鈥檚 Freedom Fighting Woman鈥 talk in Old Main Academic Center鈥檚 auditorium featuring Maegan Parker Brooks, assistant professor in the Civic Communication and Media Department at Willamette University and author of 鈥淎 Voice that Could Stir an Army: Fannie Lou Hamer and Rhetoric of the Black Freedom Movement.鈥 A reception will take place from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Colvard Student Union Dawg House. Both events are sponsored by MSU鈥檚 African American Studies and Gender Studies programs, President鈥檚 Commission on the Status of Women, Department of Sociology, Marion T. Loftin Fund and Division of Student Affairs.
鈥擣eb. 16-18, Black Alumni Weekend hosted by the BAW18聽planning committee in conjunction with the MSU Alumni Association. Along with educational and social events, the three-day event will feature a semi-formal gala honoring African-American alumni who are trailblazers in their respective fields. For a complete schedule of events, visit .
鈥擣eb. 24, 9 p.m.-midnight, 鈥淏lack Out Party鈥 in the auxiliary gym at the university鈥檚 Joe Frank Sanderson Center. Sponsored by the Black Student Association, the event will feature live music. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in all black.
鈥擣eb. 28, 7 p.m., 鈥淐elebration of Black Art: Back to Black鈥 cultural extravaganza showcasing various forms of black art, including music and dance. Taking place in historic Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium, the event is sponsored by the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center.
For more information, contact the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center at 662-325-2033, visit or stop by Suite 220 on the second floor of the Colvard Student Union.
MSU is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .