Black History Month will be celebrated at the University of Memphis through a variety of events and programs, including movie nights, concerts and more.
UofM was first integrated by the Memphis State Eight in 1959. The school has become increasingly diverse over the years with increased black student enrollment, the presence of the National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC) and a diverse group of organizations and programs that cater to different minority groups and contribute to their success.
This February, Leslie Hennings and Antonio Scott, UofM’s Black History Month co-chairs, plan to host a plethora of programs and events that will celebrate and acknowledge black culture and raise awareness of BHM on campus.
“We want to see more student involvement and not just regarding the fun stuff,” Hennings said.
Linda Hall, the associate dean for multicultural affairs at the UofM, said she appointed Hennings and Scott because they possessed the qualities and vision she had for this year’s BHM.
“I needed someone who was dependable and respectable enough not to fall into peer pressures, those who’ve also proved themselves worthy academically, as well,” Hall said. “I feel that the two I’ve decided to help assist have these qualities and they are also greatly involved already with the university.”
Scott and Hennings plan to have a calendar full of interesting and entertaining events for the month of February.
This year’s BHM will include Melanin Mondays, which will be movie nights and group discussions hosted by the McWherter Library and the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE).
Movies that will be shown on Melanin Mondays include “Moonlight” and “The Color of Money.” Group discussions will revolve around the impact of money and economics in the black community.
Students will also be encouraged to support different black- owned businesses in the Memphis area. The Gay Hawk Restaurant, Slice of Soul and Onix are some of the businesses that will be acknowledged.
“We just want to show appreciation and love to these black owners, have the business overflowing with Tigers, and make these businesses aware of the great intentions,” Hall said.
Other events that will take place in Febraury include a healthy cooking demonstration, a seminar about black entrepreneurial women, a gospel concert, NAACP’s Mahogany Ball and Freedom Awards National Pan-Hellenic Council, a (NPHC) step show and an African dance and drum show.
Every year, the UofM also has a guest celebrity speaker who speaks about BHM and its meaning and significance to them. This year, it will take place Feb. 27 and the orator will be announced after contracts are signed.
Hall, Scott and Hennings have worked very diligently with the UofM’s BHM affairs and are determined that their end goal will surpass all expectations.
“This is not just about the multicultural office putting on a BHM show, it involves the entire University and community,” Hall said. “I hope to see people enlightened by the information they receive from the coverage of our black historical elders who’ve paved the way and have contributed to our growth, not only in this community but for our country,” Hall said.
The BHM program is assisted by the University’s faculty and student groups, like the Benjamin Hooks Institute, among others.
“This is a school wide effort and (BHM) receives help from the English department along with a few others,” Scott said.
BHM will begin with an opening ceremony Feb. 1, which will honor Al Bell, a former owner and chairman of Stax Records. It will take place at 7 p.m. in the University Center Theatre.
A calendar with event dates, times and locations is expected to be released soon.
