Bethlehem, Pa., January 28, 2016— Moravian College will celebrate Black History Month in February with a series of talks that highlight the issues of activism and civil rights “then and now.” Faculty, students and staff will to kick off Black History Month on Sunday, January 31 with a campus community dinner, music, and fellowship. A number of talks, trips, and discussions follow throughout the month of February that are open to the public and admission is free of charge.
Moravian College student Shelby Morgan ’16 will present Activism Then and Now: The Mississippi Freedom Struggle – Lunch and Learn, which is based on her SOAR research, on Tuesday, February 2 at noon in the Haupert Union Building, Snyder room. On Thursday, February 4, student Monica Richardson ’18 will present a lunch time talk, Black Women in America, on Thursday, February 11 at 12:00 p.m. in the Haupert Union Building, UBC room.
Moravian College students will travel to see civil rights pioneer and Black Heritage Month Keynote Speaker, Diane Nash, on Wednesday, February 17 at Lafayette College. Nash is an American civil rights activist, and a leader and strategist of the student wing of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Her efforts included the first successful civil rights campaign to integrate lunch counters (Nashville); the Freedom Riders, who desegregated interstate travel; co-founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); and co-initiating the Alabama Voting Rights Project and working on the Selma Voting Rights Movement. In the early 2000s, she received awards from the John F. Kennedy Library and Foundation and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. Nash's campaigns were among the most successful of the era.
A group of students will travel to New York City to the Broadway musical The Color Purple starring renowned actress and singer, Jennifer Hudson. The play is an adaptation from Alice Walker’s novel of the same name, and follows the life journey of a young woman named Celie through her forced marriage, family separation, and finally, into a life she can call her own.
Students from the Introduction to African Art class at Moravian College will present a lunch and learn on the works of Jacob Lawrence, one of the most widely acclaimed African-American artists of the 20th century. The program will be held on Tuesday, February 23 at 12:00 p.m. in the Haupert Union Building, UBC room. Lawrence is among the best-known 20th-century African-American painters. He was 23 years old when he gained national recognition with his 60-panel Migration Series, painted on cardboard. The series depicted the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North.
The celebration of the month will continue with the presentation of Activism Then and Now by James Peterson on Thursday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Foy Hall. Peterson is the associate professor and director of Africana Studies at Lehigh University. He also founded Hip Hop Scholars, Inc., a corporation that supports scholars studying the educational and cultural potential of hip hop. The Moravian community is invited to attend a talk about the history and evolution of social activism in the United States.
Moravian College Professor Akbar Keshodkar and the students from his Introduction to African Studies class will screen their documentary, The History of African-Americans in the Lehigh Valley, on Monday, February 29 at 12:00 p.m. in the Haupert Union Building, UBC room.
Reeves Library is also celebrating Black History month with a new display entitled African American Activists and Entrepreneurs. Featured books highlight the role that religion, gender, and occupation played in the civil rights movement.
The Haupert Union Building is located at the corner of Locust and Monocacy Streets in Bethlehem. Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Intercultural Advancement at hunt@moravian.edu prior to the event.
The events for Black History Month are sponsored by AAUW, Africana Studies, Art Department, Black Student Union, Education Department, History Department, IN-FOCUS: Poverty & Inequality, Intercultural Advancement & Global Inclusion, Office of Admissions, Office of Greek Life, Sociology Department, Tri Iota Women’s Studies Honor Society, and Women’s Studies Advisory Committee.
