Southeastern Louisiana University will host a month-long slate of activities in February in celebration of Black History Month

HAMMOND – Student organizations and academic departments at Southeastern Louisiana University will host a month-long slate of activities in February in celebration of Black History Month.

The month’s activities will be outlined at the Black History Month Kick-off, scheduled Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Theatre.

“The kick-off is a student-lead effort, which will feature a combination of skits, musical selections, and motivational address,” said Eric Summers, assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs. “We think the event will help those who attend appreciate the contributions of African Americans and how those accomplishments impact our lives today.”

Throughout February, Southeastern’s Sims Memorial Library will highlight the contributions African Americans made in the American Civil War. A special exhibit will be on display throughout the month during regular business hours, and a film series is scheduled, as well. The exhibit highlights the efforts of African Americans as soldiers, caregivers, and workers during the Civil War. The film series begins on Feb. 8 and will highlight the role of the African American soldier throughout the Civil War.

“We’re delighted to tie our Black History Month celebration into the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and to show the important contribution that African Americans made in so many different roles,” said Library Director Eric Johnson. “Our exhibit and films are running concurrently with the grant-funded book discussion and lecture series on the Civil War that the library is presenting in conjunction with the Tangipahoa Parish Library.”

In conjunction with Black History Month, the Southeastern Department of History and Political Science will sponsor its annual Black History and Politics Lecture, which is dedicated to Albert Doucette Jr., Southeastern’s associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and special assistant to the provost for recruitment of minority faculty and staff, who died in 2004.

“Dr. Rob Alan Lawson will discuss his award-winning new book, ‘The Blues and Black Southerners 1890-1945’ at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the Student Union Theatre,” said Bill Robison, History and Political Science department head. “Copies of his book will be available for purchase and signing afterward.”

Black History Month activities are free and open to the public. The Black History Month schedule includes:

▪ Feb. 1, 7 p.m., Student Union Theatre, Kick-off: The Past is the Key to the Future – a look at how past events define the future, sponsored by the NAACP and the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs.
▪ Feb. 6-29, Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from 2 to 11 p.m., Sims Memorial Library, “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: African American Efforts in the Civil War,” an exhibit highlighting African American contributions during the American Civil War, sponsored by Sims Memorial Library Diversity Committee. The library will be closed Feb. 18 – 21 for Mardi Gras.
▪ Feb. 6, 6 p.m., The African American Heritage Museum, a trip to visit Hammond’s African American Heritage Museum, sponsored by the Black Student Union.
▪ Feb. 8, 2 p.m., Sims Library, room 252, documentary – “Royal Federal Blues: The Story of the African American Civil War,” sponsored by Sims Memorial Library Diversity Committee.
▪ Feb. 9, 2 p.m., Sims Library, room 252, PBS Documentary “The Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry,” a film series about the role of the African American soldier in the Civil War, sponsored by Sims Memorial Library Diversity Committee.
▪ Feb. 13, 6 p.m., Sims Library, room 252, feature film “Glory,” the 1998 film about the Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry, sponsored by Sims Memorial Library Diversity Committee.
▪ Feb. 16, 6 p.m., Student Union Theatre, Phenomenal Women – an empowerment program honoring women of all nationalities, sponsored by the Effervescent Women of Confidence, Praise in Motion, Southeastern Gospel Choir, and Delta Psi Epsilon Christian Sorority.
▪ Feb. 29, 7 p.m., Student Union Theatre, Culture Night – a celebration of a unique American culture, sponsored by the Black Student Union.

A complete list of Black History Month programs is available at www.southeastern.edu/misa. For more information, call the MISA office at (985) 549-3850. Contact: Tonya Lowentritt 1/31/12