News Release

The Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus is celebrating Black History Month in February with events organized by the Black Student Union, which is marking its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in the wake of the Baltimore race riots in 1968 after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the Black Student Union continues its original mission to ensure that all students have a voice within the student population regardless of race and ethnicity.

Under the theme "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Taking Charge of Change," the students have planned several discussions and cultural events on campus, located at 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore. Visitor parking on campus is available in the South Garage, 3101 Wyman Park Drive, Baltimore, Md. 21211. (The South Garage address is also the best location to use for Web- or GPS-generated driving directions.)

The events are free and open to the public and take place at various locations.

Friday, Feb. 6 and Saturday, Feb. 7
The Center for Africana Studies presents the history conference "The Civil Rights Century: The NAACP at 100," with presentations by scholars and activists noting that the civil rights struggle predated the 1960s by decades. The conference will feature keynote address by Kweisi Mfume at 7 p.m. on Feb. 6. Saturday, Feb. 7 will feature a lecture by Pulitzer Prize- winning W.E.B. Du Bois biographer David Levering Lewis at 11 a.m. and several panel discussions from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to record their own oral histories about the civil rights struggle. Ad mission is free. For information, www.jhu.edu/africana/calendar/ naacp-conference-09.html or naacp100@jhu.edu.

Saturday, Feb. 7, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Charles Commons, Nolan's on 33rd
Poetry slam hosted by Komplex.

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Charles Commons, Room 304
Political discussion: "Do We Need Black Politicians?" Learn about the changes in politics through the years and the evolution of political leaders within the Black community.

Tuesday, Feb. 10, and Wednesday, Feb. 11, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Levering Union, Glass Pavilion
A blood drive and bone marrow registration in honor of Charles Drew, the pioneering African-American physician whose research made it possible for people to donate and receive transfusions of blood. To schedule an appointment online to give blood, go to www.jhu.edu/outreach/blooddrive, or contact John Black in the Office of Faculty, Staff and Retiree Programs, which sponsors the drives, at jblack1@jhu.edu or 410-516-0138. www.my-redcross.org/index.cfm/p/ African-American-Blood-Recruitment.

Thursday, Feb. 12, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Shriver Hall Board Room
Center for Africana Studies discussion "The Price of the Ticket: A Genealogy and Revaluation of Race," led by Jacqueline Scott, associate professor of philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.

Thursday, Feb. 12, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mattin Center, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs lounge
Nonprofit/Professional Showcase. Representatives from various organizations and companies will be on-hand to talk about what they do and how students can get involved.

Friday, Feb. 13, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Greenhouse 113
A discussion with artist Antonio Ole. Ole works in a variety of media, including painting, film, photography, sculpture and installation. After studying at UCLA and the Center for Advanced Film Studies, he returned to his native Angola in 1985, where he continues to live and work. He has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the world.

Friday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Levering Union, Glass Pavilion
Multicultural Greek Blockshow, featuring stepping by members of Johns Hopkins' fraternity and sorority members. Learn about the history of each organization and their influence in positively changing the community.

Saturday, Feb. 14, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Levering Union, Glass Pavilion
Party Through the Decades Dance-a-thon celebrating 40 years of the Black Student Union. Dance to music from the 1960s through the present and help raise money for the Don Miller House, an assisted living facility in Baltimore for adults with end-stage AIDS. $5, suggested donation.

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Charles Commons, Room 304
Center for Africana Studies discussion, "The Forgotten History of Black Yucatan," led by Matthew Restall, the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Colonial Latin American History, Anthropology and Women's Studies at Pennsylvania State University.

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Location TBA
Rap Session: "Blacks in the Nadir." Coordinator: Mindelyn Buford II, PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at Johns Hopkins.

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 4 p.m. Bunting-Meyerhoff Interfaith Center, 3509 N. Charles St.
MLK Convocation "The Dream Alive," presented by Joe Rodgers. "The Dream Alive" program is a live commentary by Rogers in dedication to the memory and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and leaders of the civil rights movement. For information visit www.dreamalive.org/index.html.

Thursday, Feb. 19, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Greenhouse 113
The Africana Studies Critical Thought Collective (ASCTC) Meeting. Facilitator: Kelly Baker Josephs, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Africana Studies. Featuring Houston Baker, author of "Betrayal: How Black Intellectuals Have Abandoned the Ideals of the Civil Rights Era" (New York: Columbia University Press, 2008).

Friday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m. Mattin Center, SDS Room
Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theatre Company's Cabaret.

Saturday, Feb. 21, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Bunting-Meyerhoff Interfaith Center, 3509 N. Charles St.
The Johns Hopkins Gospel Choir presents its annual Gospel Jubilee. Gospel choirs from around the Baltimore area will perform.

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Levering Union, Sherwood Room
"Politics, Sex and Drugs: A Cultural Discussion," led by Floyd Hayes, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science and coordinator of programs and undergraduate studies in the Center for Africana Studies.

Thursday, Feb. 26, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Shriver Hall, Board Room
A discussion about "African American Physicians on the Edge of Freedom," led by Gretchen Long, assistant professor of history, Williams College.

Friday, Feb. 27, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Levering Union, Glass Pavilion
Black History Month closing ceremony, featuring storyteller Onawumi Jean Moss and the talents of Johns Hopkins' students.

For information, visit the Black Student Union's Web site at ww2.jhu.edu/bsu/bhm/ or contact co-chairs Lindsey Leslie, LindseyTLeslie@gmail.com, or James Finklea, JFinkle1@jhu.edu, or call the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at 410-516- 8730.