The Johns Hopkins Gazette: January 28, 2002

January 28, 2002
VOL. 31, NO. 19

'Family' Ties at College Are a Focus of Black History Month

By Amy Cowles
Homewood

The importance of family life within the black community will be the emphasis behind Black History Month 2002. The monthlong series of lectures, events and performances begins this Friday, Feb. 1, under the theme "The Black Family: Yesterday, Today and Forever."

Because life on a college campus is built around its own kind of family ties that aren't limited by genetics or race, co-chairs Shameeka Smalling and Leroy Tobias have put together a schedule of events for Black History Month that are designed to reach beyond just the black student groups on the Homewood campus to the entire Hopkins community.

Shameeka Smalling and Leroy Tobias, co-chairs of Black History Month 2002.

"I'm from the Bronx, but I have a family here on campus in Baltimore, too," Smalling says. "Anyone on a college campus who is a minority--black, Asian, a woman--becomes part of a family."

So Smalling, a junior, and Tobias, a senior, coordinated a list of events designed to bring students together. A Feb. 7 luncheon with the Inter Asian Council will feature discussions concerning black-Asian relations and the role family life plays in both cultures. A similar luncheon is scheduled for Feb. 18 in cooperation with OLE, a student group that highlights Latin-American culture. The topic of discussion will be how blacks and Latinos are portrayed in movies and on TV.

This year's festivities also will include a dance clinic and performance by the Sankofa Dance Troupe, an annual tradition at Johns Hopkins during Black History Month. The Feb. 9 step show and the Feb. 12 lecture by educational consultant and author Jawanza Kunjufu are sure to be hits as well, says Smalling, who is majoring in both international relations and Spanish. Tobias is a biomedical engineering major.

Instead of examining the past, the idea behind all of this year's events is to strengthen the bonds between family in all its definitions, Smalling says.

"Even though it is Black History Month, we wanted to discuss our relationships with others and our values," Smalling says.

'The Black Family:
Yesterday, Today and Forever'

All events are at Homewood and are free unless otherwise noted. For more informtion, call the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at 410- 516-2224.

Friday, Feb. 1

Opening Ceremonies
Noon, Glass Pavilion, Levering
Music, poetry, dancing, speeches and discussions about the theme, "The Black Family: Yesterday, Today and Forever."

Saturday, Feb. 2

Cabaret
9 p.m., Great Hall, Levering
A "nightclub" where the audience will hear students recite speeches by some of history's greatest black personalities. Also, undergraduate vocalists Kaisha Askins and Jamie McMillan will perform. $3 for Hopkins affiliates. Evening casual attire.

Sunday, Feb. 3

BSU Community Service Day
Black Student Union meeting
7:30 p.m., BSU room, basement of AMR 2

Wednesday, Feb. 6

Candlelight vigil for nonviolence
9 p.m., Mattin Center courtyard

Thursday, Feb. 7

Luncheon with Inter Asian Student Council
Noon, Clipper Room, Levering
Students will share their perspectives on the family, racial relations and stereotypes.

The Frederick I. Scott Symposium
7 p.m., BSU room, basement of AMR 2
Rev. Douglas Miles will speak about how he started the Black Student Union and the issues facing the group today.

Saturday, Feb. 9

"Steppin' Together"
7 p.m., Shriver Hall Auditorium
Step-dancing competition featuring teams from the region. Co-sponsored by the National Pan Hellenic Council, with funding from the JHU Alumni Association and the Homewood Student Affairs Programming Collaboration Committee.
Canned goods and donations will be collected for Meals on Wheels and Bea Gaddy's Fight Against Hunger. $10 in advance, $13 at the door for Hopkins affiliates; $13/$15 for others. Prices reduced by $1 for each can donated, up to three.
An after-party follows at 10 p.m. in the Glass Pavilion (must have a college ID or be over 18); $1 with a ticket stub. More details, jhu_step_show@hotmail.com.

Sunday, Feb. 10

Review of Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in
America, a book by Nathan McCall
7 p.m., BSU Room, basement of AMR 2
Brothers United and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will lead a discussion.

Monday, Feb. 11

Sankofa African Dance Clinic
7 p.m., Shriver Hall

Tuesday, Feb. 12

Talk by Jawanza Kunjufu
7 p.m., Shriver Hall
Educational consultant and author Jawanza Kunjufu will discuss his book, The Power, Passion and Pain of Black Love.

Thursday, Feb. 14

Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon
Noon, Clipper Room, Levering
Hosted by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the luncheon will celebrate the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. with presentations and a discussion.

Saturday, Feb. 16

Trip to Walters Art Museum
11:30 a.m., meet at MSE Library
A one-hour gallery tour of the museum's ancient Egyptian and Ethiopian exhibits, after which students will be free to visit other parts of the museum until the bus departs at 4 p.m.

Sankofa African Dance Troupe
8 p.m., Shriver Auditorium
The dance troupe will guide the audience through centuries of African dance and tradition. Free for JHU students who pick up tickets at the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs by Feb. 13; $15 for others.

Sunday, Feb. 17

Alpha Phi Alpha Community Service Day
Black Student Union meeting
7:30 p.m., BSU room, basement of AMR 2

Monday, Feb. 18

Luncheon with OLE
Noon, Clipper Room, Levering
Discussion of how blacks and Latinos are portrayed in the media.

Tuesday, Feb. 19

Sheridan Library Diversity Discussion of Nathan McCall's
Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America
6 to 8 p.m., Turner Auditorium, East Baltimore campus
John Morris will lead a panel discussion of McCall's autobiography, a story of succeeding in a white world, of rivalries among gangs, drug use, crime, incarceration, his success at attending college and his achievements at the Washington Post.

Friday, Feb. 22

Bus trip to New York City
9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sponsored by the National Society of Black Engineers, the trip includes visits to the Apollo Theater in its final stages of renovation and to the Studio Museum. Rest of day at leisure. The expected cost is $60. LeVar@jhu.edu for more information.

Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23

Fourth Annual Minority Pre-Health Professions Conference
Times and locations TBA
Speakers and a reception on Friday night. Workshops, discussions, a luncheon and a health professionals fair on Saturday.

Saturday, Feb. 23

African Heritage Banquet
7 p.m., Glass Pavilion, Levering
A Mardi Gras-style celebration with presentations, a catered dinner and music by the Dunbar Jazz Ensemble, DJ Rod and Blackout Studio recording artists Fertile Ground. A semiformal event. $12 in advance for singles, $15 at the door; $20/$25 for couples.

Sunday, Feb. 24

Alpha Kappa Alpha Community Service Day

Wednesday, Feb. 27

African-American Quiz Bowl
Time TBA, BSU room, basement of AMR 2
Teams will compete for prizes. More information will be available at the Black Student Union meetings on Feb. 3 and 10.

Thursday, Feb. 28

Movie Night: Bamboozled
7 p.m., Mountcastle Auditorium, East Baltimore campus; "study break" following movie, basement of AMR 2
Movie sponsored by the Black Graduate Student Union and the Student National Medical Association. Afterward, students can play spades, listen to music and dance.

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