On Students: Black History Month Focus--"One Thing We Did Right"


Leslie Rice
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Homewood News and Information

     This February, the Black Student Union on the Homewood
campus has organized a Black History Month program that examines
and honors the people and groups that created the legacy of the
civil rights movement.

     Entitled "The One Thing We Did Right Was Not Give Up the
Fight: Historical Movements of Black America," the monthlong
program features a lecture by Bobby Seale, co-founder of the
Black Panther Party; the spell-binding oratory of Patricia
Russell McCloud, whose speech "If Not You--Who, If Not Now--
When?" is recorded in the Congressional Record; and a host of
dramas, musicals, dances, discussion groups and fairs organized
by Hopkins students.

     It is more than pride that attracted the BSU to highlight
the civil rights groups of the '60s. This generation of students
knows it is their turn to take on the reins of civil rights. And
on the Hopkins campus, like many across the nation, there is a
growing spirit of political activism among African American
students as they begin to feel the weight of being passed the
torch.

     "A lot of people here on campus were very affected by the
Rodney King beating, the OJ Simpson trial and the Million Man
March," said Black History Month events chair Patrique Campbell,
a sophomore majoring in international relations. "And they were
also affected by local events, like the sit-in over at Loyola by
students demanding a black studies department, our efforts to get
a black studies department here and for the university to
increase the number of African American professors. 

     "We're hoping that by looking at the groups of the civil
rights movement we'll realize that our generation has the power
to affect change," she added. "Certainly we've come a long way
since the beginnings of the civil rights movement but we're still
not there. There's more to do."

     The BSU hopes a look at the movement for social justice will
appeal to everyone in the Hopkins community regardless of race.

     "We definitely want these events to draw a broad spectrum of
people," Campbell said. "The Sweetheart's Ball, for example, is
going to be a really nice event, and the entire Hopkins community
is invited. We'd really like everyone--staff, students, faculty--
to come."                                      

     For BSU president Charles Sydnor III, the most exciting
event, however, will be the Feb. 7 Bobby Seale lecture in Shriver
Hall. Seale's talk, which is free, will be about the roles
different organizations played during the civil rights movement.

     "There are a lot of people who don't know what the Black
Panther Party was all about," Sydnor said. "They worked inside
communities doing voter registration drives, taught nutrition, a
lot of things. Their goal was to instill self-pride and
self-reliance. They did a lot of positive things." 

     Seale and Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panther Party in
1965, advocating armed revolution against the existing power
structure in America. While Newton was in prison for manslaughter
after a violent confrontation with Oakland, Calif., police, Seale
became chairman of the Panther Party and built it from a local to
a national organization. While in prison on conspiracy charges,
for which he was later acquitted, he wrote Seize the Time.

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EVENTS

Friday, Feb. 2, noon
     Glass Pavilion, Levering Hall
     Opening ceremonies
A presentation of cultural dancing, poetry, music and a
celebration of the triumphs Black America has achieved.
Refreshments. Free. (410) 516-5435.


Sunday, Feb. 4, 7 p.m.
     AMR1 (freshman dorm), Multi-Purpose Room
     Lecture
Eyes on the Prize, video series, part 1, and discussion with
Sister Nzingha, a veteran Maryland Black Panther. A talk about
Marshall Edward Conway, one of the first Panthers in Maryland who
has been jailed for the past 25 years. (410) 516-5435.


Tuesday, Feb. 6, noon
     Glass Pavilion, Levering Hall
     Vendor fair
"Ujamaa--Cooperative Economics." Vendors from the Maryland
Business Directory will be selling items including books,
paintings, hair supplies, oils, food and sorority/fraternity
paraphernalia. Free. (410) 516-5435.


Wednesday, Feb. 7, noon
     Clipper Room, Shriver Hall
     Lecture
"Frederick Douglass, Baltimore and the Democratic Tradition," a
talk by John B. Wiseman, professor of American history, Frostburg
State University. Sponsored by the Office of Special Events.
Free. (410) 516-7157.


Wednesday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m.
     Shriver Hall Auditorium
     Bobby Seale lecture
Bobby Seale, co-founder and former chairman of the Black Panther
Party, will speak on the civil rights movement and the multiple
roles other groups played during this time period. Free. (410)
516-5435. 


Friday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m.
     Arellano Theater
     Play
The Barnstormers and the JHU African American Theater Troupe
present Blues for Mr. Charlie, James Baldwin's play about a
town's ignorance and a murderer no one will bring to justice.
Based on the murder of Emmitt Till. $3 for Hopkins students, $5
general admission. (410) 516-5435.


Saturday, Feb. 10, 8 p.m.
     Arellano Theater
     Play
Blues for Mr. Charlie. $3 for Hopkins students, $5 general
admission. (410) 516-5435.


Sunday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m.
     Arellano Theater 
     Play
Blues for Mr. Charlie. $3 for Hopkins students, $5 general
admission. (410) 516-5435.


Monday, Feb. 12, 4 p.m.
     Shriver Hall Auditorium
     Convocation
Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation and NAACP Founders' Day
program. The program's keynote speaker, professional orator
Patricia Russell McCloud, will highlight historical movements in
Black America, specifically the role of the NAACP. A reception
will follow in the Clipper Room. Free. (410) 516-5435.


Saturday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.
     Glass Pavilion, Levering Hall
     Sweetheart's Ball
The Black Student Union and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity present an
evening of elegance and charm. Live music, food and refreshments.
Black tie optional. $15 per person, $25 per couple. (410)
516-5435. 


Sunday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m.
     AMR I Multi-Purpose Room
     Video and discussion
Viewing of part 2 of Eyes on the Prize, followed by a discussion
of the film. Free. (410) 516-5435.


Tuesday, Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m.
     AMR1 Multi-Purpose room
     Lecture and discussion 
Brackette Williams, visiting professor of anthropology from the
University of Arizona, will speak on "The Pain of Ethnic Growth."
The talk is part of the Frederick I. Scott Jr. Discussion Series,
named after JHU's first black graduate. Free. (410) 516-5435. 


Thursday Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m.
     Arellano Theater
     Play
We're Gonna Have a Good Time. An encore performance of Johns
Hopkins University's African American Theater Troupe's sold-out
December production. Will feature scenes from African American
dramas and musicals that played on Broadway. Includes the last
scene of A Raisin in the Sun, the infidelity scene of Fences and
musical numbers from Porgy and Bess, Dreamgirls and Your Arms Are
Too Short to Box with God. $5 for Hopkins students, $10 general
admission. (410) 516-5435.


Friday, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m.
     Arellano Theater
     Play
We're Gonna Have a Good Time.  $5 for Hopkins students, $10
general admission. (410) 516-5435.


Saturday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m.
     Shriver Hall Auditorium
     Dance
Sankofa Dance Theater. Experience an evening of traditional
African dance, music and folklore of high energy and stunning
artistry. $10. Hopkins students with ID free. (410) 448-2345.


Saturday, March 2, 7 p.m.
     Garrett Room, MSE Library
     Dinner
African Heritage Dinner. $5. (410) 516-5435.
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