When historian, author, and journalist Carter G. Woodson declared the second week of February as a time to recognize and honor the contributions and legacies of African Americans in the United States, he may not have anticipated that 84 years later the entire month would be devoted to such remembrance.
Woodson, who also founded the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, chose that particular week because it coincided with the birthdays of two Americans who influenced the lives and social conditions of African-Americans –– President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
UC Santa Barbara will celebrate Black History Month with a variety of academic and cultural events, including film screenings, musical performances, lectures, discussions, and an exhibition on African-Americans and the Black diaspora.
In addition, the Department of Athletics is presenting a series of five video interviews with African-American athletes and coaches at UCSB. The first in the series features David Campbell, the director of academic and internal affairs for men's basketball. Campbell discusses his father, William, who was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, and the first African American to drop a bomb on an enemy target. A new video will be presented each week during the monthlong celebration.
Following is a list of some of the events, all of which are free, unless otherwise noted, and open to the public:
• "An Evening of Jazz With Sacred Urban Echoes" features acclaimed vocalist Dwight Trible and award-winning performance poet Kamau Daaood, who will present socially conscious music and poetry ranging from spiritual jazz to the avant-garde, all deeply rooted in African-American traditions. 8 p.m., Friday, February 5, at the MultiCultural Center. Tickets are $5 and $15.
• Film Screening: "Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen" brings to life the stories of six thoughtful, eloquent, and diverse transmen. 6 p.m., Wednesday, February 10, in the MultiCultural Center Theater. A discussion with members of UCSB's Black Student Union will follow.
• Film Screening: In the feature documentary "Traces of Trade: A Story From the Deep South," filmmaker Katrina Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. Retracing the Triangle Trade, she gains a powerful perspective on the black/white divide. 6 p.m., Wednesday, February 24, in the MultiCultural Center Theater. A discussion with Wade Clark Roof, the J.F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society at UCSB, and Gloria Willingham, associate dean of the School of Educational Leadership & Change at the Fielding Graduate Institute, will follow.
• Lecture: UCSB Black studies undergraduate Eziaku Nwokocha will give a talk on Haiti and the practice of vodou. Noon, February 24, at the Center for Black Studies Research, 4603 South Hall.
• Exhibition: "The African Diaspora: Tied That Bind" through February 28 at the Ethnic and Gender Studies Library on the second floor of Davidson Library. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight; Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to midnight.
Issued: 2/5/10;
Updated: 2/8/10
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