Event honors black history month

In honor of Black History Month, this Thursday, the Africana Studies Department and the Black Student Union will host a presentation entitled "Celebrating Blackness: From Africa to America" at the John and Jean Knox Center for the Performing Arts at 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The presentation is open to not only students, but also to the members of the community.

The presentation will feature student  contributions  such as a slideshow presentation on the Kemetic contributions to the world in fields of art, medicine and architecture, poetry recitals,  a monologue on student  activism.

A short skit called "New Drug to My Ancestors and Change" and more.  

One of the many people reciting poetry in the program,  La Raza department  Chairman Agustin Palacios will recite a poem called "Black and Brown Unity."

On the significance of the poem, Palacios said,  "I want to show solidarity. I think we need to work on unity between the Black and Latino students." The poem will talk about racism, class and equality and will emphasize how other cultures exchange.

The college Bookstore customer service clerk Erika Greene says that the program "celebrates blackness" and said,

"We have much going on we need to celebrate the positive aspects. We need to understand our contribution to this country."

History professor and Black Student Union advisor Manu Ampim hopes that the presentation will bring unity among the African American students on campus. Ampim feels that "there's some unity, but there could be more," and hopes that students can achieve more unity through this presentation by learning their heritage, history and feel proud and connected.

When asked about the importance of Black History Month, Ampim said,

"It's crucial to everyone of African descent and to the world. You can't look at the central history of the country without looking at the African history."