A lineup of events in February will honor African-American contributions to the campus and the world as Elon University celebrates Black History Month.
The Elon University community celebrates Black History Month in February with film screenings, discussions, performances, social events and more. With a theme of "For the Culture," the lineup of events in February celebrates black heritage, culture and achievement.
Organized by the university's Black History Month Planning Committee and coordinated by the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, these events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Feb. 1
"For the Culture!” Black History Month Kick-Off Event
Moseley 221 – The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, 7:15 p.m.
Kick-off Black History Month with the CREDE! Join us for an evening of community and creative expression as Black faculty, staff and students come to celebrate the collective heritage, culture and achievements of black persons worldwide. Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education
Feb. 5
Immigrant Realities panel discussion
McKinnon Hall, 5:30 p.m.
After hosting the DACA panel back in September, a group of students, together with the CREDE, El Centro, and LHU, have continued working on ways to provide the Elon community with a better understanding of issues surrounding the topic of immigration. The goal is to bring as much information and concrete facts as possible to understand the complexity of this issue and its impact in our society. Contact Sylvia Munoz at munozs@elon.edu for additional information. Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, El Centro and The Latino-Hispanic Union
Feb. 6
Screening of "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice"
Turner Theater, 7 p.m.
This award-winning film explores the experiences of 18 African-American Olympians who defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to win hearts and medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Set against the strained and turbulent atmosphere of a racially divided America, which was torn between boycotting Hitler’s Olympics or participating in the Third Reich’s grandest affair, the film follows 16 men and two women before, during and after their heroic turn at the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. They represented a country that considered them second-class citizens and competed in a country that rolled out the red carpet in spite of an undercurrent of Aryan superiority and anti-Semitism. Part of Elon’s Black History Month Programming. Q & A to follow with the filmmakers. More information is available here. Sponsored by Elon University Athletics Department, Elondocs, African and African-American Studies, The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Feb. 7
Martin Luther King Jr. Circle of Hope Dialogue
Moseley 215, 3:30 p.m.
The Circle of Hope Dialogue Series is a campus wide effort to engage faculty, staff and students in dialogue around contemporary race relations in the 21st Century. Informed by excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s essays and writings we invite you all to join us for insightful conversation. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. To RSVP click here. Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Feb. 9
Book discussion: "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nahisi Coates
Elon Law, 201 N. Greene St., Greensboro, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Law faculty, staff and students will discuss the themes of "Between the World and Me." Organized by Legal Method and Communication Fellow Tiffany Atkins, Associate Professor of Law Andy Haile and the Elon Law Office of Career & Student Development
Feb. 12
Screening of "Through a Lens Darkly"
We welcome Elon students, faculty, staff and community to join us in a screening of Through a Lens Darkly, a film that explores how African American communities have used the camera as a tool for social change from the invention of photography to the present. Sponsored by the Poverty and Social Justice Minor and the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Feb. 13
Black History at College Coffee
Phi Beta Kappa Plaza, 9:40 a.m.
We welcome Elon students, faculty, staff and community to learn more about the history of Black people at Elon University through interactive activities, trivia and games! Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Book discussion: "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nahisi Coates
Elon Law, 201 N. Greene St., Greensboro, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Law faculty, staff and students will discuss the themes of "Between the World and Me." Organized by Legal Method and Communication Fellow Tiffany Atkins, Associate Professor of Law Andy Haile and the Elon Law Office of Career & Student Development
Feb. 16
Black Solidarity Day Kick-off Reception
McKinnon Hall, 6 p.m.
Join us in the kick-off of the 4th Annual Black Solidarity Conference, “Awaken, My Love!” Engage faculty, staff and students in the community as we celebrate the range of expression of blackness in the African Diaspora. Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Feb. 17
The 4th Annual Black Solidarity Day Conference
Koury Business Center, 9 a.m.
“Awaken, My Love!”: Centering the Discovery, Exploration and Celebration of Black Identities, Culture and Lived Experience” is the theme of the 4th Annual Black Solidarity Day Conference at Elon University. Black Solidarity day invites attendees to engage the nuanced dimension of the black experience past, present and future, seeking to engage communications in advocacy, community and dialogue. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Feb. 18
Celebration of Gospel Concert
Numen Lumen Pavilion, 1 p.m.
Please join Elon University’s Gospel choir for a celebration of song and fellowship of Black History Month. Gospel Choir will bless us with several negro spirituals as well as contemporary songs celebrating freedom and the integrity of African-American people. Our guest speaker will be Naeemah Clark, associate professor of communications. Lunch will be provided. Sponsored by Elon Gospel Choir
Feb. 19
Knowledge in Ifa: An African Intellectual Tradition
Moseley 215, 6 p.m.
ludamini Ogunnaike, a scholar of religious studies at the College of William and Mary, will give a public talk about ways of knowing in Ifa, which is a West-African religious and intellectual tradition. Ogunnaike's work focuses on understanding African philosophies on their own terms as complex systems that generate framework's for ethical action. In this public talk he will focus on Ifa, an African intellectual tradition popular among the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies, The Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society, The Department of Philosophy and The African and African American Studies.
Feb. 20
Black History at College Coffee
Phi Beta Kappa Plaza, 9:40 a.m.
We welcome Elon students, faculty, staff and community to learn more about the history of black people at Elon University through interactive activities, trivia and games. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Black Innovation Matters
The Isabella Cannon Room, Center for Arts, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Join us for a conversation about innovation and entrepreneurship in the Black community. Panelists who are leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship will speak to their experiences and share particular challenges facing Black innovators. If you want to learn more about the future of Black innovation or have a general interest in learning how to become an entrepreneur, please attend this panel. More information is available here. Sponsored by The Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Student Professional Development Center
Feb. 22
Numen Lumen
Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 9:50 a.m.
Numen Lumen reflections are offered every Thursday morning as a space for folks to take a break, breathe, relax, and enjoy the community around us through music and story- telling. This week we will enjoy music offered by the Gospel Choir and reflections on this year’s theme “What Now? Reflections of Change and Resilience.” Brandon Bell, Assistant Director of The Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education, will be this week’s speaker. Sponsored by Truitt Center and the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Black Law Student Association Black History Month Trivia
Elon Law Commons, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Test your knowledge of black history – and win prizes!. Sponsored by the Elon Law Black Law Student Association and the Student Bar Association Diversity Committee.
“The Mountaintop”
McCrary Theater, 7:30 p.m.
April 3, 1968, was the day before Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. He spent his last night in Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel. Katori Hill's The Mountaintop imagines what that night might have been like. L.A. Theatre Works touring production is directed by Shirley Jo Finney and performed by Karen Malina White and Gilbert Glenn Brown. Admission: $13 or Elon ID. Tickets available Feb. 1 at the Center for the Arts Box Office. For information, call (336) 278-5610. Note: contains mature language.
Feb. 24
Pipeline to the Legal Profession
Elon University School of Law in downtown Greensboro, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
A day of learning about the legal profession at Elon Law School. This program is open to any student considering a legal career, and may be especially beneficial to first- and second-year undergraduates as you plan your courses over the next few years. The event will include a mock class, tips for getting into and succeeding in law school, and the opportunity to learn from and interact with current law students, law professors, and practicing attorneys. Lunch will be provided. Sponsored by Elon Law SBA Diversity Committee, Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), Elon Law Office of Career & Student Development and Office of Admissions
International Civil Rights Museum Trip and Discussion
Downtown Greensboro and the Station at Mill Point, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Join the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education (CREDE) and Student Involvement as they visit the International Civil Rights Museum in downtown Greensboro. Following the museum trip, there will be a roundtable discussion facilitated by Assistant Professor Jessica Carew at the neighborhood office at the Station at Mill Point. Lunch will be provided at the roundtable discussion.
Twenty tickets will be provided on a first come, first served basis in the CREDE and in Student Involvement, and transportation will be provided to campus and back. Questions? Please contact Brandon Bell, assistant director of the CREDE (bbell5@elon.edu), or Justin Paggao, assistant director of student involvement (jpaggao@elon.edu), for more information.” Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, Housing and Residence Life, The Office of Student Involvement, Political Science and Policy Studies
Feb. 26
“Ubuntu” Black History Month Dance Concert
McCrary Theater, 7:30 p.m.
"I am what I am because of who we all are." In celebration of black history, the "Ubuntu" performance embodies the ideas of connection, community and mutual caring for all through dance and music. Sponsored by Department of Performing Arts and the Office of Cultural & Special Programs
Feb. 27
Black History Month Game Night!
The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, 6 p.m.
As we conclude our celebration of Black heritage, culture and achievement join us for a night of fun and games. Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education