January 20, 2005

Boise State Celebrates Black History Month

The Boise State University Cultural Center presents a series of events in February to celebrate Black History Month that range from music and dance performances to educational seminars. Following are highlights of the month’s events. Many events are free, and all are open to the community. For a complete schedule, visit http://events.boisestate.edu.   Feb. 4-5 Ninth Annual Gospel Music Workshop and Concert. Special Events Center. Friday night and all-day Saturday workshop; 7 p.m. Saturday concert. Features Grammy award winner Edwin Hawkins. Presented by the Idaho Black History Museum. Tickets are $15/$20 for the workshop and $7/$10 for the concert. Call 433-0017.   Monday, Feb. 7 Black Panther Party. Student Union visitor parking lot. 11 a.m. Shuttle to Ontario, Ore., to see Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale. Free. Reserve a seat by calling 426-5950.   Tuesday Feb. 8 Brown Bag Video Discussion. Cultural Center. Noon. “Trafficking in Human Beings” video and discussion. Free. Call 426-5950.   Saturday, Feb. 12 Collective of Black Artists. Special Events Center. 8 p.m. Black artists perform dance and music of Africa and the Caribbean. Presented by the Student Union Global Expression Series. Tickets are $10 general and $5 for Boise State Students, employees, alumni and seniors. Call 426-5950.   Tuesday, Feb. 15 Ethnic Student Luncheon. Student Union Hatch D Ballroom. Noon. A chance to meet with student faculty and staff. Hosted by the Cultural Center; presented by the Vice President of Student Affairs. Free. Call 426-5950 for reservations.   Wednesday, Feb. 16 Modern Day Slavery. Student Union Bishop Barnwell Room. 6 p.m. Discussion on human trafficking led by the Trafficking in Human Beings Awareness Campaign. Free. Call 426-5950.   Tuesday, Feb. 22 Brown Bag Video Discussion. Cultural Center. Noon. “Martin Luther King Jr.: Letter from Birmingham Jail” video and discussion. Free. Call 426-5950.   Thursday, Feb. 24 Caravan. Student Union Brava! Stage. 12:30 p.m. Performance of African drumming and singing. Free. Call 426-5950.   The celebration of black history in America originated in 1926, when Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard scholar and the son of former slaves, established the second week in February as “Negro History Week” in order to promote the education of American citizens about the contributions black men and women have made to American life and culture. Later expanded to “Black History Month” in 1976, the month of February was chosen because it marks the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men who contributed greatly to the cause of freedom for black Americans. February is also the month that the 15th amendment was passed in 1870, giving blacks the right to vote; the first black U.S. senator took his oath of office in the same year; and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909. Every year since its creation, America has celebrated Black History Month, acknowledging that black history is an essential part of American history.     Contact: Roe Parker, Cultural Center, 208 426-5950. Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, communications and marketing, 208 426-3275. Rachel Bonilla, communications and marketing, 208 426-3196.