Honoring a tradition now more than 80 years old, students and staff at Bowdoin have planned several events to celebrate Black History Month.
According to the Web site of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, Black History Month began as a single week of recognition in February 1926. Since then, the African-American community has made significant progress in attaining civil rights and, with the recent election of President Obama, major political representation.
Associate Dean of Multicultural Student Programs Wil Smith '00 states that Black History Month "raises, as it is expected to, the consciousness of the contributions that blacks have made to our history in America." Smith is quick to stress, though, that "I don't think it should be any more important than Hispanic or Native American History Months."
"Af-Am is leading the Black History Month celebration as they normally do, and I support them and all of their events," Smith said.
Jessica Walker '09, President of Bowdoin's African-American Society, agrees. She said she appreciates that Black History Month "brings more visibility to our group," and she said that she thinks that the celebration is much like that of Native American History Month.
With Walker at the helm, the African-American Society has organized meals, performances, and lectures that demonstrate and discuss certain elements of black culture and history. The first of those, a lecture by the Society's first president, Robert Johnson, occurred on February 2. Johnson now serves as a professor and Chair of UMass-Boston's Africana studies department.
Several more events are scheduled during the next two weeks. According to Walker, these include a dance performance, a soul food dinner to further the understanding of Kwanzaa, the 21st annual Ebony Ball (a semiformal dance held in Moulton Union), and a lecture by Psyche Williams-Forson, a University of Maryland Assistant Professor of American Studies. Walker believes that these events provide "a great way for the student body to take part in our culture."
Smith says that although the African-American Society is a student-run organization, "if [one of their proposals] requires funding, I might support them." Members of the Society believe that their events get the attention that they deserve.
Walker feels that "we've always had a lot of support from the school, the SAFC, Wil Smith, and the student body," but also adds that "the College's support outside of the 28 days in February is really more important to us."
Outside of Black History Month, she encourages students to come to Society meetings, which are held every Sunday at 4 p.m., participate in events, or just make use of the Russworm African-American Center, which serves as the headquarters both of the Society and of the Africana studies department.