Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia will mark the 50th anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 in February as the campus celebrates Black History Month.
A month-long series of lectures, performances, movies and discussions will celebrate diversity on campus, with many events focused on the benchmark legislation that has formed the basis for fundamental civil rights in America.
“Across our campus community, UGA Student Affairs, schools and colleges, student organizations and departments are preparing to present thought provoking, celebratory and innovative programming,” said Zoe M. Johnson, director of multicultural services and programs.
“We look forward to the role the great variety of programs will play in not only reflecting on the past, but also being a catalyst that challenges us to lead the way in issues of social justice during the month of February and beyond.”
WUGA-TV, the public television station owned and operated by UGA, will broadcast two documentaries with local connections in February in recognition of Black History Month.
Events associated with Black History Month are as follows:
Feb. 1 – FaceOff 2014 Step Show, 7 p.m., Classic Center
The National Pan-Hellenic Council’s annual dance competition will feature performances by fraternities and sororities. Tickets are $20 in advance at the Tate Student Center Cashier Window.
Feb. 2 – “Meet Me At Equality: The People’s March on Washington,” 10 p.m., WUGA-TV
This documentary provides a first hand account of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington through the eyes of several people who were there. The film is produced and directed by Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication graduate James A. Rada and co-produced by Howard University Professor Shane K. Gooding. Additional telecast dates and times are available at wugatv.org.
Feb. 3 – Week of Soul: “Day at the Museum,” 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Concourse, Tate Student Center
The University Union’s Committee for Black Cultural Programming will present music and caricature artists.
Feb. 3 – Film: “Justice is a Black Woman: The Life and Work of Constance Baker Motley,” 7 p.m., Auditorium, Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries
This award-winning documentary recounts the story of the lawyer who wrote briefs in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case and played a pivotal role in the desegregation of the University of Georgia.
Feb. 4 – Week of Soul: Team Vicious Step Show, 8 p.m., Grand Hall, Tate Student Center
An internationally recognized dance troupe will perform. Tickets are $5; free for students. The event is sponsored by University Union’s Committee for Black Cultural Programming.
Feb. 5 – Apero Africana Lecture: “Food Deserts and Food Justice,” 12:15 p.m., Room 481, Tate Student Center
Christina Hylton of the Athens Land Trust will speak. The event is sponsored by the Institute for African American Studies and the African Studies Institute.
Feb. 5 – “An Evening with Yul Kwon,” 5 p.m., Memorial Hall Ballroom
The winner of the TV series “Survivor” talks about shattering racial stereotypes and changing perceptions of Asian Americans. The event is sponsored by Lambda Phil Epsilon, the Asian American Student Association and Multicultural Services and Programs.
Feb. 6 – Week of Soul: Dinner and a Movie: “The Butler,” 8 p.m., Grand Hall, Tate Student Center
A dinner and a screening of the acclaimed 2013 film starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey is $5; free for students. The event is sponsored by University Union’s Committee for Black Cultural Programming.
Feb. 7 – Week of Soul: Group Art, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tate Student Center Plaza
Students, faculty and staff can add their own images, quotes and thoughts about diversity to a giant mural. The event is sponsored by University Union’s Committee for Black Cultural Programming.
Feb. 7 – Lecture: Charles W. Mills, 3:30 p.m., Room 115, Peabody Hall
A professor at Northwestern University, Mills works in the general area of social and political philosophy, particularly in oppositional political theory as centered on class, gender and race. The lecture is sponsored by the Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts.
Feb. 13 – “Alvin Ailey: A Legacy of African American Dance,” 6 p.m., Miller Learning Center, room TBA
The Pamoja Dance Company, a student performance group, will present a film screening and panel discussion on the life of the legendary choreographer..
Feb. 16 – “Life: The Griot,” 10 p.m., WUGA-TV
Directed by Matt DeGennaro and produced by Grady Thrasher and Kathy Prescott, the film documents the story of local social worker, mentor, poet, author and activist Lemuel LaRoche.
Additional telecast dates and times are available at wugatv.org.
Feb. 17 – Feb. 21 – NAACP Founders Week
Feb. 17 – “State of the Black Community,” 4 p.m., Chapel
Feb. 19 – Apero Africana Lecture: “Micro-Business and Entrepreneurship Training in Burkina Faso,” 12:15 p.m., Room 481, Tate Student Center
Emily Blalock, lecturer in textiles, merchandising and exteriors, will speak. The event is sponsored by the Institute for African American Studies and the African Studies Institute.
Feb. 20 – Black History Month Dinner, 6 p.m., Georgia Museum of Art
Tickets are $55, $20 for UGA students with discount for museum members. For more information, or to RSVP call 706-542-0830.
Feb. 20 – “Flyin’ West,” 8 p.m., Cellar Theatre, Fine Arts Building
Set in a rural Kansas town in 1898, this play by leading African-American playwright Pearl Cleage portrays the extreme lengths to which a group of women must go to sustain their family on the American frontier. Showings are Feb. 20-22, Feb. 25-March 1 at 8 p.m., and March 2 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for the University Theatre production are $16, $12 for students. For more information, see drama.uga.edu.
Feb. 22 – “An Encounter with Lillian Smith,” 6 p.m., Auditorium, Russell Special Collections Building
Atlanta actress Brenda Bynum will perform her work, based on the writings of anti-segregationist Lillian Smith, author of “Strange Fruit.” The performance is sponsored by UGA Libraries.
Feb. 23 – “A Celebration of Black History through the Performing Arts,” 7 p.m., Adinkra Hall, Memorial Hall
The Black Theatrical Ensemble and Pamoja Dance Company present an evening of drama and dance celebrating great moments in African-American history.
Feb. 25 – “Glory Bound: A Voyage into the Underground Railroad,” 6 p.m., Reed Hall
This guided interactive re-creation of the Underground Railroad allows student participants to experience the voyage of fleeing slavery in search of freedom. The annual program is hosted by the hall councils, staff members and residents of the four residence halls that comprise the Reed Community.
Feb. 26 – “Ain’t I a Woman: My Journey to Womanhood,” 7 p.m., Tate Student Center Theatre
Actress Laverne Cox of the television series “Orange is the New Black” will speak on how the intersections of race, class and gender uniquely affect the lives of transgender women of color. The event is $5, free for UGA students. The event is sponsored by Multicultural Programs and Services, Office of Institutional Diversity, University Union Student Programming Board, Black Theatrical Ensemble, LGBT Resource Center and Black Affairs Council.
Feb. 28 – Black History Month Capstone Event: Community Service, 1-4 p.m., Food Bank of Northeast Georgia
Black History Month concludes with an afternoon of community service at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, where volunteers will help to salvage and organize food products onto shelves. Transportation will be provided to and from campus. Sponsored by Multicultural Services and Programs. For more information, see http://msp.uga.edu.
Most campus events are student Blue Card events. For more information about individual events, see the UGA Master Calendar at http://calendar.uga.edu.
Note to editors: “A Celebration of Black History through the Performing Arts,” was rescheduled from Feb. 15 to Feb. 23.
