Incorporating the theme “Celebrating 50 Years of African American Excellence at Southern Miss,” USM will mark Black History Month in February with several events on the Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses, while also paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of the school’s desegregation.
Officially designated by the U.S. Congress in 1986, Black History Month celebrates the contributions African Americans have and continue to make to American history and development. In Sept. 1965, Gwendolyn Armstrong and Raylawni Branch were the first African Americans to enroll at the University.
USM’s Black History Month programming schedule includes the following details:
Monday, Feb. 1, 6 p.m. – “Black to the Past,” R.C.’s Lounge, R.C. Cook Union, Hattiesburg campus. Sponsors: Phi Beta Sigma, AASO, Zeta Phi Beta.
Tuesday Feb. 2, 12 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – “Forgetting About the Greatest Black Generation,” to be presented by Dr. Douglas Bristol, R.C. Cook Union Hall of Honors, Hattiesburg campus. Sponsor: USM Department of History.
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 6 p.m. – “Black History Family Feud,” Seymour’s in the R.C. Cook University Union, Hattiesburg Campus. Sponsor: USM NAACP chapter.
Thursday, Feb. 4, 12:15 – 1 p.m. – “For My People: A Celebration of 250 Years of Black American Poetry,” R.C.’s Lounge, R.C. Cook University Union, Hattiesburg campus. Sponsor: USM Department of English.
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., R.C. Cook Union Hall of Honors – “Behind Every Good Man is a Civil Rights Heroine: Women in the Mississippi Movement” to be presented by Dr. Rebecca Turri. Sponsor: USM Department of History.
Monday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m. – “Black PrivilEDGE,” Woods Theater, Hattiesburg campus. Sponsor: USM Department of Theatre.
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – “A Crime That’s So Unjust: Civil Rights Cold Case Murders and their Legacies,” R.C. Cook University Union Hall of Honors, Dr. Kevin Greene. Sponsor: USM Department of History.
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 6 p.m. – “Black PrivilEDGE,” Fleming Education Center Auditorium, Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach. Sponsor: USM Department of Theatre.
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 6 p.m. – “My Black is _____,” R.C. Cook University Union, room A, Hattiesburg campus. Sponsors: USM Association of Black Journalists and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Thursday, Feb. 18, 12 p.m. – Soul Food Luncheon, Fresh Food Company, Thad Cochran Center, Hattiesburg campus. Sponsor: Eagle Dining.
Sunday, Feb. 21, 4 p.m. – “Honoring African American Artists and Composers,” Marsh Auditorium, Hattiesburg campus. Sponsor: USM School of Music.
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 12 – 1:30 p.m. – Forum presentation by Dr. Max Grivno, USM Department of History (sponsor), R.C. Cook University Union Hall of Honors, Hattiesburg campus.
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. – “The Power of Colors,” R.C. Cook University Union Hall of Honors, Hattiesburg campus. Sponsor: USM NAACP chapter.
Thursday, Feb. 25, 12 – 1:30 p.m. – “Strategies for Success in Graduate School,” Thad Cochran Center room 218 A and B. Sponsor: USM Graduate School.
For more information about Black History Month at Southern Miss, contact Valencia Walls [email protected].
