This year’s theme is “Reclaiming Our Collective Consciousness,” with the idea of exploring the ties that bind our Black Culture: art, music, dance, food, health, wellness, beauty, self-love, intellectualism, and the African Diaspora.
The celebration kicks off on Monday, Feb. 3 from Noon to 2 p.m. on the UC Quad with Melanin Monday. Join us for music, fun, and participate in our Black History Quilt Project.
This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Cornel West, Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He is an author, editor, and frequent guest on the Bill Maher Show, CNN, C-Span and Democracy Now. His passion is to keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.—a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.
Join us for an evening of conversation with Dr. West on topics from his book Race Matters, on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Kate Buchanan Room. Dr. Jason L. Meriwether, HSU’s Vice President of Enrollment Management, will be the moderator. Free copies of Dr. West’s book will be distributed to the first 100 students. They are available for purchase at Northtown Books, 957 H St, Arcata.
The campus is also welcoming featured speakers: llyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, is an author, community organizer, social activist, and motivational speaker. She will be discussing her book Growing Up X: A Memoir data-entity-type=“media” data-entity-uuid=“7470532a-efc2-4951-8cde-b1c79c07bc6c”>
Lawrence Ross, a Los Angeles Times best seller, is an author/lecturer/writer who will be discussing his book Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses.
Modi is an author and entrepreneur who is exploding on the literary scene with her new work of fiction Some Women Prefer Hell. Tickets to all our visiting speakers are free and available at the UC Ticket Office (707) 826-3928.
The African American Center for Academic Excellence and our campus and community partners look forward to sharing this curated month of Black Culture with you. Be on the lookout for the calendar with detailed event descriptions soon. If you have any questions please contact the AACAE at (707) 826-4588 or aacae@humboldt.edu. Visit our website for the most up to date information.