Over 30 people were left unfed at Malcolm X House on Sunday night, but this was considered a good thing.
X House held the kick-off for the campus celebration of Black History Month, and the crowd was larger than the event planners had hoped.
“We had a really good turnout,” said Elana Cook ’08, a board member of Ujamaa, one of the groups co-sponsoring the month of festivities. “We had probably 80 people and we were only expecting around 50. It was really exciting to see that many people excited about the month.”
The convocation event at X House went over the calendar of events for the month and described the theme of the month: sankosa.
“Sankosa is the idea that you ought to go back into your past in order to move forward with any aspects of your life,” explained Ruby-Beth Buitekant ’09, a co-coordinator of Black History Month events.
In two weeks, the keynote speaker of the month, Haile Gerima, an Ethiopian-American filmmaker, will be here to discuss sankosa and why it is an important principle, especially within the context of Black History Month celebrations.
As implied, the month’s events will focus on a look back into the past, specifically focusing on the history of students of color on campus. One such event will be a vigil commemorating the 1969 takeover of Fisk Hall.
“I’m really excited [about] the vigil,” Buitekant said. “We are celebrating the time when black students literally took over Fisk Hall in order to demand an African American studies program and black housing.”
According to Ujamaa members, the vigil will include both members of the original vanguard of students who participated in the takeover and current students.
The University had its own convocation for Black History Month on Tuesday, which also honored Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The event featured the Ebony Singers, a speech by poet and activist Sonia Sanchez, the keynote speaker, and excerpts from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
“[Sanchez] words were remarkable, very inspirational and strong,” said Julius Hampton ’09, another co-coordinator of the events this month. “I’m really glad we were able to support that event and I’m really glad she came to campus.”
While the University has had Black History Month celebrations for several years, event coordinators are especially excited about this year’s new features. One such feature is a forum on interracial dating which will take place at 200 Church.
“I’ve been working on a really inclusive and open forum on interracial dating,” Buitekant said. “I think it’s talked about in social settings but not in a bigger settings where you can hear opinions from different folks.”
Another completely new event is a Student of Color Art Show, entitled Skittles, which will take place later this month. The show will take place in Zilkha Gallery and feature art by current students.
“As a freshman, I haven’t been particularly involved with anything on campus,” said Allyson Chung ’10, whose work will be featured in the show. “I felt like this was a good opportunity to be a part of something. I’m also excited to be involved with something new that will hopefully continue in years to come.”
Thus far, the events seem to have had higher than expected participation and interest.
“We had a great convocation and kick off party and lot of people came up to me and said they were excited [about this month’s events],” Hampton said. “I have high hopes for the rest of the year.”
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