Rowan University to celebrate African-American History Month

Rowan University will commemorate African-American History Month this February with a wide variety of events, including several commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The following events will take place during the month:

Sunday, Feb. 3: The Black Cultural League will sponsor African-American History Month Opening Ceremonies at 4 p.m. in the Chamberlain Student Center Pit.

Monday, Feb. 4: Rowan University Gallery presents Art/Views (Part I), featuring the work of four living artists of African-American descent: Kerry James Marshall, Michael Ray Charles, Kara Walker, and Trenton Doyle Hancock. The program will take place in Rowan Art Gallery in Westby Hall from 5-6:30 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 4: The Student University Programmers (SUP), will sponsor Portraits of Courage: A two-person show highlighting unsung African-American heroes and their contributions to American history in the Eynon Ballroom in the Chamberlain Student Center at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 5: Dr. Michael Gomez, Professor of History, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University, will present "The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Should We Forget and Move On?" The talk will take place from 12:15 -1:30 p.m. in the Eynon Ballroom in the Chamberlain Student Center. Sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, African American Studies Program, the history department, and the African American History Month Committee.

Wednesday-Friday, Feb. 6-8: The Rowan University jazz department will sponsor Rowan's 38th Annual Jazz Festival dedicated to the memory of Maynard Ferguson from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. The three-day festival will culminate with a Friday concert at 8 p.m. featuring Rowan University jazz students. All presentations will take place in Pfleeger Concert Hall in Wilson Hall. For information or tickets, call 256-4545.

Thursday, Feb. 7: Dr. Norman Fortenberry, director of National Academy of Engineering's innovative engineering education center, will talk on "The Value of Diversity in the Engineering and Science Workforce." The College of Engineering will sponsor the event to be held in the Rowan Hall Atrium from 1-2 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 7: Rowan After Hours and the Office of Student Activities will sponsor Rowan After Hours Poetry Slam, 9-11 p.m., in the Chamberlain Student Center Pit. Interested parties can sign up at the event, and judges will be chosen from the audience. Rowan students with ID who perform original work surrounding the African-American History Month theme will be eligible for cash prizes

Thursday, Feb. 14: The second portion of Rowan University Gallery presents Art/Views (Part II), which continues the theme of the first, featuring the work of artists Martin Puryear, Laylah Ali, Ellen Gallagher, and Fred Wilson. Viewing of the program will take place in Rowan Art Gallery in Westby Hall from 5-6:30 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 18: The Sociology Club and Dr. Sandra Jones will sponsor a video presentation and discussion of John Brown, a famous abolitionist, from 11 a.m.- p.m. in room 221 of the Chamberlain Student Center.

Tuesday, Feb. 19: Rosa Parks Award recipient, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, former New Jersey Democratic State Chairwoman, will be featured as the speaker at the 3rd Annual Rowan University Rosa Parks Luncheon. The luncheon will be held in the Eynon Ballroom of the Chamberlain Student Center from 10:50 a.m.-1:15 p.m. and is sponsored by the African-American Studies Program, the Black Coalition, and the African-American History Month Committee. Call Dr. Corann Okorodudu at
256-4500 ext. 3782 for information.

Thursday, Feb. 21: No More! Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance is a round table discussion on slave resistance and those who struggled to end slavery, culminating with a dramatic choral reading by professors and students. The event, to be held from 1-2 p.m. in Education Hall room 1081, is sponsored by professors Midge Madden, Susan Browne, Stacey Leftwich, and Janet Iles, and their students.

Thursday, Feb. 21: The Harlem Renaissance, a blend of performances celebrating the 1920s, with a reception to follow, will take place in the Rowan Hall Atrium from 7-10 p.m. Vendors will be offering artwork, books, and memorabilia depicting this period. Sponsored by the Council for African American Studies (CAAS).

Sunday, Feb. 24: The Mr. Black Rowan Pageant will be held in Boyd Recital Hall, in Wilson Hall, from 7-10 p.m. Sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Monday, Feb. 25: The Rowan University Library Services will host a "Spoken Word" session from 6-9 p.m. in Campbell Library Room 126. Refreshments will be served.

Thursday, Feb. 28: Founding a Smithsonian Museum: Behind the Scenes at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, will be presented by Lonnie Bunch, founding director, in Campbell Library Room 226 from 1:45-3 p.m. Sponsored by the department of history and the Student History Association, Phi Alpha Theta.

For additional information on Rowan University events celebrating African-American History Month, contact J.T. Mills at 856-256-4448 or Dr. Corann Okorodudu at 256-4500 ext. 3782.