April 24, 2024

James Farmer Multicultural Center Black History Month Events

February 16, 2023 by

Black History Month posterUpcoming Cultural Events Presented by the James Farmer Multicultural Center:

The History of Afrofuturism in Music | Thursday, Feb. 16 | 5 PM | Chandler Ballroom C, Cedric Rucker University CenterThis interactive presentation will be led by Ronald Turner II, known as DJ R-Tistic and Assistant Director of the James Farmer Multicultural Center, Chris Williams. They will take the audience on an oral, visual, and sonic tour on the history of Afrofuturism in classic R&B, soul, funk, jazz, and hip-hop records.

Black Cultural Karaoke | Friday, Feb. 17 | 7 PM | The Underground, Lee HallSponsored by For the CultureJoin For the Culture for a fun-filled karaoke program for all UMW community members, honoring Black History Month with a very special playlist from the R&B and soul genres! There will be snacks and drinks provided.

Step Show [CANCELED] | Saturday, Feb. 18 | 7 PM | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington HallJoin area step teams from high schools, regional colleges and universities as they engage in a high-energy, entertaining competition. For information, please contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center.

Black Men and Masculinity: An Honest Conversation | Monday, Feb. 20 | 7 PM | Colonnade Room, Cedric Rucker University CenterSponsored by Brothers of a New Direction and NAACP at UMWJoin BOND and NAACP at UMW for an honest talk unpacking our masculinity as Black men, the good and the bad, focusing also on solutions to deep-rooted problems.

Caribbean/Mardi Gras Dinner | Tuesday, Feb. 21 | 5 PM |Dining at the Top of the Cedric Rucker University CenterCost with Campus Meal Plan is one meal swipe or $13 Flex. The cost for EagleOne or credit card purchase is $15.

La diáspora africana en Latinoamérica: Poetas Afrolatinos Lectura de poesía (Poetry Reading) | Wednesday, Feb. 22 | 4 – 4:30 PM | Combs Hall, Room 139You are invited to join us for this poetry experience!

MLK Virtual Project | Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Thursday, Feb. 23 | Digital Auditorium, Hurley Convergence Center
The vMLK Project out of North Carolina State University focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “A Creative Protest” speech, commonly referred to as the “Fill up the Jails” speech, for which no recording exists. The vMLK Project brings together recreations and various technologies to allow viewers and visitors to experience the speech. Dr. Max Renner, Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities & New Media at Molloy College and Dr. Candice Edrington, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of South Carolina will provide a formal presentation on Wednesday, February 22 at 6 pm in the Digital Auditorium.

For more information, contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at (540) 654-1044 or umwjfmc@gmail.com. You may also visit students.umw.edu/multicultural. Please email us at umwjfmc@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding disability-related accommodations.

 

Filed Under: What's New @ UMW Tagged With: ,

UMW Black History Month Keynote Features NAACP Youth Director

February 7, 2023 by
Wisdom O. Cole received rave reviews for a presentation he put together in college. The Afrikan Black Coalition Conference featured a host of prominent speakers and won Cole the Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity. But more than compliments and commendations, the event and its success gave him a glimpse of the future. “That was really […]
Filed Under: Top Stories, Wisdom O. Cole Tagged With: , ,

UMW Black History Month Keynote Features NAACP Youth Director

February 7, 2023 by
Wisdom O. Cole received rave reviews for a presentation he put together in college. The Afrikan Black Coalition Conference featured a host of prominent speakers and won Cole the Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity. But more than compliments and commendations, the event and its success gave him a glimpse of the future. “That was really […]
Filed Under: Top Stories, Wisdom O. Cole Tagged With: , ,

UMW Black History Month Keynote Features NAACP Youth Director

February 7, 2023 by
Wisdom O. Cole received rave reviews for a presentation he put together in college. The Afrikan Black Coalition Conference featured a host of prominent speakers and won Cole the Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity. But more than compliments and commendations, the event and its success gave him a glimpse of the future. “That was really […]
Filed Under: Top Stories, Wisdom O. Cole Tagged With: , ,

Alumnus Holds Court as Black History Month Keynote Speaker

February 9, 2021 by
Judge Kerwin A. Miller Sr. ’95, will deliver the virtual keynote address on Feb. 10, for the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s Black History Month celebration.

Judge Kerwin A. Miller Sr. ’95, will deliver the virtual keynote address on Feb. 10, for the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s Black History Month celebration.

Judge Kerwin A. Miller Sr., who graduated from Mary Washington in 1995, delivered the virtual keynote address on Wednesday for the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s Black History Month celebration.

As a young teenager growing up in the Bronx, Miller came across an article about how unlikely it was for an African American male to graduate high school. Taking that news story as both an insult and a challenge, he vowed he’d have a different outcome. At Mary Washington, he excelled both in the classroom as a business administration major and on the court as a member of the Eagles basketball team.

A few years later, Miller found himself in a different kind of court after earning a juris doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. He became an attorney with the Legal Aid Bureau in Baltimore, and worked his way through the legal system, serving as a public defender, assistant state’s attorney and eventually an administrative law judge. In 2019, he was sworn in by Governor Larry Hogan as the second African American judge in the history of Harford County, Maryland. Read more.

Filed Under: What's New @ UMW Tagged With: , ,

Alumnus Holds Court as Black History Month Keynote Speaker

February 8, 2021 by
Judge Kerwin A. Miller Sr., who graduated from Mary Washington in 1995, will deliver the virtual keynote address on Wednesday, Feb. 10, for the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s Black History Month celebration. As a young teenager growing up in the Bronx, Miller came across an article about how unlikely it was for an African American […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: ,

Retired NBA Player Scores with Black History Keynote

February 18, 2020 by
Retired NBA player, activist and motivational speaker Etan Thomas delivered the Black History Month keynote last Wednesday at UMW. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Retired NBA player, activist and motivational speaker Etan Thomas delivered the Black History Month keynote last Wednesday at UMW. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

It was a game-changing moment for Etan Thomas. Pulled over by the police, he sat silently on the road as an officer fixated on him. The policeman’s fingertips hovered over his holster, ready to grab his gun, while his partners tried to pinpoint why the black teen looked so familiar.

It must be from a mugshot, they said. When they demanded he pop his trunk, revealing high school basketball gear inside, they finally recognized the star athlete whose achievements were often splashed across the local newspaper.

The former Washington Wizard shared that story during his Black History Month keynote Wednesday at the University of Mary Washington. Packed into the UC’s Chandler Ballroom, students, UMW athletes and coaches, faculty, staff, university administrators, President Troy Paino and wife Kelly, and community members listened raptly as Thomas discussed systemic racism, police brutality, the school-to-prison pipeline, stop-and-frisk and more. Thomas’ appearance came as the University celebrates Farmer Legacy 2020, honoring Dr. James L. Farmer Jr., the civil rights icon and late Mary Washington professor, who would have been 100 this year.

Thomas’ activism was borne out of that teenage incident, he said, buoyed by his mother’s passion for social justice, and a speech teacher who encouraged him to channel his emotions into an oratory, which he delivered at regional and national competitions, garnering media attention.

“I realized I could use this basketball thing to speak for people who can’t speak for themselves,” said Thomas, whose advocacy work earned him prestigious awards from the National Basketball Players Association and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation. Read more.

Filed Under: What's New @ UMW Tagged With: , ,

Retired NBA Player Scores with Black History Keynote

February 17, 2020 by
It was a game-changing moment for Etan Thomas. Pulled over by the police, he sat silently on the road as an officer fixated on him. The policeman’s fingertips hovered over his holster, ready to grab his gun, while his partners tried to pinpoint why the black teen looked so familiar. It must be from a […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: , ,

Retired NBA Player Scores with Black History Keynote

February 17, 2020 by
It was a game-changing moment for Etan Thomas. Pulled over by the police, he sat silently on the road as an officer fixated on him. The policeman’s fingertips hovered over his holster, ready to grab his gun, while his partners tried to pinpoint why the black teen looked so familiar. It must be from a […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: , ,

Retired NBA Player Scores with Black History Keynote

February 17, 2020 by
It was a game-changing moment for Etan Thomas. Pulled over by the police, he sat silently on the road as an officer fixated on him. The policeman’s fingertips hovered over his holster, ready to grab his gun, while his partners tried to pinpoint why the black teen looked so familiar. It must be from a […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: , ,
Next Page »