April 24, 2024

Colors of Africa – Celebrate African, Caribbean, and African American Culture, Feb. 15

Colors of Africa Saturday, Feb. 15 | 6 p.m. | Chandler Ballroom, University Center

Colors of Africa
Saturday, Feb. 15 | 6 p.m. | Chandler Ballroom, University Center
Sponsored by the African Student Union and the James Farmer Multicultural Center

Colors of Africa seeks to celebrate the culture that Black people create. Whether it is Black people of the African continent, African Americans, or the Caribbean, Blackness is a transnational and multicultural experience and it ought to be celebrated as such.

Sponsored by the African Student Union and the James Farmer Multicultural Center. If you have any questions, contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at 540-654-1044 or visit students.umw.edu/multicultural

Etan Thomas to Give Black History Month Keynote, Feb. 12

Former Washington Wizard, activist, author and motivational speaker Etan Thomas will deliver UMW's Black History Month keynote address on Feb. 12.

Former Washington Wizard, activist, author and motivational speaker Etan Thomas will deliver UMW’s Black History Month keynote address on Feb. 12.

Former Washington Wizard, activist, author and motivational speaker Etan Thomas will deliver UMW’s Black History Month keynote address on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in the UC’s Chandler Ballroom.

Thomas is a prolific author of poetry, nonfiction books and articles. His 2018 work, We Matter: Athletes and Activism, is one of Book Authority’s Top Ten best activism books of all time. The African-American Literary Awards named it a best nonfiction book for 2018. Thomas received the 2010 National Basketball Players Association Community Contribution Award for social justice and the 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation Legacy Award. He writes for The Guardian and is seen on MSNBC and ESPN as a special correspondent. He also co-hosts a radio show, The Collision, where sports and politics intersect.

Hosted by the James Farmer Multicultural Center, the event is part of Farmer Legacy 2020, a yearlong celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of the civil rights icon and late Mary Washington professor Dr. James L. Farmer Jr., who orchestrated the Freedom Rides in 1961 to desegregate interstate transportation and bus terminals. UMW is committed to advancing Farmer’s work in social justice and civic engagement, and like Thomas, is preparing young people to address our society’s greatest challenges. Read more.

UMW Hosts Judge Hatchett for Black History Month

Glenda Hatchett, best-known for her nationally syndicated show Judge Hatchett, will provide the keynote lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 11 as part of Black History Month at the University of Mary Washington. Judge Hatchett will speak on her experiences throughout her career, spanning from serving as the senior attorney and manager of public relations for Delta Air Lines to being the first African-American chief presiding judge of Atlanta’s Fulton County Juvenile Court and presiding over the two-time Emmy nominated national show. Hatchett-Closeup A book signing and sale for Hatchett’s national best sellers, Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say! And Dare to Take Charge, will take place following the presentation at 7 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium. The event is open to the public free of charge. The James Farmer Multicultural Center is hosting a series of events throughout the month, including:
  • Cuisines of Black Cultures, Mondays in February in Seacobeck Hall
  • UMW Jazz Night: A Tribute to Duke Ellington, Friday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Pollard Recital Hall
  • Gospelfest, Saturday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium
  • The Enslaved Community of James Monroe, Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411
  • Dismantling Racism Workshop, Monday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 414
  • 25th Annual Step Show Competition, Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium
For more information and a complete listing of events, please visit http://students.umw.edu/multicultural/ or contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at (540) 645-1044.

Freedom Rider to Share Story and Documentary at UMW, Feb. 3

More than 50 years ago, a 19-year-old college student named Joan Trumpauer Mulholland bought a flight to Mississippi and joined the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. It was 1961, the year that dozens of sit-ins occurred in diners and drugstores and the same year that the Freedom Rides challenged segregated interstate bus travel in the Deep South. Mulholland, a white teenager raised in the South, was arrested and sent to prison for two months for her involvement in the protests.

Joan Mulholland, shown during a trip to UMW in 2011, will be a part of UMW's Black History Month celebration on Feb. 3.

Joan Mulholland, shown during a trip to UMW in 2011, will be a part of UMW’s Black History Month celebration on Feb. 3.

Mulholland will share her story at the University of Mary Washington on Monday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411 as part of the Black History Month celebration. The evening will begin with a showing of the new documentary, “An Ordinary Hero,” which chronicles her unlikely journey. After the documentary, Mulholland and the film’s director will lead a discussion and answer questions.

Mulholland was among the former Freedom Riders who joined UMW as it commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides in 2011 with a three-month celebration. The centerpiece of the celebration was a 1960s-era bus and exhibit of historical photos on Ball Circle.

UMW’s Black History Month celebration also will feature the following events:

  • Saturday, Feb. 1 – Black History Month Kickoff Celebration: Gospelfest
    • 3 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium
  • Tuesday, Feb. 4 – Great Lives Lecture: Martin Luther King Jr.
    • 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium
  • Thursday, Feb. 6 – Civil War to Civil Rights: Trail to Freedom Teacher Resources Toolkit
    • 7 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411
  • Wednesday, Feb. 12 – Black History Month Keynote Speaker: Angela Rye, principal at IMPACT Strategies and the youngest woman to serve as executive director and general counsel of the Congressional Black Caucus
    • 7 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411
  • Wednesday, Feb. 26 – An Evening of Jazz: A Tribute to America’s Great Black Artists
    • 7:30 p.m., Lee Hall, the Underground

All events are free and open to the public. For more information and a detailed list of events, visit http://students.umw.edu/multicultural/programs/black-history-month-celebration/.

Freedom Rider to Share Story and Documentary at UMW, Feb. 3

More than 50 years ago, a 19-year-old college student named Joan Trumpauer Mulholland bought a flight to Mississippi and joined the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. It was 1961, the year that dozens of sit-ins occurred in diners and drugstores and the same year that the Freedom Rides challenged segregated interstate bus travel in the Deep South. Mulholland, a white teenager raised in the South, was arrested and sent to prison for two months for her involvement in the protests.

Joan Mulholland, shown during a trip to UMW in 2011, will be a part of UMW's Black History Month celebration on Feb. 3.

Joan Mulholland, shown during a trip to UMW in 2011, will be a part of UMW’s Black History Month celebration on Feb. 3.

Mulholland will share her story at the University of Mary Washington on Monday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. as part of the Black History Month celebration. The evening will begin with a showing of the new documentary, “An Ordinary Hero,” which chronicles her unlikely journey. After the documentary, Mulholland and the film’s director will lead a discussion and answer questions.

Mulholland was among the former Freedom Riders who joined UMW as it commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides in 2011 with a three-month celebration. The centerpiece of the celebration was a 1960s-era bus and exhibit of historical photos on Ball Circle.

UMW’s Black History Month celebration also will feature the following events:

  • Saturday, Feb. 1 – Black History Month Kickoff Celebration: Gospelfest
    • 3 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium
  • Tuesday, Feb. 4 – Great Lives Lecture: Martin Luther King Jr.
    • 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium
  • Thursday, Feb. 6 – Civil War to Civil Rights: Trail to Freedom Teacher Resources Toolkit
    • 7 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411
  • Wednesday, Feb. 12 – Black History Month Keynote Speaker: Angela Rye, principal at IMPACT Strategies and the youngest woman to serve as executive director and general counsel of the Congressional Black Caucus
    • 7 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411
  • Wednesday, Feb. 26 – An Evening of Jazz: A Tribute to America’s Great Black Artists
    • 7:30 p.m., Lee Hall, the Underground

All events are free and open to the public. For more information and a detailed list of events, visit http://students.umw.edu/multicultural/programs/black-history-month-celebration/.

Angela Davis to Present Keynote Lecture on Feb. 15

American political activist and author Angela Davis will serve as the 2012 James Farmer Visiting Lecturer and Black History Month Keynote speaker at UMW. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.

The lecture is sponsored by the James Farmer Visiting Professor Committee and the AT&T Student Leadership Colloquium. For more information, contact Courtney Chapman-Thomas, director of leadership and strategic initiatives, at (540) 654-1665.

For more information about Davis, read the press release from Thursday, Feb. 9.

Black History Month: My Black Is Beautiful: Footprints, Reflections and Paths

Steel Drum Band

Wednesday, Feb. 1

7 p.m.; Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center

Join the James Farmer Multicultural Center for the commencement of the 2012 Black History Month Celebration as Ewabo plays an eclectic range of music that incorporates soul, R&B, and funk music on Caribbean steel drums.

 

Library Exhibit: Celebrate Black History Month

Feb. 1-29

Simpson Library will feature written and digital resources from the UMW libraries collections that highlight prominent African-American women and African-American history and culture.

 

Dinner: Cuisines of Black Cultures

Monday, Feb. 6

Seacobeck Hall

Dinner cost: one meal-plan meal or $10.30 plus tax

Eagle Dining will feature African and Caribbean cuisines.

 

Social Justice Brown Bag Lunch Discussion: Prison Industrial Complex

Wednesday, Feb. 8

Noon; Woodard Campus Center, Meeting Room 4

 

Film Discussion: The Prep School Negro

Wednesday, Feb. 8

6 p.m.; Combs Hall, Room 139

André Robert Lee’s film portrays how a full scholarship to a Philadelphia prep school was supposed to be his way out of the ghetto, how he paid a high personal cost for the elite education, and looks inside today’s continuing racial naïveté. Co-sponsored by the James Farmer Visiting Professor Committee, James Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Civil Rights and Social Justice, Office of Student Affairs, Department of History and American Studies, and Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

 

An Evening of Jazz: A Tribute to America’s Great Black Artists

Thursday, Feb. 9

8 p.m.; The Underground, Lee Hall

The UMW Faculty Jazz Ensemble will feature works by legendary African-American jazz musicians. Co-sponsored by the UMW Department of Music.

 

Gospelfest

Sunday, Feb. 12

4 p.m.; Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

An evening of gospel music and spiritual uplift with choirs, singing groups, and praise dance teams. Co-sponsored by Voices of Praise.

 

James Farmer Visiting Professor Lecturer and Black History Month
Keynote Speaker: Angela Davis

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012
7 p.m., Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall
Co-sponsored by the James Farmer Visiting Professor Committee

An icon of the nation’s quest for social justice, activist and scholar Angela Davis has spent decades building communities of struggle for economic, racial, and gender equality. The author of eight books, Davis has served for the last 15 years as professor of feminist studies and professor of history of consciousness, an interdisciplinary doctoral program, at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Co-sponsored by the James Farmer Visiting Professor Committee, James Farmer Multicultural Center, and the AT&T Student Leadership Colloquium.

 

Essence of African-American Culture: Fashion and Arts

Friday, Feb. 17

7 p.m.; Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center

The Black Student Association will celebrate African and African-American culture with a talent show and Pan-African fashion show.

 

Lunch: Cuisines of Black Cultures

Monday, Feb. 20

Seacobeck Hall

Cost: one meal-plan meal or $8 for lunch.

Eagle Dining will feature Creole and Southern soul cuisines.

 

American Red Cross Blood Drive

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Noon-6 p.m.; Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center

Co-sponsored by the Black Student Association and Talk to the Hands.

Donate blood or to volunteer to assist with this event, email tragland@mail.umw.edu.

 

The Color of Sisterhood: African-American Camp Fire Girls, Girl Scouts, and Social Change

Wednesday, Feb. 22

7 p.m.; Combs Hall, Room 139

Georgetown University Assistant Professor of History Marcia Chatelain will explore the role of African-American women’s activism in desegregation and in transforming national girls’ organizations. Co-sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Department of History and American Studies.

 

22nd Annual Step Show and Competition

Saturday, Feb. 25

7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.); Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

Cost: $7; $5 with UMW ID

An array of the area’s most talented step teams will engage in a high energy, entertaining competition. Co-sponsored by Women of Color and the Black Student Association.

 

Film Discussion: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

Tuesday, Feb. 28

6 p.m.; Chandler Hall, Room 102

A disciple of Gandhi, a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr., and the architect of the 1963 March on Washington, Bayard Rustin was an openly gay man during the fiercely homophobic ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. This documentary explores his activism for peace, racial equality, economic justice, and human rights. Sponsored by PRISM- People for the Rights of Sexual Minorities.

Click here to view this calendar as a PDF

Black History Month

BLACK HISTORY IS…

Celebrate and Educate

Black History Month celebrates the journey that African Americans have traveled over time. Their path has been filled with struggles and acts of perseverance. We come together this month to honor, celebrate, and educate everyone about the movements and achievements that have transformed society. The James Farmer Multicultural Center, the Black History Month committee, and the Black Student Association (BSA) invite you to reflect on this journey and join us in celebrating all the progress that has been made. We continue to hope that, as a people and a society, we will further strive to achieve a nation where social justice and equal opportunity become a reality for all Americans.

*Cuisines of Black Cultures,  Seacobeck Hall

Cost: one meal-plan meal or $7.75 for lunch, $9.90 for dinner (plus tax)
Feb. 7 – dinner; Feb. 21 – lunch, Select Mondays in February
Campus Dining Services will celebrate Black History Month by featuring
dishes from African, Caribbean, Creole, and Southern soul cuisines.

*My Journey: African-American Stories

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
An open-panel discussion of the journey of several African-American
UMW and Fredericksburg community members who will relate
personal experiences in their professions. Refreshments provided.

*Celebration Keynote Performance: Saul Williams

Friday, Feb. 4, 2011
7 p.m., Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall
Experience the lyrical force of Saul Williams’ spoken word art. Williams
is a former Grand Slam Champion and HBO Def Poetry Jam performer
who explores social consciousness through his poetry.

*Eric Etheridge – Breach of Peace: Portraits of
the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders

Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
7 p.m., Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center
Reception to follow.
Etheridge is the author, journalist, and photographer behind Breach
of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders
, a “then-and-now”
memoir of individuals who took part in the Freedom Rides of 1961.
Part of the James Farmer Visiting Professor Lecturer Series,
in collaboration with Freedom Riders 50th Anniversary Commemoration.

*“The Negro Zone” Discussion

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
Panel members will discuss this short, satirical film that addresses
stereotypes African-American men face in the United States. Refreshments
provided. Co-sponsored by Brothers of a New Direction (BOND) and BSA.

*Comedy Performance featuring Jordan Carlos

Friday, Feb. 11, 2011
8 p.m., Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center
Jordan Carlos is a Brooklyn-based comic raised in suburban North
Dallas where he was the only black kid in class and at all the bar mitzvahs.
He has appeared as Stephen Colbert’s black friend, “Alan,” on the Colbert
Report and performed on Comedy Central’s Live at Goth. Sponsored by
GIANTProductions.

*Step Show

Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011
6:30 p.m. – doors open, 7 p.m. – show begins
Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall
Cost: $7; $5 with UMW ID
Join an array of the most talented area step teams performing in this high
energy, entertaining competition. Co-sponsored by Women of Color, BOND,
and the Fredericksburg Area Boys and Girls Club.

*Candido: Hands of Fire

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
Ivan Acosta directed Candido: Hands of Fire, a documentary about a well-known
Afro-Cuban percussionist, Candido Camero. The audience will be
treated to a viewing of this documentary followed by a discussion led by
Mr. Acosta. Co-sponsored by the departments of Modern Foreign Languages
and English.

*HIV/AIDS in the Black Community: A Panel Discussion

Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and
that disparity continues to grow. Sponsored jointly by BSA, People for the
Rights of Individuals of Sexual Minorities (PRISM), and Fredericksburg’s
Home of Miracles and Embraces (H.O.M.E).

*A Night of Jazz: Performance and Discussion

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011
8 p.m., The Underground, Lee Hall
Join Doug Gately for a discussion of jazz music in the African-American
community and enjoy a performance by the UMW Faculty Jazz Sextet. Co-sponsored by the UMW Department of Music.

*Gospelfest

Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011
6 p.m., Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center
Enjoy an evening of gospel music and spiritual uplift with choirs, singing
groups, and praise dance teams as they display their musical talents.

*Coming Out? African-American Culture and Sexuality

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
A candid discussion about stereotypes surrounding black homophobia and
non-heterosexual lifestyles. Co-sponsored by BSA and PRISM.

*Gay Rights versus Civil Rights

Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011
7 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
Involved in the struggle for both GLBT and civil rights equality,
Fredericksburg musician and activist Gaye Adegbalola presents a unique
and personal interpretation. Sponsored by PRISM.