Black History Month
The theme for 2024, established by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, is “African Americans and the Arts.” According to the ASALH website, “African American art is infused with African, Caribbean, and the Black American lived experiences. In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount. African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world. In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.” The Association also shares information on the origins of Black History Month.
In addition to events on campus, resources for the month are listed below.
EVENTS
Diversity, Coffee and Conversations
Tuesday, Feb. 6 | 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m. | Intercultural Diversity Center, 2100 Student Center
(Cultural Exploration/Educational Engagement/Social Enrichment)
Open to UA students, faculty, staff and UA System employees
This month’s Diversity, Coffee and Conversations will focus on Black History Month and the month’s national theme “African Americans and the Arts.” Guest speaker will be Dr. Alexis Davis-Hazell, assistant director of undergraduate studies and assistant professor of voice and lyric diction in the UA School of Music. A mezzo-soprano, Dr. Davis-Hazell is the current president-elect of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Breakfast will be provided. For more information, contact the Intercultural Diversity Center at ua_idc@ua.edu.
Pop Up Shop: Black History Month
Wednesday, Feb. 7 | noon-1 p.m. | Intercultural Diversity Center, 2100 Student Center
(Cultural Exploration/Educational Engagement)
Open to UA Students, Faculty & Staff, UA System
The Intercultural Diversity Center celebrates Black History Month with an interactive program that focuses on the 2024 theme of African Americans and the Arts. Participants will be offered virtual presentations, conversation starters, and have an opportunity to celebrate a dynamic culture that has spread worldwide in arts, music, literature and film. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact the Intercultural Diversity Center at ua_idc@ua.edu.
Dr. Ethel Hall Colloquium
Wednesday, Feb. 7 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Bryant Conference Center Birmingham Room
The Dr. Ethel Hall Colloquium is the School of Social Work’s signature social justice event. It highlights issues that impact the quality of communities including maternal health disparities, criminal justice reform, etc. Maria Morrison of the Equal Justice Initiative will be the keynote speaker. She will discuss her role as a social worker and describe the journey of advocacy work around mass incarceration. Nathifa Dance Company will give a musical performance.
11th Annual Tuscaloosa Africana Film Festival
Saturday, Feb. 10 | 2 p.m.-7:30 p.m. | Student Center Theatre
The 11th Annual Tuscaloosa Africana Film Festival presents a diverse selection of films that explore the rich cultures, histories and experiences of Africa and its diaspora.
Films
“Walter Rodney: What They Don’t Want You to Know” is a documentary about the life, work and death of Walter Rodney, one of the intellectuals of the civil rights movement. His book, “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” is a staple for many university courses across the globe.
“The Africologist” is a futuristic documentary on Africa’s history through science and technology. With a 3D character, whom we travel along a chronological timeline starting with the birth of the universe, the origins of humanity in Africa. Africa’s Golden Age from Kemet to Great Zimbabwe, its dark ages from slavery through colonialism and the rebirth of freedom during the post- colonial era. Along the way, Africa’s major contributions to science and technology serve as a thread to connect the stories.
Shorts
“Kpeshie Egbo” (Dead Lagoon), the winning film of the 2023 Benpaali Film Festival in Ghana, offers a microcosm into the larger environmental catastrophe which awaits the country, if no timely action is taken.
“Oko K3 Akueteh” (Treading Water) is a compelling short on how a traumatic event is dealt with psychologically within the traditional context.
“Bride Untangled” is where modernity and tradition collide at a wedding ceremony, depicting the cultural complexity of Africa, through a Nigerian lens.
“Omugwo” is about postpartum depression.
The event is co-sponsored by The Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation, UA African Students Association, Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International, UA College of Community Health Sciences, and Aframsouth Inc. General admission is $10 and student admission is $5. More details and tickets are available on Eventbrite.
Allen v. Milligan: The Intersectionality of Race, Elections and Democracy
Friday, Feb. 16 | 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | UA School of Law
This symposium explores the history of the Voting Rights Act—an Act with deep ties to the state of Alabama—and considers the changing landscape of election law. The keynote speaker, Evan Milligan, will provide especially enriching commentary on the intersectionality of election law and race. Milligan, as the named representative plaintiff in Allen v. Milligan, brings a unique personal perspective on these issues. The Symposium will include panels of government officials, litigants, and academics in an effort to provide as complete an analysis as possible of this complex issue. RSVP to attend.
Redefining Strong: Black Women’s Mental Health
Monday, Feb. 19 | 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Camellia Room, Gorgas Library
This event will be a discussion on Black women’s mental health, taking care of oneself, and prioritizing rest. Presenters will be Shannon Welch, assistant director of clinical services at the UA Women and Gender Resource Center; Sharika Pruitt, licensed professional counselor supervisor and executive clinical director of Crossroads to Pathways Counseling; Dr. Wanda Martin Burton, assistant professor in the UA Capstone College of Nursing; and Angelique Horace, staff therapist at the UA Counseling Center. The event is sponsored by the UA Black Faculty and Staff Association, the Women and Gender Resource Center, Ignite, and Women of Excellence.
TEDTalk Tuesday: How art gives shape to cultural change
Tuesday, Feb. 20 | noon-1 p.m. | Intercultural Diversity Center, 2100 Student Center
(Cultural Exploration/Educational Engagement)
Open to UA students, faculty, staff, and UA System employees
In recognition of Black History Month, the Intercultural Diversity Center continues the TEDTalk Tuesday series by featuring Thelma Golden, curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. Golden talks through three recent shows that explore how art examines and redefines culture. This talk highlights this year’s theme of “African Americans in the Arts” through her “post-Black” artists using their art to provoke a new dialogue about race and culture and about the meaning of art itself. For more information, contact the Intercultural Diversity Center at ua_idc@ua.edu.
Healing History: A Shared Experience Toward Common Ground
Wednesday, Feb. 21 | John England Hall Multipurpose Space
Faculty and Staff: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or 3 p.m.-5 p.m. | Registration required
Students: 6 p.m.-8 p.m. | Registration required
Presented by the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in collaboration with the Alabama Humanities Alliance, the Healing Histories initiative is designed to strengthen communities, workforces, and the state by helping Alabamians examine their shared history and get to know each other better across race, religion, politics, and all the supposed dividing lines that should not keep people apart. The intent is to build trust, foster empathy, and grow community through mutually respectful discussions about our shared past, present, and future.
Birmingham native Kathy Boswell, founder of B-Intentional, is the presenter for the sessions. B-Intentional is a company that focuses on people with a goal of strengthening the connections and engagement of people where they work and serve. Boswell formerly served as interim director of the Birmingham Education Foundation, director of learning and development with Baptist Health System, and as a consultant with Healthcare Experience Foundation. She also served as executive vice president of community and volunteer engagement with the World Games 2022 Birmingham.
Two sessions are available for faculty and staff and an evening session is available for students. Participants are encouraged to show up with an open mind and willingness to listen and share. Registration deadline is Monday, Feb. 19, at noon. Food will be provided at all sessions.
EveryWoman Book Club
Thursday, Feb. 22 | noon-1 p.m. | Legend’s Bistro inside Hotel Capstone
EveryWoman Book Club will read and discuss “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison. This 1977 New York Times Bestseller novel follows the life of Macon “Milkman” Dead III, an African American man living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood. “Song of Solomon” also won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1977.
EveryWoman Book Club is geared towards graduate students, staff, faculty and community members and meets monthly. RSVP to ELester1@ua.edu.
Culverhouse African American Alumni Network Conference
Friday, Feb. 23 | 12:15 p.m.-6 p.m. | Alston Hall
The Culverhouse African American Network Conference is designed to provide a platform for engagement and connection between African American Culverhouse alumni and current Culverhouse students and to recognize early Culverhouse graduates and outstanding achievements among African American alumni. View the panelists’ bios.
The alumni recognition luncheon, which celebrates the professional and societal contributions of exemplary Culverhouse alumni, will be held in conjunction with the conference will be held Friday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m. View the honorees’ bios.
View conference registration and luncheon ticket information.
RESOURCES
Honoring Black Pioneers in Higher Education: Campus Tours as Memory Work
Alabama Public Television offers a collection of series and specials.
PBS Block Party streams new and beloved programs celebrating Black excellence.
The National Archives offers Black History Month Resources.
The Smithsonian Institute National Museum of African American History and Culture
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum features Black History Month.