POTPOURRI OF EVENTS PLANNED TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND
January 9, 2001
National leaders of the '60s civil rights movement will be joined by prominent local African Americans, alumni and academics for a series of programs marking Black History Month at the University of Richmond, beginning Jan. 24.
Dorothy Cotton, former education director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., will reminisce about her personal experiences with King at the university's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The program is scheduled on Jan. 24 at 4 p.m. in the Alice Haynes Room of Tyler Haynes Commons.
Also in celebration of Martin Luther King Day, the Modlin Center for the Arts and the Music Department will sponsor a performance of "The Meeting" by Jeff Stetson. This one-act play dramatizes a 1965 meeting between King and Malcolm X in Harlem one week before Malcolm X's assassination and compares their approaches to justice and equality.
On Jan. 25, panelists will explore "How Arthur Ashe Changed the Meaning of Monument Avenue." When the statue memorializing Ashe's life was placed among the existing statues of white Confederate Civil War heroes in late 1996, national attention focused on the consequent controversy. This program will explore why the statue was placed on Monument Avenue and what happened to Richmond as a result. The panel includes Paul DePasquale, who sculpted the Arthur Ashe statue, Charles Bethea, director of the Black History Museum in Richmond, rhetoric professor David Thomas and senior Danielle Joyce of Collegeville, Pa. The program begins at 7 p.m. at a campus location to be announced.
The Jepson Leadership Forum will feature former Atlanta mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Cannon Memorial Chapel. Young will share his insights on ending poverty and building a thriving business community based on his experiences at local, national and international levels.
"Reverend John Jasper: From Slave Preacher to Community Leader" will be presented Feb. 26 by the pastor and historian of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church. For 34 years Jasper served this church, which has met at the same location in Richmond's historic Jackson Ward since 1869. One of the nation's best known post-Civil War African American ministers, Jasper delivered his famous "Sun Do Move" sermon more than 250 times by invitation, including once to the Virginia General Assembly. Pastor John Johnson and historian Benjamin Ross will discuss Jasper's life and work in the Alice Haynes Room of Tyler Haynes Commons at 7 p.m.
Throughout February, the Richmond College dean's office will feature distinguished African American graduates of the university in an ongoing exhibit, "Where Are They Now?" Included will be astronaut Leland Melvin and athletes Sean Barber, John Newman and Brian Jordan. Brief biographies and photographs highlighting their accomplishments will be on display in Whitehurst Hall.
The month-long celebration includes various other lectures, discussions, films, videos, health and wellness activities, meals, worship services, social events and celebrations. Please see the attached list of events for more details.
Most events are free and open to the public. For additional information, call Janelle Perron Jennings at 289-8504.
2001 Black History Month Events at the University of Richmond
Films and Videos
Tue Jan 30 10 p.m. "Bill Robinson, 'Mr. Bojangles,'" A&E
Biography Series
Th-Sun Feb 1-4 9 p.m. "Dead Presidents"
Th-Sun Feb 8-11 9 p.m. "Remember the Titans"
Mon Feb 19 10 p.m. "Chris Rock," A&E Biography Series
Tue Feb 27 10 p.m. "Ella Fitzgerald," A&E Biography
Series
Health and Wellness Activities
Tue-Th Feb 13-15 Health Awareness Week, information table in Tyler
Haynes Commons
regarding health issues of African American women
Fri Feb 16 4 p.m. Day at the Gym, instruction on proper exercise
machine usage
Fri Feb 16 5 p.m. Aerobics Day
Music
Fri Feb 9 9 p.m. Walter Bell Latin Jazz Unit performance in The
Cellar
Fri Feb 16 9 p.m. K. J. James, Blues Guitarist, performance in The
Pier
Fri Feb 23 9 p.m. Franklin Roberts, vocalist and musician, performance
in The Cellar
Ongoing Exhibits
Jan-April "Celebrating African-American Writers and Artists:
An Exhibit from the Boatwright
Library Special Collections," Boatwright Memorial Library
February "Where Are They Now?" featuring distinguished
graduates, Whitehurst Hall
February "Black Facts," sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority Inc. in Tyler Haynes Commons
February "African Americans in Science," Gottwald Science
Library
February Items from the MRC's media collection, Boatwright Library
Media Resource Center
Other Celebrations and Events
Th Feb 1 4-5 p.m. Program: Diversity in the Workplace
Th Feb 1 4:30-7 p.m. Dining Celebration, prepared recipes from noted
African Americans
Mon Feb 12 6 p.m. Awards Ceremony recognizing African American students,
faculty, staff
Sun-Sa Feb 11-17 Skee Week activities celebrating Black History,
hosted by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Wed Feb 14 7-9 p.m. Mary Kay Day cosmetics program
Th Feb 15 7-9 p.m. Black History Program sponsored by Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority Inc.
Wed Feb 28 7 p.m. Black History Celebration sponsored by CIGNA Scholars
Speakers and Discussions
Wed Jan 24 4 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration featuring Dr.
Dorothy Cotton
Th Jan 25 7 p.m. Panel: "How Arthur Ashe Changed the Meaning
of Monument Avenue"
W Feb 7 7-8:30 p.m. Open Discussion: Continued Dialogue in Black
and White
Tue Feb 20 7:30 p.m. Jepson Leadership Forum: Ambassador Andrew
Young
Mon Feb 26 7 p.m. "Rev. John Jasper: From Slave Preacher to
Community Leader"
Worship Services
Sun Feb 11 11 a.m. Cannon Memorial Chapel worship led by Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority Inc.
Sun Feb 25 11 a.m. Cannon Memorial Chapel worship led by the Multicultural
Student Union