February is Black History Month, bringing special events and guest speakers to the University of Oregon campus to speak about culture and history. Here’s a look at some of the events coming up this month:
Soul2Soul
Who: the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Where: the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
When: Monday, Feb. 3 — 6 to 8 p.m.
What: The Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center will host Soul2Soul, the first Black History Month mixer held at the Black Cultural Center since its opening in October 2019, according to Around the O. “Students, faculty, and staff members are invited to help us launch a new tradition,” the description says.
“Beyond Buzzwords: Reimagining the Default Settings of Technology and Society”
Who: Sociologist and Princeton University Assistant Professor Ruha Benjamin
Where: First United Methodist Church
When: Tuesday, Feb. 4 — 7:30 p.m.
What: Benjamin’s lecture is the Oregon Humanities Center’s 2019-2020 Cressman Lecture in the Humanities, exploring technology’s role in discrimination and racial bias, “a range of discriminatory designs that encode inequity,” according to the Oregon Humanities Center.
“Return: Race, Democracy, and the Boundaries of Belonging in North America”
Who: UO Political Science Associate Professor Debra Thompson
Where: Viking Braggot Co. Southtowne
When: Wednesday, Feb. 5 — 6 p.m.
What: UO political science professor Debra Thompson is the speaker for Ideas on Tap, the monthly talk hosted by the Museum of Natural and Cultural History at Viking Braggot Co., according to the UO calendar. Thompson’s talk examines the concepts of “home, belonging, diaspora and democracy” and the role geography and time play into race, according to the MNCH website.
“Blatinx: What is Afro-Latinidad and who gets to claim it?”
Who: Duck Nest
Where: Erb Memorial Union, Duck Nest Wellness Center (room 041)
When: Thursday, Feb. 6 — 2 to 2:50 p.m.
What: The counseling center holds weekly wellness workshops, with the intention of supporting students “by addressing concerns and providing a space for open dialogue,” according to the Counseling center’s website. The free workshop discusses “the challenges, contributions, and experiences of Afro-Latinos in the United States,” according to the events calendar.
“The Permanence of Racism: Race, Power and the Architecture of American Democracy”
Who: Duke University law professor Guy-Uriel E. Charles, author Janet Dewart Bell
Where: The School of Law, room 175
When: Monday, Feb. 10 — reception at 4:30 p.m., lecture at 5:30 p.m.
What: Duke University law professor Guy-Uriel E. Charles and author Janet Dewart Bell are giving the annual Derrick Bell lecture, a series named after American lawyer and Bell’s late husband, according to the events calendar. The lecture is sponsored by the Office of the President and the School of Law, according to the Division of Equity and Inclusion.
Black History Month Games
Who: BEOregon
Where: Matthew Knight Arena
When: Men’s Thursday, Feb. 27 — 8 p.m | Women’s Friday, Feb. 28 — 8 p.m.
What: Men’s and women’s basketball games are scheduled at Matthew Knight Arena, according to Around the O.
“2nd Annual Black History Month Banquet”
Who: Black Law Students Association
Where: Ford Alumni Center, Giustina Ballroom
When: Saturday, Feb. 29 — 6 p.m.
What: On this year’s Leap Day, the Black Law Students Association is holding a banquet as a “culmination of Black History Month and a celebration of our Black community, students, faculty/staff and more,” according to the events calendar. The cost of admission is $35 for general and $15 for students, according to the calendar.
“Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home”
Who: Author and historian Dr. Richard Bell, hosted by the UO Department of History
Where: Erb Memorial Union, Crater Lake Room, North (room 146)
When: Monday, Feb. 10 — 12 to 1:30 p.m.
What: Bell explores the research process for his 2019 book, which examines the “grim history of human traffickers and slave traders” and the kidnapping of free African Americans leading up to the Civil War, according to the events calendar.
Lyllye B. Parker Womxn of Color Speaking Series
Who: Artist and social activist Favianna Rodriguez
Where: Erb Memorial Union, Ballroom (room 224)
When: Monday, Feb. 17 — 6 to 8 p.m.
What: Favianna Rodriguez is an artist and the executive director of CultureStrike, “a multiracial, multicultural team of artists and activists that work directly with cultural workers and organizers in the US and beyond,” according to the CultureStrike website. The Women’s Center is hosting Rodriguez in connection with the Lyllye B. Parker Womxn of Color Speaking Series, devoted to addressing “the intersections of racism, sexism and other systems of oppression that Womxn of Color face on individual, institutional and societal levels,” according to another event’s description.
“The Civil Rights Movement and the Notion of Turn the Other Cheek”
Who: Sponsored by the Koinonia Center and the NAACP/Eugene-Springfield
Where: the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
When: Thursday, Feb. 20 — 6 to 7:30 p.m.
What: An event sponsored by the Koinonia Center, a UO Christian student group, and the NAACP/Eugene-Springfield, according to the events calendar.
The State of Blackness at UO
Who: Black Cultural Center and Black Studies
Where: the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
When: Wednesday, Feb. 19 — 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
What: The Black Cultural Center and Black Studies are hosting an event that, according to Around the O, “will help us consider how we may analyze where we are and where we need to move forward.”
“Being Black and in a Labor Union”
Who: Sponsored by the UO Labor Education & Research Center
Where: the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
When: Thursday, Feb. 20 — 3 to 5 p.m.
What: An event sponsored by LERC at the Black Cultural Center, according to the UO Division of Equality and Inclusion.
