Black history month is a nation-wide celebration that spans the month of February. The month is dedicated to honoring African American history, culture, leaders and struggles. Organizations around Eugene and the University of Oregon are among the many that put on events in honor of the month.
Here are a few of the events happening in the area:
9th Annual Black History Month Banquet
The 9th annual Black History Month Banquet will occur on Friday, Feb. 1 at the Valley River Inn from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The banquet will feature policy analyst and data scientist Sam Sinyangwe, who will discuss “Why are we getting the current results in our Criminal Justice and Education system?” Tickets are $80 per person and attendees must reserve a ticket ahead of time.
Black Mental Health on College Campuses
The UO Duck Nest will be hosting a mental health workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 5 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. The workshop will discuss the mental health needs of Black college students, why Black people tend to not talk about mental health and how to get support as a Black person on campus. The event is free and open to UO students, staff and faculty.
New Directions in Black Feminist Studies Speaker Series
The New Directions in Black Feminist Studies Speaker Series will host Erica R. Edwards, an associate professor of English at Rutgers University, on Thursday, Feb. 7 at noon in the Erb Memorial Union Crater Lake South room. Edwards will speak on feminism, internationalism and state power, all while inspiring new possibilities for social change — both on and off campus. The event is free and open to the public.
The UO history department is hosting a lecture featuring Dr. Leslie Alexander, a UO faculty research fellow, on Friday, Feb. 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in room 159 of Prince Lucien Campbell Hall (PLC). Alexander will speak about her research project, “The Cradle of Hope: African Americans, Haitian Sovereignty, and the Birth of Black Internationalism.” The event is free and open to the public.
2019 NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will host its annual Freedom Fund Dinner on Friday, Feb. 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Valley River Inn. The event will focus on how to better educate the youth at a local level and discuss the Oregon Department of Education African American Black Student Success plan. The NAACP will subsequently honor those in the area who focus their work on social justice and climate change. Tickets are $80 and registration is open until the day of the event.
UO African American Workshop and Lecture Series
The UO African American Workshop and Lecture Series will continue this month by hosting Cheryl Harris, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law. Harris will come to the UO on Tuesday, Feb. 19 and give her advice on how to “institutionalize effective environments, practices and policies” throughout campus. The event is free and open to all who want to attend.
