2021 Black History Month Celebration
United for Justice: Lighting the Path Forward
The events of 2020 have brought the continued struggle of African Americans to obtain true equality and justice to the forefront of our nation’s conscience. What remains evident and became magnified is the need to sustain advocacy for lasting structural changes in oppressive systems. These changes will lead us to a new path forward that will ensure liberty and justice is for all. Join the James Farmer Multicultural Center as we share the stories of tragedy and triumph of African Americans in this nation.
Black History Month Kick-Off Lunch: Southern Soul Food Lunch*
Tuesday, February 2 | 11 a.m. | Dining at the Top of the UC, University Center
Co-sponsored by Campus Dining
Cost: 1 meal swipe; $7.80 Flex; $11.50 plus tax for credit or EagleOne
*Note: Service at the Top of the UC is currently all “take-out”, but limited seating by reservation may become available. For details contact Dining@umw.edu
A Social Justice Teach In – The 1619 Project
Tuesday, Feb. 2 | 6 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
Join UMW Associate Professor Danny Tweedy and Assistant Director of the James Farmer Multicultural Center, Chris Williams, for a presentation on the origins of African Americans and the history they have made in the United States related to the New York Times’ 1619 Project released last year.
The Place of Black Lives in Plantation Museums
Thursday, Feb. 4 | 6 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
In this presentation, UMW Professor Stephen Hanna will discuss the unresolved tensions between heritage tourism sites’ histories as places where Black men and women fought to create lives and families while facing violence and family separation and present-day museum practices that both defend the reputations of the enslavers who owned the plantations and reproduce these sites as places of romance and beauty. The question, “Can these museums be redeemed as sites of commemorative justice?” will be explored in the context of recent partnerships between descendent communities and presidential plantation museums in Virginia.
Black Cultural Jeopardy
Monday, Feb. 8 | 6 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
Black Jeopardy with the Black Student Association – test your knowledge in music, history, slang, and more!
Black History Month: Caribbean Lunch*
Tuesday, February 9 | 11 a.m. | Dining at the Top of the UC, University Center
Co-sponsored by Campus Dining
Cost: 1 meal swipe; $7.80 Flex; $11.50 plus tax for credit or EagleOne
*Note: Service at the Top of the UC is currently all “take-out”, but limited seating by reservation may become available. For details contact Dining@umw.edu
FuncSoul Beyoncé Dance Class
Tuesday, February 9 | 7:30p.m. | Register here for this event
Join Campus Rec and FuncSoul’s Alistair Williams in a virtual Beyoncé Dance Class. Participants will learn the choreography to one of Beyoncé’s songs. This class is open to all dance levels! Don’t worry about picking up all the steps, we simply want you to smile and have a good time! Alistair Williams is the founder and director of FuncSoul Creative Wellness, a program birthed during the 2020 pandemic to help humans with their functional health journey. Alistair was featured in the New York Times as one of the top trainers in New York City, and his arts and fitness programs have been covered in/on Elle Magazine, People, Spotify, The Cooking Channel, Fusion, and more. Before launching FuncSoul, Alistair was the director of Broadway Bodies and led the Mason Gross Community Arts Division at Rutgers University.
2021 Black History Month Keynote Speaker: Judge Kerwin A. Miller, Sr. ’95
Wednesday, February 10 | 6 pm | Register here for the Black History Month Keynote Speaker
Judge Kerwin A. Miller, Sr. is a native of the Bronx, New York. While growing up there as young teenager, he read an article about how unlikely it was for an African American male to graduate high school. He took the article as an insult and a challenge. His academic journey led him to attend Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia. During his time there, he was member of the basketball team. In 1995, he graduated from Mary Washington College with a degree in Business Administration. Shortly thereafter, he enrolled in Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California. In 1999, he obtained his juris doctorate and established his law office a year later. In 2001, he began working as a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Bureau in Baltimore city. Since then, he has served in numerous positions, including being a public defender in Baltimore city and county, an assistant state’s attorney in Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office, as well as the deputy state’s attorney in the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s office. In 2015, he became an administrative law judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings for the state of Maryland. Four years later, he was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to serve as an Associate Judge in District 9, Harford County in Maryland. Currently, he resides in Maryland with his wife and two children.
What is it like Being Black at UMW?
Thursday, Feb. 11 | 6 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
This event will be an intergenerational discussion of UMW Black alumni and current UMW students about their experiences as Black students at the University of Mary Washington.
Trap N’ Zumba [CANCELED]
Friday, Feb. 12 | 5 p.m. | CANCELED
Naana Amaniampong Adusei will be hosting a Zumba fitness class to trap music instead of the traditional Latin hits.
Human Rights Film Series: John Lewis: Good Trouble
Monday, Feb. 15 | 5 p.m. | Zoom – Register Here
John Lewis: Good Trouble is an intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’ life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism — from the bold teenager on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement to the legislative powerhouse he was throughout his career.
You are invited to join us for a discussion of this documentary that will explore the many different facets of his life. Attendees are encouraged to watch the documentary in advance of the film discussion, although this is not required.
Black History Month Dinner: Creole/Cajun Mardi Gras Dinner*
Tuesday, February 16 | 5 p.m. | Dining at the Top of the UC, University Center
Co-sponsored by Campus Dining
Cost: 1 meal swipe $10.75 Flex; $12.95 plus tax for credit or EagleOne
*Note: Service at the Top of the UC is currently all “take-out”, but limited seating by reservation may become available. For details contact Dining@umw.edu
Jazz Ensemble Black History Tribute: Iconic Jazz Greats
Tuesday, Feb. 16 | 7pm | Zoom – Register here
Celebrate Black History Month with the UMW Jazz Ensemble! Doug Gately, a senior lecturer in the Department of Music, directs this concert featuring music from iconic jazz artists.
The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song – Part One
Wednesday, Feb. 17 | 5 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
This moving two-part series from executive producer, host and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America, all the way down to its bedrock role as the site of African American survival and grace, organizing and resilience, thriving and testifying, autonomy and freedom, solidarity and speaking truth to power.
James Monroe Museum: New History at Highland
Thursday, Feb. 18 | 6 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
Highland Executive Director Sara Bon-Harper and members of the Highland Descendant Advisory Council will discuss how the site is an innovative setting for understanding U.S. history through the stories of the individuals who lived there, and the events that shaped its economic, agricultural and political contexts. Highland is a laboratory for creative public history, and has been part of William & Mary since 1974. The new narratives of Highland’s past and present reflect the voices of descendants of people enslaved on the property, and are created through a practice of collaborative history.
History of Hip-Hop and Shoe Culture
Monday, Feb. 22 | 6 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
This interactive presentation will be led by members from the UMW NAACP College Chapter and the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams. This group will take the audience on an oral and visual tour of the history of hip-hop and how it has influenced the popularity of athletic footwear in modern culture.
Black History Month: African Cuisine Dinner*
Tuesday, February 23 | 5 p.m. | Dining at the Top of the UC, University Center
Co-sponsored by Campus Dining
Cost: 1 meal swipe $10.75 Flex; $12.95 plus tax for credit or EagleOne
*Note: Service at the Top of the UC is currently all “take-out”, but limited seating by reservation may become available. For details contact Dining@umw.edu
The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song – Part Two
Wednesday, Feb. 24 | 5 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
This moving two-part series from executive producer, host and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America, all the way down to its bedrock role as the site of African American survival and grace, organizing and resilience, thriving and testifying, autonomy and freedom, solidarity and speaking truth to power.
R&Bingo
Friday, Feb. 26 | 6 p.m. | Zoom – Register here
R&Bingo will be a fun and informative bingo trivia night based on old and new R&B artists, songs, and producers.
For more information, contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at 540/654-1044 or umwjfmc@gmail.com. Visit students.umw.edu/multicultural.
Please email us at umwjfmc@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding disability-related accommodations.