Goucher College is celebrating Black Heritage Month with this series of events, performances, and talks designed to honor African American achievement:
Film Screening of Save the Last Dance
Tuesday, February 5
7 p.m., Kelley Lecture Hall
Sara Johnson (played by Julia Stiles) moves to Chicago to live with her estranged father after her mother is killed in a car crash. She meets Derek (played by Sean Patrick Thomas), and through dance sessions they develop a controversial inter-racial relationship. This film will be referenced to begin the inter-racial relationship discussion at the February 7 meeting of Umoja, Goucher’s black student union.
Umoja Weekly Meeting. Topic: Inter-racial Relationships
Thursday, February 7
9:30 p.m., Welsh Hall Piano Room
Participants will discuss inter-racial relationships, including familial taboos, media, laws, and social stigmas. All Umjoa meetings – held Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. are open to all students.
Harlem Nights
Sunday, February 17
9:30 p.m., Gopher Hole
This commemoration of the Harlem Renaissance highlights contributions people of the African Diaspora made to the arts; it will include visual art, music, poetry, and writings from the era, presented by Goucher community members.
Film Screening of Crookyln
Wednesday, February 20
7 p.m., Kelley Lecture Hall
Set in Brooklyn, NY, in the 1970’s this film is a semi-autobiography of director, writer, and actor Spike Lee. The story focuses on a school teacher (played by Alfre Woodard), her jazz-musician husband (played by Delroy Lindo), and their five children. The narrative is told through the perspective of their daughter, Troy (played by Zelda Harris), as she learns life lessons through her mother, father, and four brothers. This film will be referenced to begin the discussion at the February 21 meeting of Umoja, Goucher’s black student union.
Umoja Weekly Meeting. Topic: The Black Experience
Thursday, February 21
9:30 p.m., Welsh Hall Piano Room
Participants will discuss the black experience, including the perspective of black women, growing up in black families and communities, and black America from the 1970’s to now. All Umjoa meetings – held Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. are open to all students.
Baltimore’s 2013 African Film Festival
Friday, February 22, to Sunday, February 24
Times vary, Merrick Lecture Hall
Goucher will screen seven critically acclaimed short and feature-length films that represent Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, the Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Sudan; films will be presented with English subtitles. Receptions and discussions will be held on February 23, 4:30-6 p.m., and on February 24, 4:45-6 p.m. Events are free, but tickets must be reserved at www.goucher.edu/tickets or by calling 410-337-6333.
Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute
Monday, February 25
5:30 p.m., Hyman Forum, Athenaeum
This annual tribute is an opportunity for the Goucher community to reflect on the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Goucher College professor and department chair of religion, who is well-known and respected in the field of theology. RSVP for this event by February 18 with Aisha Rivers, program coordinator of student engagement, at aisha.rivers@goucher.edu or by calling 410-337-6243.
Black Box Discussion
Thursday, February 28
4:30 p.m., Buchner Hall of the Alumnae/i House
If you have ever wanted to ask what it’s like to be black but didn’t want to appear racist or offensive, this event will give community members the opportunity to become informed with the goal of minimizing assumptions and creating positive dialogue. Boxes will be placed around campus (including, but not limited to, the Info Desk in the Athenaeum and Pearlstone Atrium) to receive written questions about the black experience. The discussion will be facilitated by Raj Goshal, Goucher College assistant professor of sociology and anthropology.
Inaugural Black Heritage Month Black Psychology Lecture
Thursday, February 28
7 p.m., Hyman Forum, Athenaeum
James M. Jones, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Study of Diversity at the University of Delaware, will give a lecture titled “The TRIOS Factor: A Psychocultural Theory of Surviving and Thriving in the African Diaspora.” Jones will discuss how time, rhythm, improvisation, orality, and spirituality (TRIOS) impact the psychological elements of a cultural system. This event is free, but tickets must be reserved at www.goucher.edu/tickets or by calling 410-337-6333. For questions about the event, contact Nyasha Grayman-Simpson, assistant professor of psychology, at Nyasha.grayman@goucher.edu.
Sponsored by the offices of the Dean of Students, Multicultural Student Services, and Student Engagement; Umoja: The Black Student Union; The Isabelle Kellogg Thomas Lectureship Fund; The Psychology Department; The International Scholars Program; and SGA.