Black is My Color, Not My Story: Baylor Celebrates Black History Month 2015
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Media contact: Lori Fogleman, (254) 710-6275
WACO, Texas (Feb. 13, 2015) – Color does not define people; their actions are what leave a legacy.
Join Baylor’s Department of Multicultural Affairs in celebrating Black History Month 2015 throughout the month of February. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Black is My Color, Not My Story.”
“We encourage all members of the public to attend these events,” said Geoffrey Griggs, assistant director of multicultural affairs. “They’re an opportunity for people to educate themselves about something important to this country’s history.”
The Black History Month 2015 event schedule is as follows.
Battle on the Burning Sands Step Show: Black History Month began with a bang at this annual step show competition, hosted by the Tau Alpha Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and held at the Waco Hippodrome Theatre on Jan. 31.
Heavenly Voices Gospel Fest with Anita Wilson: Baylor’s Heavenly Voices Gospel Choir will welcome choirs from across the state to perform alongside clinician Anita Wilson, an acclaimed gospel musician who has been nominated for Grammy, Dove and Stellar awards. Co-presenting the event are the Department of Multicultural Affairs and the Campus Diversity Committee. The concert will take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, in Waco Hall. Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for general admission and can be purchased at the Bill Daniel Student Center Ticket Office. General admission tickets are $15 at the door. Waco Hall is located at 624 Speight Ave.
Black Heritage Banquet with DeVon Franklin: The Baylor University Association of Black Students and Department of Multicultural Affairs will welcome keynote speaker DeVon Franklin to the 28th annual Black Heritage Banquet. Franklin, the senior vice president of production for Columbia Tristar Pictures of Sony Pictures Entertainment, has been named one of the top 10 industry impact players by the NAACP. The event will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, in the Cashion Fifth Floor Banquet Room. Tickets, which include dinner, are $15 for students and $20 for general admission and are available at the Bill Daniel Student Ticket Office. Cashion Academic Center is located at 1401 S. Fourth St.
NPHC Week: Baylor’s National Pan-Hellenic Council presents a week featuring four events that will educate students on what it means to go Greek. These events, Greek 101, Hump Day, Showcase and an all-service event, will provide attendees with information on these organizations and a glimpse into what Greek life is like. NPHC Week is Feb. 17-19 and all events are free. For more information about Baylor’s NPHC, click here.
All for One Soirée: The Coalition of Black Ambassadors presents its second annual soirée, a black-tie event celebrating Black History Month. The celebration is free and open to the public, but donations of school supplies to be given to local Waco schools are requested. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, in the Cashion Fifth Floor Banquet Room. Cashion Academic Center is located at 1401 S. Fourth St.
Lincoln Exhibit: Student, Faculty and Staff Mixer: This event, co-sponsored by the NAACP and Baylor’s Association of Black Students, will provide students with a chance to meet some of Baylor’s faculty members and celebrate the opening of an exhibit celebrating the life of Abraham Lincoln at the Poage Legislative Library. The mixer will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Baylor’s Poage Legislative Library and is free and open to the public. Poage Legislative Library is located at 201 Baylor Ave.
Black History Month Lecture: Join Tammy Kernodle, Ph.D., professor of musicology at Miami University and expert in African-American music and gender studies in music, in discussing the role of women and music in the Civil Rights Movement. Her lecture, titled “I Hear Freedom in the Air: Black Women, Music and the Strategy of Non-Violence in the Civil Rights Campaigns of 1961-1964,” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in Castellaw Communication Building Room 101 located at 219 Baylor Ave. The lecture is free and open to the public.
“Black History Month means everything to me,” Greggs said. “As an African-American male, I grew up trying to emulate these people. I hope those who attend these events will see a portion of what I’ve learned throughout the course of my life.”
All events are in conjunction with Baylor Asian Students Association, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Heavenly Voices Gospel Choir, Impact, NAACP, National Association of Black Journalists and the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
For more information about Baylor’s Department of Multicultural Affairs, click here.
by Ashton Brown, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.