Throughout the month of February, people in the MU community organized several events in honor of Black History Month.
Many of the events connected to this year’s theme of Black Women in History & Culture, and others focused on different elements of black history and culture.
Throughout the variation of themes, most of the events held at MU during this month focused on an overall goal of promoting diversity and educating the community about black history and culture.
“At a university like Mizzou we’re constantly being put into boxes,” senior Jasmin James said. “It is unfortunate that we must force these types of conversations.”
She organized the Shades of Beauty presentation, which was held Feb. 2 at the Women’s Center.
James said through working with multiple businesses within the beauty industry, such as Teen Vogue magazine, she observed a problem with the way women of color were portrayed in advertisements.
“When I first presented this for the Women’s Center staff members, I got an idea of how unaware people are to this issue,” James said. “I learned that this is something that people are surprised to hear but receptive to learn.”
James said she wanted her event to appeal to all races and ethnicities in the MU community and not only to target the African-American community. James said this is why she decided to hold her event at the Women’s Center and to market it to different diversity initiatives on campus such as the Asian American Association and the Hispanic American Leadership Organization.
Other events held on campus during Black History Month did not draw as much of a diverse crowd as the Shades of Beauty presentation. Many events sponsored by the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center attracted a primarily black audience.
“Attendance for the Black History Month events this year consisted of majority black students, but in recent months there has been an increase in people from other backgrounds visiting the BCC,” said Donald Gilliam, event planner and student assistant at the center.
The center was instrumental in many of the events held in honor of Black History Month. A few of the events profiled during this month included at the center included, How to Cook Soul Food, and also a meet and greet with Naomi Tutu, an activist and daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who came to MU on Feb. 28.
Although many of the events held at the center during this month received positive feedback, Gilliam said he hopes to encourage more students of different races and ethnicities to come to Black History Month events to expand their knowledge of diversity.
Many students found events held on campus in honor of Black History Month informative, but some would like to see the university do a better job detailing all aspects of black history.
“I feel that Mizzou did a fairly decent job with acknowledging Black History Month,” sophomore Alicia Kemp said. “However, I noticed a reoccurring theme in Mizzou’s Black History Month events, the topics only scratch the surface and they don’t go in depth. I would like to see topics and discussions get more controversial and relevant.”
