ECU celebrates African American Heritage Month

GREENVILLE, N.C.   — East Carolina University will celebrate African American Heritage Month this February with special events honoring the Black Student Union (BSU) and the centennial anniversary of the NAACP. 

During NAACP Centennial Week, Feb. 9 – 14, ECU will honor the anniversary of the civil rights organization with discussions, volunteer events and other activities. Details follow:

– Feb. 10, 6 p.m. – Cultural Café at the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center spotlights important moments in multicultural history and culture.
– Feb. 11, 5 p.m. – The film, “Legacy of Torture,” about the San Francisco 8 case will be shown, followed by a discussion led by Soffiyah Elijah, deputy director of the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School. The event takes place in Science and Technology C307. 
– Feb. 12, 6 p.m. – Relationship Panel at the Mendenhall Student Center features different couples from the Greenville community discussing relationships, marriage and family structure.
– Feb. 13, 7 p.m. – Annual Apollo Night fundraiser will be held in Hendrix Theatre in the Mendenhall Student Center. Cost is $5.

Activities planned for BSU Week, Feb. 16 – 20, aim to introduce the ECU community to one of the biggest campus organizations. Events include a bake sale, movie night, volunteer opportunity, benefit fashion show and more. Details follow:

– Feb. 16, 11 a.m .to 2 p.m. – BSU Bake Sale at Wright Plaza. Proceeds benefit upcoming BSU events. 
– Feb. 17, 6 p.m. – Family Feud at the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center features African-American facts and figures.
– Feb. 18, 5 p.m. – BSU Movie Night in Mendenhall Student Center, Room 221.
– Feb. 19 – BSU volunteers will deliver and sort canned good items at the Greenville Food Bank.
– Feb. 21, 7 – 9 p.m. – BSU hosts the annual AIDS Benefit Fashion Show with designs from local and international designers. Proceeds benefit PiCASSO, an AIDS and HIV prevention center. Cost is $5 for students. 

Also happening this month:

Book and Film Exhibit produced by Christine Andresen and Johnnie Swindell on the first floor of Joyner Library. The month-long exhibit, sponsored by Joyner Library, features books by Hill Harper, Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, Barack Obama and many more. It also features films, including “Remember the Titans,” “Foxy Brown,” “The Marines of Montford Point,” “Hustle & Flow,” “Hotel Rwanda” and others.

Feb. 11, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – “Medical Experimentation in the Slave South: J. Marion Sims and the Vesico-Vaginal Fistula” will be presented by L. Lewis Wall, M.D., D.Phil. in Brody 2W40B. Sims’ use of enslaved women in the development of his contributions to the field of gynecology is the subject of controversy among historians. 

Feb. 12, 17 and 26 at 6 p.m. – Dinner and movie at the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center Gallery. “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” will show Feb. 12. “The Wiz” plays Feb. 17, and “Sparkle” will show Feb. 26. Free admission. 

Feb. 14, 8 p.m. – “A Tribute to Motown,” the annual Black History Month concert Celebration sponsored by the Jazz Studies Program in the School of Music, will take place in Wright Auditorium. Tickets are $5 to $10. 

Feb. 16, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – A luncheon, “Celebration of the Legacy of ECU’s African American Faculty and Staff,” will be held in the Mendenhall Student Center Great Rooms. For tickets, call 328-4788.

Feb. 19, 6 p.m. – Learn authentic rhythm and voice expression at the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center Gallery. Lessons in Swahili and other African languages and dances will be given. Free refreshments. Comfortable clothes and shoes must be worn. 

Feb. 21, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. – The Greenville Community Celebration of Black History will take place at the Koinonia Christian Center Church, 1405 S.W. Greenville Blvd. The citywide celebration features entertainment, children’s activities, workshops and exhibits. Free admission. Food and beverages will be on sale with proceeds benefiting two local seniors’ clubs. Sponsoring agencies are City of Greenville Recreation and Parks Dept.; ECU; Koinonia Christian Center Church; and Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Feb. 24, 5:30 p.m. – “Speak Your Mind” at a dinner and discussion on diversity sponsored by ECU’s Office of Institutional Diversy. Open to campus and community members. E-mail diversity@ecu.edu for an invitation.