MEDIA ADVISORY: MU to Celebrate Black History Month with Jazz Concert and Other Events Throughout February

February 28th, 2015

WHAT: The University of Missouri will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events throughout February. The month-long celebration, “We Are Somebody: Reclaiming Human and Civil Rights,” will feature events such as performances, lectures and panels. Some of the events include:

• “A Sharecroppers Troubadour,” a performance and lecture presented by Michael K. Honey. Honey will discuss John Handcox’s work as an organizer for the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union and share songs used to tell the stories of the struggling laborers.
  7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 4
  Allen Auditorium in the Arts & Science Building, MU campus

• Christian McBride, jazz bassist, will perform with the Mizzou Concert Jazz Band. A discussion on jazz’s contribution to American music will follow.
  7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12
  Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union, MU campus

• “The Fight for Racial Equality in Missouri” will be presented by MU alumni John Logsdon and Gloria Newton Logsdon, civil rights activists who held positions in the NAACP’s Kansas City Young Adult Council and the local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) at MU.
  7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 18
  Leadership Auditorium in the MU Student Center, MU campus

• The Missouri Law Review will host a symposium, “Policing, Protesting and Perceptions: A Critical Examination of the Events in Ferguson,” Feb. 26-27. A full schedule of the symposium is available at http://law.missouri.edu/faculty/symposium/lawreview2015/program.html.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of African-American history. This celebration has existed since 1926, when Carter G. Woodson organized the first Negro History Week. Woodson selected the second week of February because it coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Over the years, Negro History Week developed into today’s Black History Month.

WHO: MU students, faculty, staff and campus community.
WHEN &
WHERE: Feb. 1 – Feb. 28
Various locations
MU campus

NOTES: Events are free and open to the public. A full schedule of events can be seen at http://diversity.missouri.edu/announcements/2015/bhm15-calendar.pdf.