As students return to campus in the coming days, they will have many small tasks to take care of, decisions about classes to finalize, and a wealth of events that have been scheduled for the semester ahead. I want to call everyone’s attention to the impressive programming planned by students, staff and faculty for Black History Month. On Friday, February 12, we will hold our annual celebration of the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s speaker, Ruby Nell Sales, promises to get things off to a powerful start. You can find registration information for this event here.
Ujamaa has passed along the following information.
The theme for this year’s Black History Month is Black Radical Imaginations. Critical engagement with the present and positive imaginations for the future. With the events we have planned we not only want to honor the traditions of the past but illuminating the ways Black people (artists, comedians, activists, etc.) find moments of liberation in their daily lives.
You can find more information about what we have planned for Black History Month on WesNest AND/OR you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter @ujamaawesu. We are also partnering with the Middletown Mutual Aid Fund all month so please donate using this link to give directly to Middletown residents who have been struggling during this pandemic. In addition, registration information will be continuously updated on the Ujamaa Linktree throughout the month.
Ruby Sales Workshop
Join Ruby Sales to learn about the importance of right relations in community organizing and how to reimagine justice and Black liberation! (This event is open to community members, students, alumni, and faculty)
Date: 2/10/2021
Time: 12 PM – 2 PM
Meeting information: RSVP using this link (due 02/05/2021)
White Supremacist Violence: A Dialogue
Join Ujamaa for a conversation on processing white supremacist violence in the scope of the current political climate. We will be asking ourselves questions including: how do we avoid complicity under the biden presidency? and what does white supremacy look in our other interpersonal interactions? (This event is open to community members, students, alumni, and faculty)
Date: 2/11/2021
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Meeting Information: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/95169612526
Meeting ID: 951 6961 2526
Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration feat. Ruby Sales
This year’s annual gathering in honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights legacy will feature Ruby Sales, a nationally-recognized human-rights activist, public theologian, and social critic. She attended local segregated schools and was also educated in the community during the 1960s era of the Civil Rights Movement. Come for an amazing presentation, followed by a Q&A! (This event is open to community members, students, alumni, and faculty)
Date: 2/12/2021
Time: 12 PM – 1:25 PM
Meeting information: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/92560608568
Meeting ID: 925 606 08568
Black History Month Celebration feat. Raquel Willis
Join award-winning writer, and media strategist, Raquel Willis, for the Annual Black History Month Commencement Celebration. Raquel Willis has dedicated herself to elevating the dignity of marginalized people, particularly Black transgender people. She has held ground-breaking posts throughout her career including director of communications for the Ms. Foundation, executive editor of Out magazine, and national organizer for Transgender Law Center (TLC).
In addition to Raquel Willis, we will also have the pleasure of hearing from faculty, alumni, and students! This will be a great evening of reflection, community-building, and solidarity!
*All donations from the BHM Commencement Celebration go to the Middletown Mutual Aid Fund*
(This event is open to community members, students, alumni, and faculty)
Date: 2/13/2020
Time: 7:00 PM
Meeting Information: RSVP on Eventbrite
Black History Month Calendar designed by Olivia Najera-Garcia
