Black History Month celebration is underway
Join the Virginia Tech community in celebrating Black History Month. This year Black History Month at Virginia Tech is unofficially getting underway earlier, beginning with the third annual celebration of the legacy of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. starting Jan. 14.
Among the highlights of the month-long black history celebration is a presentation by Maya Angelou, world-renowned poet, author, and performer. Tickets for the overflow location offering a live feed of Angelou’s presentation are very limited. Contact the Division of Student Affairs, University Unions and Student Activities ticket office for further information.
Other highlights of Black History Month, include photography exhibit, "Distant Echoes: Black Farmers in America" by photographer John J. Ficara at the Perspective Gallery in Squires Student Center. John Ficara will also be hosting a reception Tuesday, Jan. 22 from 4-6 p.m. also in the Perspective Gallery. Learn more in the related news story.
A candlelight vigil honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be held on his birthday, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008, on the steps of Burruss Hall at 6 p.m.
Another featured event for Black History Month, “Who was Carter G. Woodson and what was the significance of his life?,” will be presented by Charles W. White Sr. author, editor, and publisher of the regional African American newspaper, The Informant. This event will be held Tuesday, Feb. 5 from 4:30-6 p.m. in Squires Student Center’s Colonial Hall.
Wrapping up the month-long celebration is the “Success runs in our race: Black Constituency Conference” to be held at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on Thursday, Feb. 28 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference will offer featured speakers and numerous breakout sessions throughout the day. For more information about the conference contact Alicia Cohen in Multicultural Affairs at (540) 231-1820.
Other events are planned throughout the remainder of January and the entirety of February and include a variety of speakers, forums, films, and presentations. More information can be found by visiting the Division of Student Affairs’ Multicultural Programs and Services website, reviewing the Black History Month 2008 poster (PDF) for a complete listing of special events. Additional information can also be found by listening to the Virginia Tech podcasts featuring Ray Plaza. Plaza is the director of diversity initiatives in the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech is the most comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is among the top research universities in the nation. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach activities. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.
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