SRU hosting more than 15 Black History Month events including keynote speaker Sunn m’Cheaux, Feb.7
Slippery Rock University will host more than 15 events and programs, Feb. 3 through March 2, to recognize Black History Month, including keynote speaker Sunn m’Cheaux, Feb. 7.
Jan. 31, 2024
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Slippery Rock University will host more than 15 events and programs, Feb. 3 through March 2, to recognize Black History Month, including a speaking appearance by artist, advocate and educator Sunn m'Cheaux, Feb. 7.
m'Cheaux is an instructor in the African language program at Harvard University where he teaches a curriculum based on extensive research and his own personal Gullah Geechee knowledge and experience. Gullah Geechee is a language spoken in the coastal areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida that is derived from people from West Africa who were once enslaved on isolated island and coastal plantations on the lower Atlantic coast.
SRU's Office for Inclusive Excellence is coordinating many of SRU's Black History Month events with the help of student organizations and other campus groups.
First observed in 1976 by former U.S. President Gerald Ford, Black History Month serves as both a time of reflection, celebration and education. SRU will host a plethora of events, with some reflecting on Black history, while others will celebrate Black culture and address social issues affecting Black individuals today.
The following events are some of many SRU Black History Month programs. More information is provided with links to CORE, SRU's online platform for student organizations and events. All events are free and open to the public, except those noted in the descriptions.
Rock Climbing for the BIPOC Community, 5 p.m., Feb. 3, at ASCEND Climbing, in Point Breeze. For SRU students only; sign up on CORE.
Meditation Mondays: Spirit in the Dark, 12:15 p.m., Feb. 5, at the Smith Student Center, Room 320, hosted by the Office for Inclusive Excellence.
Soulful Wellness: United for Health Equity, noon, Feb. 6, at the Smith Student Center Theater, hosted by the Office for Inclusive Excellence and the Student Health Center.
Black History Month Keynote Speaker: Sunn m'Cheaux, 6 p.m., Feb. 7, at the Smith Student Center Ballroom, hosted by Jump Start, the Office for Inclusive Excellence, the Frederick Douglass Institute, and Housing and Residence Life.
Ebony Ball, 6 p.m., Feb. 10, at the Smith Student Center Ballroom. This event is hosted by Black Action Society and Rock the Weekend, and will include dinner, dancing and an awards ceremony.
Meditation Mondays: Spirit in the Dark, 12:15 p.m., Feb. 12, at the Smith Student Center, Room 320, hosted by the Office for Inclusive Excellence.
BIPOC Performing and Visual Arts Recital, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 12, in the Swope Music Hall, Recital Hall, hosted by the BIPOC Performing and Visual Arts Club. The event is free for SRU students, $5 for others students and $10 for the public. Tickets can be purchased online.
Erasing Black Studies? An Academic Panel on the Attacks on Black History, Literature and Culture, 12:30 p.m., Feb. 15, in Spotts World Culture, Room 111, hosted by the History Department.
Black Action Society: Talent Show, 6 p.m., Feb. 15, in the Smith Student Center Ballroom.
African American Heritage Day Basketball Games, 1 p.m., Feb. 17, at the Morrow Field House. The Office for Inclusive Excellence and the Athletics Department will host entertainment to celebrate African American heritage during timeouts and breaks between the SRU men's and women's basketball games.
Mobile History Museum, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Feb. 19, in the Smith Student Center Ballroom, hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Meditation Mondays: Spirit in the Dark, 12:15 p.m., Feb. 19, in the Smith Student Center, Room 320, hosted by the Office for Inclusive Excellence.
Black Owned Business Pop-Up Shop, 5 p.m., Feb. 19, in the Smith Student Center Theater, hosted by the Black Action Society
Black Faculty and Staff Association: Student Meet and Mingle, 5 p.m., Feb. 20, in the Smith Student Center Theater, hosted by the Black Faculty and Staff Association, for students to meet BFSA members.
Deadline to submit applications for the SRU Dr. Gaither Scholarship Award, 4:30 p.m., Feb 22. The Gaither Scholarship is awarded to an SRU student in honor of Thomas Gaither for his work in the civil rights movement.
Family Feud, 8 p.m., Feb 22, in the Smith Student Center Ballroom, game hosted by the Black Action Society.
The Magic and Culture of Pittsburgh: A Day in the City, 11 a.m., Feb. 24, in Downtown Pittsburgh, hosted by the Office for Inclusive Excellence and the Frederick Douglass Institute. For SRU students only. Includes a magic show and lunch in Pittsburgh. Sign up on forthcoming CORE event page.
Meditation Mondays: Spirit in the Dark, 12:15 p.m., Feb. 26, Smith Student Center, Room 320, hosted by the Office for Inclusive Excellence.
Womentoring Series: BIPOC Women in the Arts, 5 p.m., Feb. 29, Smith Student Center, Room 320.
The Recognizing Women Project, 7:30 p.m., March 1, at the Stoner West Dance Studio Theater, hosted by the Dance Department and featuring SRU dance majors and Nathan Trice/ RITUALS. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online.
The Recognizing Women Project, 2 p.m., March 2, at the Stoner West Dance Studio Theater, hosted by SRU Dance Studio Theater and the Dance Department, featuring students from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School and Nathan Trice/RITUALS. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online.
The Recognizing Women Project, 7:30 p.m., March 2, at the Stoner West Dance Studio Theater, hosted by SRU Dance Studio Theater and the Dance Department, featuring students from Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts Magnet School and Nathan Trice/RITUALS. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online.
For more information about Black History Month programming at SRU, contact the OIE at oie@sru.edu or 724.738.2700.
MEDIA CONTACT: Aaliyah Thomas | 724.738.4854 | news@sru.edu