In honor of Black History Month, student organizations at the University of Mississippi will host events throughout February.
UM Black Student Union
The Black Student Union (BSU) will kick off Black History Month with its first general body meeting of the semester at 6 p.m. today in student union room 125.
BSU Vice President Ayanna Norman, a junior allied health studies major, said the organization is more than just a space for representation, it is a community.
“It’s a family, a foundation and a catalyst for the growth. Our executives and cabinet directors work hard to uphold our constitutional mission of empowering members to grow socially, intellectually, politically and culturally, as stated in our organization’s constitution,” Norman said. “Those words alone aren’t enough to express how profound the impact BSU has had on me.”
The BSU will hold its 12th Annual BSU Gala from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Ole Miss Inn. This year’s theme — “A New Dawn: Cultural Revival” — will serve as a tribute to the diverse heritage of the Black community and feature live performances, awards and food.
Antwon Johnson and Vincent Sims, BSU special events directors, explained why the BSU executive board selected this year’s theme.
“The theme represents the revival of the Black excellence and experience shown by our predecessors,” the directors said in a joint statement. “We chose this theme to revisit each time we chose to continue the fight to represent our excellence in the most uplifting way.”
BSU will collaborate with the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement for a game night Feb. 26 in Suite F of the student union.
“Black Student Union isn’t just about the now,” Norman said. “It’s also about honoring our past and shaping a future where every student that we engage with leaves with more than what they came in with.”
UM Association of Black Journalists
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) at UM aims to provide aspiring student journalists with professional development.
“It’s been a continuous fight to keep UM NABJ alive, so us being able to be apart of the refounding members mean that we have a reason and a strong responsibility to sustain it and do things that are efficient enough for the next chapters coming after us to be able to continue,” Kayla Foster, president of the UM chapter of NABJ, said
Foster, a second-year graduate student, said it is important for Black students to have their own space to thrive on campus.
“It means the world to me to be able to create and cultivate that space and also know that I can be a part of it and show that this is how successful we can be once we put our minds to it and actually take the risk of being the ones to start it up and start over,” Foster said.
The organization is set to celebrate Black History Month with weekly collaborations with Rebel Radio for a podcast series titled “Reflections of Us,” which aims to reflect on many aspects of Black history and life. The series will air at 8:30 a.m. every Friday, starting on Feb. 7.
The NABJ will also release a biweekly newsletter titled “In Full Color,” featuring articles about Black student organizations, entrepreneurship, political commentary and campus life, to connect with the Black community outside of the university.
UM NAACP
The UM chapter of the NAACP promotes community engagement and action for equality among minority students.
UM NAACP President Meghan Curry, a senior public health major, said the organization focuses on creating a safe space for Black students to talk about their shared experiences.
“I’m really glad that UM NAACP has become an organization where a lot of people can come together and congregate for a sense of cause — and that is the betterment of individuals, not only on our campus but across the nation,” Curry said.
Curry said that highlighting key moments in Black history is important for the university.
“I think that history is always evolving, and Black history is history,” Curry said. “It’s very important to showcase how far we’ve come and how much further we have.”
The organization will celebrate NAACP Week Feb. 10-14.
One of its most popular events, Buy the Block pop-up shop event, provides small, Black-owned businesses the opportunity to sell and display their products. Products range from hair and art to food. The event will also include live performances from Black musicians 5:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in the Student Union Ballroom.
“I’m most looking forward to (Buy the Block). This is our fourth time hosting it. I thoroughly enjoy small businesses coming to Oxford to display their talents,” Curry said.
Black History Month Concert
The university will host its annual Black History Month concert, “If Love Fails, Try Nothing Else,” featuring guest artist Angela Brown, a two-time Grammy Award Winner.
UM Music Professor George W.K. Dor said this year’s concert will “provide an opportunity for symbolic interaction that will remind us of the concert’s theme.”
The concert will showcase collaborative pianist Amanda Johnson, the Concert Singers, directed by Director of Choral Activities Don Trott and the Ole Miss African Dance and Drum Ensemble, directed by Dor.
“What students may gain depends on each individual student,” Dor said. “While the audience will experience sublime artistry, some music students may gain inspiration and motivation for their future career paths. Others will join us to celebrate the contributions of Black musicians to the world’s diverse rich music traditions.”
The Black History Month concert is free and will begin at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Ford Center.
Editor’s Note: Kayla Foster is the station manager of Rebel Radio. Larz Roberts, director of the Student Media Center, is the adviser for the NABJ.
