2004 Black History Month Calendar of Events

February

2 First Annual State of African-American Affairs at U.Va. Address M. Rick Turner, dean of the Office of African-American Affairs at U.Va., will give his inaugural State of African-American Affairs address, noting major issues, successes and challenges within the University's African-American community. He will give his talk in the Dome Room of the Rotunda at 7 p.m.

3 “50 Years Since Brown” Dr. Asa Hilliard will present the keynote address, “50 Years since Brown,” reflecting on integration, mis-education, and the challenges that African-American children face in the struggle for quality education. The talk will be given in Gilmer Hall, room 130, at 7 p.m.

6 “The Road to Brown” View excerpts of an award-winning civil rights documentary by the late filmmaker and U.Va. English professor William A. Elwood. At the screening — in Clemons Library, room 201, at 4 p.m. — Mary Ann Elwood will give an account of her late husband's work and her own experiences during the civil rights movement.

9 “A Conversation with Black Men”
U.Va. Dean M. Rick Turner, of the Office of African-American Affairs, will facilitate a discussion about the challenges and responsibilities of being a black man at 8 p.m. in Clark Hall, room 108.
10 “Kirikou and the Sorceress” Watch unfold the West African tale of tiny Kirikou, whose village has been cursed by a sorceress, in Michael Ocelet’s animated film. It will be screened in Clemons Library, room 407, at 4 p.m.

11 “Building Bridges” U.Va. alumnus
Gordon Braxton will share his experiences as an African-American male committed to ending oppression in all of its forms at a talk in Clark Hall, room 108, at 7:30 p.m. The presentation will focus on issues of race, gender and sexual assault.

16 “Lamentations of Mother Earth”
Ras Jahaziel will present a film featuring his art work, which depicts the devastating effects of enslavement and colonialism throughout the African Diaspora, in Clark Hall, room 108, at 7 p.m.

16 “The Skin Color Syndrome Among African Americans” William James, author of “The Skin Color Syndrome Among African-Americans,” will discuss the color complex within the black community and how to combat negative images of blackness in Clark Hall, room 108, at 7 p.m. A book-signing will follow his talk.

19 “Jazz: Portraits from the Golden Age” Come see Ella, Billie, Satchmo, Dizzy, Bird and more during a special evening of viewing and readings from the Golden Age of Jazz in Alderman Library’s McGregor Room of Special Collections at 6 p.m. The special event is in association with the ongoing exhibit, “Jazz: Portraits from the Golden Age,” on display through March 5, and featuring photographs by William P. Gottlieb and materials illustrating the connections between Harlem Renaissance writers and jazz. The exhibit can be viewed online at: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/speccol/exhibits/jazz/.

19-21& 25-28 “Les Blancs” See how director Clinton Johnson, of U.Va.’s Drama Department, interprets Lorraine Hansberry’s last play, “Les Blancs,” which portrays the conflict between Africans and European colonizers. Curtain time is 8 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $7 for students. For more details, call the box office at 924-3376.

21 “The Gilded Stories” Jewelle Gomez, an African-American lesbian writer, activist and author of “The Gilded Stories,” a lesbian vampire slave narrative, will speak at 5 p.m. in Minor Hall, room 125. Her fiction, essays, criticism and poetry have appeared in numerous publications.
24 “Who Wants To Be an Entrepreneur?” Attend a panel discussion on black entrepreneurship in the 21st century, with Simba Sana, CEO of Karibu Books, and local entrepreneurs, at 7 p.m. in the Rotunda Dome Room.

March

8 “From Hurting to Healing: Sexual Violence and its Culturally Specific Implications among African Americans”
Lori Robinson, author of “I Will Survive: The African-American Guide to Healing from Assault and Sexual Abuse,” written from her own experience as a survivor of sexual violence, will give a talk at noon in the U.Va. Bookstore, followed by a book-signing.

All events are sponsored or co-sponsored by the Office of African-American Affairs, and are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For more details, call 924-7923.

For an extended calendar of OAAA events, go to http://www.virginia.edu/oaaa/culturalcenter/calendar.html