The Office of Intercultural Engagement and Belonging has created a calendar for Black History Month – the month of February – that includes speakers, student panels, a bus tour and the Afram festival.
The theme for this year’s Black History Month is Ujima, which is Swahili for collective work and responsibility.
Ryan Bowman, director of multicultural affairs, was tasked with the job of shaping events for the campus to be a part of. He said he wanted to be intentional by including people who want to celebrate.
“What I wanted to do this year is to focus on a sense of unity and what does that mean to come together for us as a community of Black faculty, staff, students from all walks of life,” Bowman said. “Giving them a voice at the table.”
In the past, Bowman said “students of non-color” have approached him about wanting to avoid feeling they were infringing on Black History Month. He said he wants to create a way for these students who may not have grown up around African American culture to learn and experience it while at ACU.
Bowman created a committee this year that included the African Students Organization and other African American organizations on campus. The goal was to decide how they could best educate each other and the university on African American culture.
The Black Student Union is also one of the organizations on campus celebrating this month by hosting events and educating students.
“Part of BSU’s mission is to foster excellence but also teach the ACU community about Black culture and equip them so that when they leave ACU they’re able to properly engage with Black culture,” said Tamil Kayode-Adele, president of BSU.
Bowman said people in today’s political climate are so close-minded because of fear. Part of the mission for Black History Month this year is combatting fear with love. It starts with embracing people who want to be a part of the experience and understand the culture. This means becoming a student of these experiences and being willing to learn about them.
“So, we open it up to the campus and being intentional and saying that ‘Hey, we’re all God’s children, there’s only one race,’” Bowman said. “The beautiful rainbow of ethnicities is here. The context, the color, the cultural aspect that adds to this human experience. And so, this month I want to focus on it.”
An event planned for this month, the Abilene Black history bus tour, encompasses the entire Abilene community. The tour will look at historical sites and markers recognizing the contributions of African Americans in Abilene. The tour will take place on Feb. 21.
Another event taking place this month is the Black Student Panel at 6 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the Chapel on the Hill. The panel will feature students who participate in BSU.
The OIEB has partnered with BSU to plan the Afram Festival for Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Campus Mall. It will include a yard show presentation from the Texas Tech National Pan-Hellenic Council sororities, a black music showcase and a movie.
BSU said it wants all students on campus to feel welcome at these events and that it is open to them.
“One of our goals is teaching them how to engage in Black culture, and you won’t be able to be taught if you don’t come into that space,” said Kayode-Adele, senior criminal justice major from Midland. “So, for anyone who thinks that they’re not supposed to be there because they’re not Black, that is not what we’re trying to push at all.”
