Events set for Black History Month

A series of discussions, performances and other events celebrating Black History Month have been scheduled throughout February. They include:

  • Wednesday, Feb. 7: Black History Month opening dinner; 6 p.m., Friend Center Convocation Room. The event features a keynote address by Karen Jackson-Weaver, a 1994 Princeton alumna and executive director of the New Jersey Amistad Commission, which works to integrate black history into the state school system; performances by the Princeton University Gospel Ensemble and student jazz musicians; and food from across the African diaspora.
  • Saturday, Feb. 10: "Luv Jones," a Valentine's Day-themed talent showcase; 8 p.m., Café Vivian, Frist Campus Center.
  • Thursday, Feb. 15: "The Legacy of the Black Scientific Renaissance at Bell Laboratories in the '70s, '80s and '90s," a talk by William Massey, the Edwin S. Wilsey Professor of Operations Research and Financial Engineering and a 1977 Princeton alumnus; 5 p.m., Friend Center Convocation Room.
  • Thursday, Feb. 15: "Stony the Road We Trod: The Real Black Experience at Princeton," a panel of alumni discussing their experiences as Princeton students; 6:30 p.m., 307 Frist Campus Center. (This panel has been postponed due to weather conditions.)
  • Friday, Feb. 16: "Black Cultural Expression Showcase: A Glimpse of Black History as Portrayed Through the Arts," featuring student dancers, actors, singers and poets; 9 p.m., Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall. Tickets are available through University Ticketing (proceeds go toward AIDS research). 
  • Sunday, Feb. 18: Hurricane Katrina film series event, featuring clips and a discussion of Spike Lee's documentary, "When the Levees Broke"; 4:30 p.m., McCosh 50. Speakers will include Melissa Harris-Lacewell, associate professor of politics and African American studies at Princeton; Byron Pitts, CBS News correspondent; and Oliver Thomas, president of the New Orleans City Council.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 20: "Performing Race: Cross-Cultural Experiences in Higher Education," a discussion about "acting white" as well as African, Caribbean and multiracial representation on campus; 7 p.m., McCosh 10. Speakers will include Princeton faculty members Noliwe Rooks, Howard Taylor, Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Daphne Brooks, Joseph Winters and Miriam Petty.
  • Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24, and Friday through Sunday, March 1-3: "Flyin' West," a Black Arts Company: Drama production; Thursday and Friday performances at 8 p.m., Saturday performances at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., Matthews Acting Studio, 185 Nassau St. Tickets are available through University Ticketing.

For more information, visit the Black History Month Committee's online calendar of events.