Reporter
Black History Month is upon us. Although we are halfway through the month there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved and celebrate on campus and in the community.
CSUB’s Black Student Union and Club Gen joined together to kick off Black History Month by hosting a kickoff gathering on Feb. 1.
The fourth annual Unity Breakfast was held Friday, Feb. 8 where first-year program coordinator Emerson Case and transfer student success coordinator Natasha Harris were presented with the Unity Award for their outstanding contributions in promoting diversity and collaborations in our campus community.
That night the third annual Gospel Fest was held in the Icardo Center filled with amazing acts. Saturday, Feb. 9, was the trip to the California African American Museum in Los Angeles, California.
Tyree Boyd-Pates, a CSUB alum is currently the history curator and program manager at the museum.
If you missed out on these events, don’t worry. There are many more events to attend.
Why is Black History Month in February?
Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” in 1926 when Carter G. Woodson, a respected African-American historian alongside the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) started the celebration in Chicago.
Woodson noticed the lack of black history that was taught in American schools at all levels of education and knew he must do something about it.
This prompted the launch of“Negro History Week.” Woodson chose the second week of February because it encompassed both Fredrick Douglass’s birthday Feb. 14 and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday Feb. 12.
During the civil rights movement colleges across the country transformed the week into a month and numerous mayors had adopted the month-long celebration.
It was not until 1976 that the current president, Gerald Ford, decree Black History Month a national observance.
That year was 50 years after the first celebration. Today African Americans continue to make history.
Upcoming Events:
Saturday, Feb. 16: BSU Arts Show “BLK Outside the Box” at 12 noon in the Performing Arts Building and lecture.
Tuesday, Feb. 19: BSU pop up shop starting at 10:30 a.m. on Red Brick Road.
Saturday, Feb. 23: Bakersfield Black American History Parade at 10 a.m. on 21st and V St.
Thursday, Feb. 28 : Live Podcast Presents: Black History Month finale with guest speaker Serien Sensei at 1 p.m. in the Student Union Multipurpose Room feat.Bakersfield College Speaker, Clemantine Wamariya at 7 p.m. at the Levan Center.
