As students return to the Hilltop from their winter break, the Intercultural Center is hard at work in preparation for its Black History Month celebrations. The College is celebrating the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other champions of progressivism from a variety of ethnicities.
These celebrations, coordinated by the Intercultural Center, are focused on the mentality and theme of “Just Take the First Steps.” The theme is meant to facilitate dialogue and inspire action in students to work towards equality for all people. Wayne Currie, Director of the Intercultural Center, hopes students and attendees will take advantage of the opportunities and events being offered by the College. He continued that he hopes “attendees will feel empowered to embark on a journey toward progress and change by taking the first step.”
Some of the events being offered include the Martin Luther King Jr Dinner on Tuesday, January 22nd, featuring keynote speaker Melanie Levesque, New Hampshire’s first African American senator. The Intercultural Center will also be teaming up with the Gender Studies Department to commemorate the works of poet and activist Audre Lorde on Wednesday, January 23rd with a showing of the film The Edge of Each Other’s Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde. The documentary will be followed with informal dinner and discussion of Lorde’s book Sister Outsider. The College hopes for these events to spark meaningful and productive dialogue.
A full list of the month’s events are below.
- 01/22: MLK Dinner with State Sen. Melanie Levesque (NHIOP Auditorium @ 4:30pm)
- 01/23: A Celebration of Audre Lord (Jean Auditorium @ 5pm, followed by a discussion in the LLC @ 7:30pm)
- 01/24: Lucubrations Open Mic (LLC Classroom @ 7:30pm)
- 01/25: Will the Poor Really Always Be With Us? (Joseph 005 @ 12:30pm)
- 01/25: Philosophy Club discussion on race (Bradley Lounge @ 3pm)
- 01/28: Latinxs, the Bible, and Migration (Perini Lecture Hall @ 7:30pm)
- 01/30: A Talk by Dr. Jennifer Thorn: “Blackness and Boyhood in New England” (NHIOP West Wing @ 1:30pm)
- 01/31: Mary Church Terrell, African American Women, and Suffrage (Dana 1D @ 4pm)
- 01/31: Debate Team public debate on whether or not undocumented immigrants should be granted amnesty (Perini Lecture Hall @ 7pm)
- 02/04: Showing of The Great Debaters (Koonz Theater @ 7:30pm)
- 02/06: Showing of The Climb/L’Ascension (Perini Lecture Hall @ 6pm)
- 02/07: Race and Baseball in the U.S. with a showing of 42 (Dana 1D @ 5pm)
- 02/13: March and Vigil (Abbey Church @ 8:30pm)
- 02/13: Campus Mass (Abbey Church @ 9pm)
- 02/16: CAB Trivia on MLK and Black History (C-Shop @ 8pm)
- 02/21: A Lecture by Debby Irving: “I’m A Good Person, Isn’t that Enough?” (Dana Center @ 7pm)
- 02/22-23: Unity Retreat sponsored by the Intercultural Center
- 02/27: Community Conversation on Race (President’s Dining Room @ 12:30pm)
- 03/20: Conversation on Equity with community partners (NHIOP West Wing @ 6pm)
(Photo from History.com)
The Hilltopper 