January 26, 2006

Black History Month; Events pay tribute to black institutions

Celebration in February, March includes mask-making, literary read-in, art exhibition, jazz concert in honor of Ella Fitzgerald, sketch comedy and fashion show

By Judy Moore

Northwestern has scheduled a variety of events during February and March in honor of Black History Month.

It is a period that commemorates the past achievements and ongoing contributions that African Americans and people of African heritage have accomplished.

This year’s national theme is “Celebrating Community: A Tribute to Black Fraternal, Social and Civic Institutions.”

Northwestern’s celebration includes a discussion; African mask-making classes; a literary read-in; lectures; a cultural festival; an art exhibition; a jazz concert honoring jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald; a sketch comedy show; a fashion show; a program featuring urban poetry and the revolutionary prose of black poets of the 1960s and 1970s; and a choral concert.

All of the events are open to the public. Most of the activities are free, and will be held on the Evanston campus.

“Harambee: Let’s Pull Together,” 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, Norris University Center, Louis Room, Evanston. The Black History Month kick-off event will feature food, entertainment and socializing.

Shades of BLACK: “Ethnicity and Identity at NU and 3rd World Vibrations,” CaribNation’s Black History Series, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, African American Student Affairs, first floor conference room. A discussion by two Northwestern students — bi-racial Kim, who is from Chicago’s South side and who prefers to socialize with blacks, and James, who is Nigerian, and has nearly an all-white circle of friends. Dinner will be served.

“The Art of UTRIBE – Mask Making Workshop,” 4 to 6:15 p.m. and 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, Norris University Center, Artica Studios. Chicago artist Mitch Melson Jr., founder of UTRIBE, an artistic approach “to remember the past, know the present and imply the future,” will conduct two free workshops on African mask-making. Space is limited. To register for one of the workshops, call (847) 491-2348 or register online at www.dittmar.northwestern.edu.

The Seventeenth Annual National African American Read-In, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, Dittmar Memorial Gallery, Norris University Center. In an effort to make literacy an important part of Black History Month, participants will have the opportunity to read from a book by their favorite African American author for five to 10 minutes.

“Learning from the History and Lives of Black Women,” 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, Women’s Center. Historian and scholar Darlene Clark Hine, Board of Trustees Professor of African American Studies and History at Northwestern, will connect experiences from the lives of African American women throughout history with contemporary life.

Cultural Fest, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, McCormick Tribune Forum. A celebration of the African Diaspora of Mexican culture will focus on the history, music and cuisine of the Afro-Mexican tradition.

Terry Dixon, “Jazz on Canvas” exhibition, Feb. 15 to March 19, Dittmar Memorial Gallery, Norris University Center. Chicago artist Terry Dixon infuses African art, abstract expressionism and a love for jazz music into a series of contemporary bold and vibrant paintings. An opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23 will provide art lovers a chance to meet the artist and be entertained by a campus jazz trio. The exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public. For more information, call (847) 491-2348 or visit www.dittmar.northwestern.edu.

“Exquisitely for Ella: A Songbook Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Jeff Lindberg’s 42-piece Chicago Jazz Orchestra will join forces with vocalists Frieda Lee, Dee Alexander and Spider Saloff to pay tribute to one of the most beloved singers by performing the best of her “Songbook” recordings, as well as the songbooks of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington and Harold Arlen. Call Pick-Staiger Concert Hall at (847) 467-4000 for tickets, which are $25 for the general public; $21 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $12 for full-time students.

“Out Da Box,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16; 8 and 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17; and 8 and 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, Shanley Pavilion. The African American Theater Ensemble will present a night of sketch comedy. General admission is $5.

African Students Association’s 6th Annual Fashion Show, “A Night of Pageantry: Tracing the Elegance of a Pure Society,” 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, McCormick Auditorium, Norris University Center. Admission is free.

Dr. Alexa Canady Visits Northwestern’s Chicago and Evanston campuses, noon, Hughes Auditorium, Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center, Chicago campus; and 7 to 9 p.m. Jacobs Center, Evanston campus. Retired neurosurgeon Alexa Canady, has been honored for her work as the first female African American neurosurgeon in the United States.

Keynote speaker: bell hooks, 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, Ryan Family Auditorium, Technological Institute. Feminist, social thinker, memoirist, intellectual and teacher bell hooks has written more than 24 books including “Yearning: Race, Gender and Cultural Politics” and “Ain’t I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism,” which was named one of the 20 most influential women’s books of the past 20 years by Publishers Weekly.

Café Noir, “The Poets of Revolution,” 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, Dittmar Memorial Gallery, Norris University Center. The African American Theatre Ensemble will blend today’s urban poetry with the revolutionary prose of the black poets of the 1960s and 1970s to produce energetic and upbeat performances. Refreshments will be served.

Northwestern Community Ensemble Winter Concert, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4, Cahn Auditorium. The 35th Anniversary Northwestern Community Ensemble Winter Concert will feature several special guests, including a nationally renowned gospel recording artist.

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For updated information about these and other Black History Month events go to the African American Student Affairs Web site at www.northwestern.edu/aasa/inswx.html#bhm, check the bi-weekly Northwestern Observer events calendar or go to Plan-It Purple at www.planitpurple.northwestern.edu.