January 25, 2007

Variety of events planned for Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, Northwestern has scheduled a variety of events during January, February and March. Northwestern’s celebration will include lectures, musical and theatrical events, a photography exhibition, documentary screening and African mask-making workshops.

The following events are free, unless noted, and open to the public:

• Harambee, “Let’s Pull Together,” 5 p.m. Jan. 28, in Norris University Center, will mark the beginning of Black History Month with food, jazz, art and theater performances.

• The Evening Dialogue Series with Nitasha Sharma, 7 p.m. Feb. 1, at African American Student Affairs, will feature a discussion on why some Asian Americans use black popular culture to express their alliances with blacks as people of color. The lecture will highlight the political possibilities of “hip hop” culture for forging inter-racial alliances across the color line.

• “The Art of UTRIBE, Mask-Making Workshop,” 4 to 6:15 p.m. and 6:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 8, in Norris University Center underground. Mitch Melson Jr., founder of UTRIBE, will conduct two individual African mask-making workshops using 21st century concepts and recyclable materials. The fee per workshop is $5 and includes all materials and light refreshments. To register, call (847) 467-7112.

• The award-winning documentary “The Murder of Emmett Till” will be screened at 4 p.m. Feb. 9, at Fisk Hall. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s coordinating producer and alumna Laurens Grant.

• The Imani Winds will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, at Lutkin Hall. This Grammy-nominated multicultural wind quintet mixes European, African, Latin American and American traditions to highlight the culture and heritage of the African Diaspora. The ensemble will hold a free master class at 11 a.m. Feb. 10 at Regenstein Hall. Tickets for the evening concert at Lutkin Hall are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens; and $4 for full-time students. To order tickets by phone, call Pick-Staiger Concert Hall at (847) 467-4000.

• Hank Klibanoff, co-author of “The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle and the Awakening of a Nation,” will speak on the topic at 4 p.m. Feb. 12, at the McCormick Tribune Center Forum. Klibanoff has reported on the civil rights movement in Mississippi as well as international events in Europe and the Middle East. He is the managing editor for news at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• The exhibition “Stories of the City,” by the Sixth Street Photography Workshop, opens Feb. 14, and continues through March 16, at the Dittmar Memorial Gallery. The exhibition will feature a collection of photography from San Francisco’s “Skid Row,” as well as Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods. The photos were taken by members of these communities and illustrate the creative style and the story of those surviving the city’s impoverished conditions.

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For updated events information, go to www.northwestern.edu/aasa/calendar.html.