Black History Month is celebrated at DePaul with events throughout the month – from speaking engagements to a production in the Theatre School – but for those involved, the significance transcends the limits of the 28-day span.

“I believe that Black History Month is more than about celebrating the accomplishments of the great black leaders that came before us,” said JoAnna Fernandez, a student assistant in the African and Black Diaspora Studies department at DePaul. “Black History Month should be a time of reflection and criticism, especially after the re-election of President Obama.”

Many of the events at DePaul will focus on past and present African-American leaders. Francesca Royster, an English professor at DePaul, will speak about the musical group P-Funk Feb. 11. P-Funk was a fusion of the music groups Parliament and Funkadelic, led by George Clinton. Although the funk band’s peak performance days were in the 1970s, its influence lingers in hip-hop, rock, psychedelic and soul music today, inspiring artists such as Snoop Dog, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Outcast, Prince and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“Their songs were sometimes explicitly political, writing about black ghetto culture and everyday life; about sex and about racism in the music industry; and also about rebellion, self-expression and survival,” said Royster. “What I’ll focus on in my talk is the way that the band presented new versions of black masculinity – what I call ‘non-normative heterosexuality’ for its listeners – and provided a way for listeners, men and women, to rethink relationships, sex and desire through music.”

For those who have never heard of P-Funk, Royster recommends listening to the song “Flashlight.”

The Theatre School is also paying homage to Black History Month with their new play “Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy.” The story is fictional, but the historical context is not. “Lizzie Bright” follows the story of Turner, a reverend’s son who lives in Maine in 1912, and an African-American girl named Lizzie Bright who lives on nearby Malaga Island. As their friendship grows, so too does racial prejudice in the community.

In 1912, the culturally diverse residents of Malaga Island were evicted. Some were sent to a eugenics asylum, others to the Maine School for the Feeble- Minded. The rest were sent to the mainland to the city of Phippsburg, Maine. The story of discrimination did not surface until a few years ago.

“Storytelling can illuminate the struggles of individuals that may have never been known,” said Francesco De Salvatore, the dramaturge for the DePaul production, who was in charge of researching the historical context for the actors. “While ‘Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy’ is a fictional story about the friendship of two youths, it still reveals some truth about what occurred over 100 years ago.”

Although the story takes place in 1912, De Salvatore emphasized its relevance to society today.

“(It) is not just a play about the oppression of colored people, but more so a calling for all of us to find a way to coexist in a manner that does not leave those already marginalized by society to have their livelihoods ripped away,” he said.

Black History Month at DePaul is both a nod to the past and a reflection on the present. The significance of the celebration is important throughout the year, but February provides DePaul students with the opportunity to learn a little more about black history and its influence today.

“It’s a time to be thankful for what we have and where we have come, but more importantly a time to find the answer to how we can become greater,” said Fernandez. “This should always be the goal, but especially in February.”

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Ways to celebrate:

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