For Black History Month, celebrated annually in February, DePaul hosts a series of lectures, forums and readings to celebrate the month.
The events, sponsored by the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, are an extension of the university’s Martin Luther King Jr. series.
Below is the list of events taking place in February.
“Superman, Black Man, Me: A Stage Essay” by Jonathan Kitt
Friday Feb. 7
3 – 5 p.m.
2350 N. Racine Ave., 301
A One-Man show written and performed by MFA alum (class of 2010), Johnathan
Kitt. Through humor and storytelling, “Superman, Black Man, Me” insists “all Black
men are Superman, they just don’t know it yet…” directed by Dexter Zollicoffer
Black History Month Lecture
Thursday, Feb. 13
3 – 4 p.m.
Lincoln Park Student Center, 325
Jakobi Williams will speak on the subject of his book “From The Bullet of The Ballot; The Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party and Racial Coalition Politics in Chicago.”
“N” by David Alex
Friday, Feb. 14
3 – 5 p.m.
2350 N. Racine Ave., 301
Staged reading of David Alex’s “N.” The play is set in an urban city where a young white artist rents a room from an elderly and socially conservative African-American woman. Directed by Jason Beck. Followed by light reception
Annual Forum on Race
Saturday, Feb. 15
1 – 3 p.m.
DePaul Center, 8005
In this event, attendees will discuss the issues and problems that stem from institutional bases like political systems and governments, communities, religion and economic organizations. The forum is a partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago, the Chicago Mayor’s Office Council on Diversity, School for New Learning and the OIDE.
Civic Engagement Today: Learning from the Civil Rights and Immigration Movements of the 20th and 21st Centuries
Thursday, Feb. 20
12 -2 p.m.
14 E. Jackson Blvd., 1601
With guidance from DePaul students and faculty, students at Michele Clark STEM High School will research principles in U.S. Civil Rights and immigration movements, culminating with a presentation of the findings. Students, faculty and activists from Afghanistan, Kenya, Taiwan, Ireland, Tanzania and Mexico will participate via teleconference.
Slavery as a Backdrop
Friday, Feb. 21
3 – 5 p.m.
2350 N. Racine Ave., 301
Student written and directed short pieces that explore the use of slavery as a back
drop in plays such as “Whipping Man” and films such as “Gone with the Wind,”
“Django Unchained” and “12 Years a Slave.”
SANKOFA: 40 Years of Black Experience at SNL
Friday, Feb. 21
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
DePaul Center, 11th Floor
A meet and greet and networking event School for New Learning students, faculty, staff and the larger DePaul community. The SNL SANKOFA project will be unveiled as well, a project that recognizes and celebrates diversity in SNL during its 40 years.
“Hate Crimes in the Heartland” A Documentary Screening
Tuesday, Feb. 25
7 p.m. screening; 7:45 p.m. discussion
CDM Theatre | 14 E. Jackson, lower level
A screening of the film that explores the media’s coverage of hate crimes over the past 90 years in Tulsa, revealing the extreme racial tension in America’s heartland as told through the eyes of
survivors of the 1921 Race Riot and the 2012 “Good Friday Murders.” A discussion with filmmaker Rachel Lyon and Rev. Jesse Jackson will follow.
More than a Month: A Film
Friday, Feb. 28
3 – 5 p.m.
2350 N. Racine Ave., 301
African-American filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman traveled the country interviewing people from all walks of life asking the question throughout – “should Black History Month be ended?”
Obama and the Oscars: Lights, Camera, Nationalism
Friday, Feb. 28
4 – 7 p.m.
Richardson Library, Rosati Room
Academics, critics and film programmers will come together to discuss the production, distribution and marketing of films during President Obama’s second term, an atmosphere that’s lead to many films tackling slavery and racial discrimination of the American past. Speakers include: : George Elliott Clarke (E.J. Pratt Professor
of Canadian Literature at the University of Toronto and William Lyon Mackenzie
King visiting professor of Canadian Studies at Harvard University), Jasmine Cobb
(assistant professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University),
Charles Coleman (film programmer for Facets Cin?