Assumption College Announces Black History Month Events

January, 2003—The following events and celebrations will take place at Assumption College in commemoration of Black History and African American Heritage Month.

January 31—The kick-off event of the African American festival begins with the Taste of the Nations gathering at 7:30 pm in the Hagan Campus Center. Come join us as we sample food and drink from various African cultures. Music from Decades by Dezyne will entertain guests as they taste the many cuisines. At 10:00 pm, a Steel band called Calypso Fantasia will perform at the campus’ pub, capping off the evening. Tickets for the Taste of the Nations are $20 per person and $30 per couple and can be reserved by contacting the Office of Public Affairs at (508) 767-7160.

February 6—The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) is pleased to sponsor “Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks” video and discussion. The movie will be shown at 8:00 pm in the Hagan Campus Center. Behind every great protest movement is a community of citizens whose courage and dedication lead the charge for social change. "Mighty Times" revisits a familiar historical event and finds new stories that introduce new heroes. In the film, boycott participants and witnesses are joined by their sons, daughters, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews to tell this inspiring story more vividly than ever before. The film presents the birth of the Civil Rights Movement as more than a mere history lesson for the classroom but also as a model for young activists who are looking to make a positive change in their communities.

February 13—The Second Baptist Worcester Choir will perform a concert at 7:00 pm in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

February 21—The OMA is pleased to announce the BLACKOUT Arts Collective for a 7:00 pm performance at Charlie’s café.
BLACKOUT Arts Collective (BAC) is a non-profit organization that advocates and practices collaborative self-expression through the arts and education, as a means of activism and empowerment for artists and communities of color. BAC utilizes the arts as a tool to address both social and economic issues, and to develop viable solutions to the struggles facing communities of color. Members of BLACKOUT include teachers, social workers, psychologists and health practitioners whose field experience and training are channeled directly into BACs programming.

February 25—The Office of Multicultural Affairs is sponsoring a showing of the movie “Remember the Titans,” at 8 pm in the Hagan Campus Center.
It's the summer of 1971 and racial integration has arrived at Alexandria, Virginia's T.C. Williams High School. The first institution affected by the ruling is the Titans football team, with Herman Boone (DENZEL WASHINGTON), a black coach, being brought in to replace Coach Yoast, the longstanding, successful and well-respected white coach.
Although hurt by his sudden demotion, Yoast decides to stay on as Boone's assistant, mainly to keep his white players from quitting the team and thus jeopardizing their chances of continuing in the sport. As such, the two coaches call a reluctant truce and take their players off to summer training camp. There, Boone hopes to integrate the white players with the new black players, into one cohesive team where race has no bearing. Despite facing varied reactions from those around them Boone and the team set out to prove that as a cohesive and disciplined unit, they can overcome any diversity thrown their way as they set out for another victorious football season.

The events previously listed are free and open to the public. Assumption College, in its continuing efforts to promote diversity, will also be sponsoring educational opportunities for its students. Although they are not open to the public, they are very much a part of our celebration of Black History and African American Heritage Month.

February 3—The Office of Multicultural Affairs will celebrate the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Sheep with decorations and murals celebrating Chinese culture. Students can have their names written in Chinese and placed on a mural by contacting the Office at (508) 767-7100.

February 22—The “Food for Thought” program is sponsoring a trip to Boston to walk along the Black Freedom Trail, leaving from the College at 11:00 am. The trip is open to all first-year students, but seating is limited.

February 27—The Office of Student Life is sponsoring a diversity training workshop called “Exploring Multicultural Issues in Leadership,” at 7:00 pm in Hagan Center Hall. The workshop is being led by Arthur Jackson, the Vice President for Student Life at Westfield State College and is only open on an invite-basis.