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Page 4 BLACK INK February 24, 1983 Craige dorm observes Black History Month by Ron Ricci Special to the Ink Across the country each year during the month of February, colleges and universities, elementary and secondary schools, and churches and social organizations celebrate National Afro-American History Month. On the UNC campus, three resident assistants in Craige Dormitory are bringing the celebration — better known as Black History Month — to life for Carolina students. Donna Epps, Kim Nickelson and Zollie Stevenson, all graduate student, have put together a month-long list of events to commemorate black history. "We organized the activiteis because black people have made significant contributions in American history that are not acknowledged," says Epps. "I feel you can't talk about American history without talking about black history." The first event of the program was the film. Black History; Lost, Stolen and Forgotten, which was hosted by comedian Bill Cosby. The film examined the treatment of blacks in American history; in particular, it looked at the distorted image of blacks in the arts and history books. "We are not even fully aware," says Nickelson, "of how excluded we have been in textbooks, or how distorted our image has been in motion pitures or writing. So the movie was very appropriate in pointing them out." The conception of Black History Month began 68-years ago with black historian Carter C. Woodson. For the same reasons as Nickelson pointed out, Woodson was concerned about black history. For him, if a "race did not have a recorded history, its achievements would be forgotten..." The first observance, known then as "Negro History Week Celebration," had a goal of instilling black Americans with a sense of pride and accomplishment as well as informing the general public of black America's past. The Craige celebration has the same goals, "We have a couple of goals," says Epps, "we want to make the people in Craige and the general community more aware of the cultural uniqueness of blacks and also to get black people more involved in the areas where they live." Following the film, an Evening of Culture, which was a night of music and art, was planned for Thursday, Feb. 17. The evening featured the Black Student Movement Gospel Choir, and readings by Craige residents and the BSM Ebony readers. The rest fo the calendar includes a colloquium with Dr. Colin Palmer, chairman of the UNC Afro-American Studies Program. Palmer will delvier on Thursday, Feb., 24 a speech on "Recurrent Issues in Black History in America," with a discussion period following the talk. Two days later, A Soul Food Tasting Fair is scheduled to precede a dance in the Craige Coffeehouse. "The soul food tasting night is just a tasting of food that blacks traditionally — especially in the south — grew up on," says Nickelson. In addition,-'a bulletin board in the main lobby of Craige will point out some of the accomplishments of blacks in the arts, and also explain the plight of blacks throughout history in America. "We'd like ail of these events to fit together," says Nickelson. "We have art, music, dance, an intellectual session and a movie. This covers just about everything within our limits." Three years ago, former President Jimmy Carter wrote of Black History Month: "To understand the present, to solve its problems and meet its challenges, we must understand our history. Through this annual observance, you have helped give young people the knowledge of their roots and the facts of their proud heritage." Epps summed up the point Carter made, and the one Woodson made six decades earlier. "It's a good reminder," she says, "that you can never really rest and you can never assume that somebody is picking up where you left off." United Christian Fellowship’s 10th annual banquet Saturday March 26, 1983 7:00 p.m. Holiday Inn Speaker: The Reverend Milton Lewis Price $15.00 $25.00 4 Edna Davis does her job and does it well Davis, who Is from Garysburg, answers the phone and does other desk duties at Craige dormitory, photo by Stanley Woodley Black History Month A History Celebration by Debra Lewis Staff Writer The month of February is pro claimed as the National Afro- American (Black) History Month. The primary purpose is to instill within blacks a sense of pride and accomplishment and to inform the public about black American's history by highlighting achieve ments and contributions made by blacks. On Sept. 9, 1915, Carter G. Woodson, founder and intiator of Black History Month, along with several other colleagues establish ed the Association of the Study of Negro Life and History. The pur pose of this organization was to preserve and maintain black American heritage. Members of the Association believed that significant changes in social actions and intermingling among whites and blacks could oc cur by altering negative images of blacks. They also believed that once people were exposed to the truth, their attitudes and behavior would ultimately change. Activities of the Association was limited to scholars and educators in the beginning, but a Negro History Week Celebration was at tempted in order to get others in volved around the country; the first being in 1926. The celebration was such a success, that Black History Month has been celebrated every year during the month of February. Martin Luther King, Jr., a black Baptist minister who led the first mass civil rights movement in U.S. history, was one person who had similar views to Woodson. King achieved world-wide ac claim when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964 for his appreciation of nonviolent resistance. King believed that God was an active, personal being. He thought that man's salvation was not found in social wealth, but in the faith that man has in God to guide him. King was convinced that non violent resistance was the best device available to opressed peo ple in their fight for freedom. He regarded himself as a "drum major' for justice, peace and righteousness. He never gave up the conception that nonviolence was the only essential way to pro gress nor in his belief that all Americans would some day ac quire racial and economic justice. King also did not take for granted the future of his leadership or of the causes for which he fought.
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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