---

BY LINDA HOU

In print | Published February 18, 2010

Last year, Bridget Boakye ’12 said that Black History Month was an eye-opening experience for her.

“I particularly remember a performance by KuluMele, an African dance troupe from Philadelphia, and the way in which the performance opened a space for me to comfortably dance,” said Boakye, president of Swarthmore African Student Association and Black Cultural Center alumni relations intern.

Yet, according to Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs Darryl Smaw, this February there is a decrease in both the number and range of events for Black History Month, partly due to the former Director of the BCC Tim Sams’s departure for NYU Abu Dhabi earlier in the semester.

“[Black History Month] will not be as large and broad as it has been in past years because of the transition that has taken place,” said Smaw, who is now committing half of his time to the BCC until a new director is hired. “Also, we have to look at the cutback of funding for the events.”

Vianca Masucci ’13 said that she hasn’t seen any advertising for Black History Month.

“A celebration of BHM remains to be seen at Swarthmore and [the event] hasn’t been acknowledged by either students or faculty. … I haven’t seen any advertisement for anything,” Masucci said. “That’s a shame at a community like Swarthmore, where diversity is valued.”

BCC House Coordinator Marsha Davis ’10 said that it seems like there are less events “due to the way they have been advertised.” However, she did say that there is less diversity this year in the range of programs.

“If you compare the diversity of last years events to this year, you will see a difference,” Davis said. “But in terms of focusing on the number of events, though Black History Month is a time set to publicly celebrate the black community, it should not be viewed as the only opportunity to do this.”
Last year, there were ten events related to Black History Month. This year, there are eight, with one event — a Black Power Panel — canceled due to snow.

Half of the events for Black History Month this year are sponsored by the Coalition for Free Haiti. There was a National Moment of Silence for Haiti and a Haiti Sing-a-Long Parlor Party last Friday, and there will also be a film screening of “Potomitan” and a Tri-Co Haiti Charity Ball.

Jacqueline Bailey-Ross ’12, a member of Students of Caribbean Ancestry and the co-founder of Coalition for Free Haiti, said that she had also noticed the lack of events. Bailey-Ross said that for her, the earthquake in Haiti diverted her attention from Black History Month.

“I think Black History Month this year has been sparse in events,” Bailey-Ross said. “The Haiti relief has shifted my focus and moved from events about black history to Haiti.”

Bailey-Ross said that all events related to Haiti have an informational aspect. “Potomitan” is a film about women in Haiti, and the Charity Ball will also have a speaker and a student presentation.

“It’s all going to be educational and all the events will be based on awareness,” Bailey-Ross said.

Two of the events come as a part of the “Back to Black — Celebration of African and African American Film” series, which is co-sponsored by the Black Studies program and the Film and Media Studies program and paid for by McCabe Library. The program shows one film each month between September and May, with the exception of two films shown in February.

This month, both “Homecoming — Sometimes I am Haunted by Memories of Red Dirt and Clay” and “Living the Hip Life” were shown, followed by discussions moderated by faculty members.

Associate Professor of History and Black Studies Coordinator Allison Dorsey said that she chose these two films especially for Black History Month due to their importance.

“Black land ownership has allowed the African American community to have economic and family stability,” Dorsey said of Homecoming. “Black families came out of slavery with nothing and brought land and held land for several generations, and that brought stability and community. … That’s one of the themes of survival and that’s perfect for Black History Month.”

Dorsey also said that the Ghanaian theme in “Living the Hip Life” relates to Swarthmore’s study abroad program in Ghana.

Living the Hip Life was screened on Feb 16, with the film’s producer, Haverford’s Assistant Professor of Anthropology Jesse Shipley as one of the two moderators.

“[Living the Hip Life] looks at the relation between pan-Africanism and political change and ideas of black empowerment and how it relates to social-economic culture,” Shipley said. “It’s also just interesting music. Americans are so focused on American music, even if it’s alternative, and they don’t really look beyond the borders, and I think [African music] is something they should look at.”

Potomitan will be shown from 7 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 25 in Sci 199. The Haiti Charity Ball, which is still looking for more sponsors, will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Feb. 26 in Upper Tarble.

Achieving Black and Latino Leaders of Excellence (ABLLE) will also be hosting a variety show at Olde Club titled “Amateur Night At The Apollo” from 8 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 25.

“With the Night at the Apollo, it’s really trying to bring together people,” Co-Advocate of ABLLE Javier Perez ’13 said. “We definitely don’t see enough of these events on campus; we are able to make sure that the people of color are definitely making our presence known here.”

---

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »