This year celebrates the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, which gave black men and other disenfranchised Americans the right to vote, and the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote.
In celebration of those anniversaries, and looking toward the 2020 presidential election, the University of Alabama’s Black History Month celebration is themed “African Americans and The Vote.”
Dr. Hilary Green, UA associate professor of history in the department of gender and race studies, who serves as co-coordinator of the celebration, said the theme is borrowed from the national Carter G. Woodson organization ASALH.
“This month, we’re talking about that long African American struggle for voting, plus voter suppression, and how we go forward as we move into this election cycle,” Green said. “We have some really good discussions from the School of Social Work, where they’re talking about contemporary issues about voting. There will be a documentary that the Black Student Union is doing, as well as ‘lunch and learns’ on this information.
“In addition, there will be events surrounding our campus’s history on slavery, the Civil Rights Movement and other history that is unique to UA that doesn’t always get talked about.
“Look at the calendar, make sure you attend, and know that these events are open to everyone who wants to learn,” Green said. “It’s not just for African Americans. Black history is American history.”
For a full list of events, which are free unless otherwise noted, go here.
Some of the events during the remainder of the month are:
African Americans and the Vote in Alabama Exhibit: Feb. 1-29, Gorgas Library, Capstone Entrance. Sponsor: University Libraries.
2020 Black History Month Sale: Feb. 1-29. Sponsor: University of Alabama Press.
The Blackout: Feb. 18 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Ferguson Student Center’s great hall. Co-sponsors: The Alabama Student Association for Poetry, Alabama Forensic Council, Black Student Union, Black Faculty and Staff Association Ambassadors, Afro American Gospel Choir, UA Blend, Dynamically Reversing Everything Around Me, NAACP, Capstone Association of Black Journalists.
Black Votes Matter: Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ferguson Student Center ballroom. Features Cliff Albright, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund. Sponsor: Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Movie Night: “Harriet” Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Ferguson Student Center theater.
As I Am: Black Women’s Discussion Group #LetBlackGirlsBeGirls — Sexualizing Black Women and Girls: Feb. 26 at the Intercultural Diversity Center. Co-sponsors: The Women and Gender Resource Center, Black Faculty and Staff Association.
Black Heritage Trivia Night: Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Ferguson Student Center great hall. Sponsor: The Women and Gender Resource Center.
Dr. Ethel H. Hall: African American Heritage Month Colloquium: Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bryant Conference Center, east room A and B. Sponsor: The School of Social Work.
A Town Hall: Policing and Campus Communication Notifications: Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. at John England Jr. Hall. Sponsor: Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
8th Annual Tuscaloosa Africana Film Festival: Feb. 29 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Central High School. Co-sponsors: Edward A. Ulzen Foundation, Afram South Inc., Tuscaloosa Sister Cities Commission, College of Arts and Sciences.
This story originally appeared on the University of Alabama’s website.
