Black History Month at Centenary College of Louisiana
As February comes to an end, the Centenary Conglomerate takes a look back at all of the events aimed at highlighting Black History Month. Various organizations around campus, such as the Black Student Union and Red River Poetry Society came together to celebrate Centenary’s Black students during this month.
From Feb. 1 – 6, the Robinson Film Center hosted CineNOIR: Black Voices in Film – a weeklong festival whose goal was to showcase local Black filmmakers and stories across the Black Community. In addition to presenting 7 short films and 2 independent features, the Robinson also showcased Book of Eli (2010), The Last Dragon (1985) and Higher Learning (1995). Following the showing of Higher Learning, BSU’s secretary Kennadi St. Clair and Vice President Makayla, sat down with CineNOIR’s co-curator Kristi Woodard to discuss their experiences as Black students at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) and the relevance a film that addresses rape culture, financial barriers to higher education, racism, and white nationalism still has to this day.
Following CineNOIR, BSU hosted a chapel service with Centenary Football’s Coach Dawson with the theme “Small Steps Big Blessing” on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Later that evening, with the help of the Hurley School of Music and Red River Poetry Society, students gathered at the Meadows Museum of Art for the ‘Celebration of Black Composers and Poets’, to perform songs and read poems created by Black artists.
The year-round Museum installation celebrating 200 years of Centenary College also includes information on the first Black students to attend Centenary, its first Black tenured professor Dr. Andia Augustin-Billy; Steve Pitters, the first Black Centenary athlete, and the story of James Thomas Jones, a student who attended Centenary over landline during his time battling polio in an iron lung.
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dr. Latoya A. Pierce hosted “Finding Black Joy: Healing through Self Compassion” in Kilpatrick Auditorium, an event that taught listeners how to find joy during unprecedented times such as these. As Black people often find themselves ignoring their trauma in favor of seeming “tough” or “unbreakable”, talks like this help remind Black students to take care of themselves and their feelings. Tuesday, Feb. 25 was Black History Trivia Night, where faculty, staff, and students can test themselves on their knowledge of historical Black events and figures.
The Conglomerate also highlighted influential Black writers and journalists such as Ida B. Wells, journalist, educator, and a founder of the NAACP, Ethel Payne, “the first lady of the Black press”, and Max Robinson Jr., the first African American broadcast network news anchor and journalist.
Friday, Feb. 21 was the 3rd annual Souperbowl! BSU partnered with Northside Hall Council to provide free soups and educate students on the history of Black athletes in the NFL like Doug Williams and John Walton. They also presented on the NFL’s relationship with DEI, namely their decision to change the message emblazoned at the end zone from “End Racism” to “Choose Love”.
To close out the month, as part of the ongoing Feminisms series, BSU will watch Diary of a Mad Black Woman at their next general board meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Directed by Tyler Perry, it follows a woman working to put her life back together after her husband of 18 years suddenly divorces her.
In short, February was jam-packed with events celebrating Black history, joy, art, and entertainment. Organizations across campus came together to amplify an important but often ignored culture. But there is something to note: while Centenary College made admirable strides to center Black students this February, it’s important to never fall into complacency.
Now, more than ever, it’s important for students, faculty, and staff to consciously uplift the marginalized voices that are too often ignored and overlooked. The Black voice, experience, and culture is something to be celebrated and amplified year-round, not just for a single month. As tensions around representation and diversity brew, it is important that Centenary stands strong in its commitment to uplift all of its students and give them a space and platform to have their voices heard.
