Barry McNamara  |  Published February 03, 2023

Black History Month Events

Activities on February schedule include film discussion, men’s retreat, entertainment.

MONMOUTH, Ill. – Black History Month events at Monmouth College, sponsored by its Champion Miller Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, kicked off Feb. 2 with the first of three film discussions.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: The schedule of events kicked off Feb. 2 with the first of three film discus... BLACK HISTORY MONTH: The schedule of events kicked off Feb. 2 with the first of three film discussions. Clips of the documentary Who We Are: The Chronicle of Race in America were shown and discussed at the Champion Miller Center, 727 E. Broadway, and two other movie events will be held in the center from 7-9 p.m. on Feb. 9 and Feb. 16.

On Feb. 9, the topic is the documentary Hello, Privilege? It’s Me, Chelsea, which is available in advance of the discussion on Netflix. On Feb. 16, Selma, which is available on Amazon Prime, will be discussed.

“If you do not have one of the two streaming services, no worries,” said Regina Johnson, director of the Champion Miller Center. “You are welcome to come hang out with any Champion Miller Center intern to watch. The team hopes to have as many new faces in the center as possible.”

The weekend of Feb. 18-19 will be the busiest time of the observance, as several events are scheduled.

On Feb. 18, the College’s Men of Distinction group will host its fourth annual Men of Color Retreat, in collaboration with Cornell College and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest’s Office of Inclusion Initiatives.

The retreat will include breakout sessions led by Hemie Collier, senior diversity officer and director of intercultural life at Cornell; Allen Linton II, director of diversity initiatives for the ACM; and Bryant Smith of Smith Consulting and Networking, a comprehensive training, development and consulting firm.

From 7-10 p.m. on Feb. 18, Monmouth graduate John Stanford ’18 will return to campus as the featured performer for “Speakeasy Night,” an evening of entertainment and music in The Underground in Grier Hall.

“His soulful voice is second to none,” said Johnson of Stanford, who was an active member of College organizations Umoja and Colorful Voices of Praise.

On Feb. 19, the center will be the site for “Soul Food Sunday.” The 1-4 p.m. event will feature an afternoon of food, fun and fellowship.

Two other ongoing events will be held in February, including discussion and reflection on the book Dare to Lead by Brené Browns. For more information on the discussion times, or any of the College’s other Black History Month events, email Johnson at rjohnson@monmouthcollege.edu.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, on Feb. 22, 40 days of social justice devotionals will be featured at the Champion Miller Center.

The campus theme of this year’s Black History Month events is a saying attributed to Greek poet Dinos Christianopoulos: “They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds

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