Students plan activities for MLK Day, Black History Month
Friday, January 17, 2020 10:00 AM
News, People and Society
Pittsburg, KS
In conjunction with Pittsburg State University’s Office of Student Diversity, the Black Student Association will once again host a formal event to celebrate civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and is planning several activities throughout February in recognition of Black History Month.
The MLK Jr. Ball will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, in the Overman Student Center Crimson and Gold Ballroom. Dress will be formal.
“The event celebrates the life of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Emely Flores, assistant director of Student Diversity Programs. “This event is about fostering diversity and engaging with one another.”
Admission is free. The event will include light refreshments, a DJ and dance, a photo booth, speeches, and performances.
Other upcoming events include:
Monday, Feb. 3
Students, staff, and faculty are invited to wear all black all day for “Black Out.”
Tuesday, Feb. 11
The 5th Annual Gospel Explosion will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Sharon Kay Dean Recital Hall in McCray Hall. The event will feature Bishop Walter Simpson of Lighthouse Temple, musician and PSU music alumna Arlecia Elkamil, and Pastor Adrian Goodlow of the Church of the Living Word.
Thursday, Feb. 13
Black History Month Trivia Night will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in Room 107 Grubbs Hall. Flores said it will be a fun night full of entertaining and educational facts about Black History in America, and is open to the campus and community.
Tuesday, Feb. 25
"Race Project KC: Using Local History to Activate Empathy and Combat Racism," will be held as a brown bag lunch session from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Meadowlark Room of the Overman Student Center. The featured guest will be Angel Jewel Tucker, youth services manager at Johnson County Library in Overland Park, Kansas. She will lead a discussion on Kansas City and the root of the existential racism in real estate practice.
Motivational speaker Monti Washington will present from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Overman Student Center. The product of a one-night stand, Washington was abused in foster home after foster home and was raised sleeping in parks. Despite the adversity, he went on to earn two college degrees, become a state basketball champion, award-winning poet, nationally recognized actor, and co-founder of a non-profit organization aimed at inspiring youth. His presentation is co-hosted by the Gorilla Activities Board.