By Michelle Loria Alvarado
Contributor
Trevecca will kick off Black History Month with several events until April with the theme “Many cultures, one community.”
The goal is to be intentional about celebrating experiences outside of the dominant culture at Trevecca which can lead to a more healing community, said Terrence Schoefield, ASC provost for mission excellence and reconciliation.
“People hurt in isolation and a lot of times when you get in a community and have those social conversations..you understand about the experience [of other cultures],” he said.
Black History Month is celebrated in February to appreciate African American culture and commemorate those in history who fought for the equality of races.
Trevecca’s Diversity Council and Walen Club will host multiple events from the beginning of February until the month of April to celebrate African American culture.
“Black History Month is an opportunity, but not the only opportunity for the university campus to really embrace cultural experiences, because we want to do that with all of our cultures,” said Iris Gordon, director of the Neighborhood Empowerment Program at the Center for Social Justice.” We’re not just trying to be cross cultural, which means that we have various cultures that show up on campus. We want to be intercultural. So that means that I want to have opportunities where I am sharing with my Hispanic friends their culture whether it’s Hispanic month or not.”
Several events are planned throughout the rest of the semester with the goal of creating a stronger community.
“We have much more in common than we do differences. We just do, right? And God created us for community and he didn’t create us just for isolated community, but for collective community,” said Gordon. “So I believe whenever we do these intercultural experiences where we get to literally taste the culture of another. It shouldn’t be enough for us to just experience that, we should look for opportunities to connect to that in a more personal way. I really think that’s how we all celebrate our individual culture and particularly our collective culture.”
Chapel services during Black History Month
Chapel together with Walden will host a movie night on Monday, Feb. 5 in the Boone Convocation Center at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
On Tuesday, Feb. 6 at Boone Convocation Center from 9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m., James Hambrick, Chief Security Officer at Trevecca, will lead the Diversity Chapel.
Zack Church and friends will offer a Civil Rights Tour of historic locations in Nashville. The dates will be Feb. 15, 24, and 27. Students will need to sign up for a time slot to attend. The link is found on the iAttended app. Those who register need to be at Bud Robinson at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Transportation will be provided
On Tuesday, Feb. 20 at Boone Convocation Center from 9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m., Karla Winfrey will speak at chapel. Winfrey is a multimedia professional and partner of the family’s business, Winfrey Foods.
Students will receive chapel credits for attendance at these events.
Voices of Tomorrow
This will be a leadership workshop with community leaders that will be held on Thursday, Feb. 15 at the President’s Dining Room in Jernigan from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Annual Black Renaissance
This year’s Black Renaissance will occur on Friday, Feb. 16 at Boone Convocation Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be food, entertainment, shopping, and more.
“I’m just hoping that people can learn from Black culture through local entrepreneurs and that they have a good time, learn from the Black culture, and just be able to see the creativity, the hard work that these vendors have put to their craft,” said Maya Smith, Walden’s Black Renaissance event coordinator.
Out-of-Campus Events
Dr. Jemar Tisby will speak on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at Brentwood United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m. After the speaking, there will be a Q&A session with Tisby. Admission is free but registration is required. The link to register is the following: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-special-evening-with-jemar-tisby-tickets-777064309267
Social Justice & History club will offer students the chance to visit the African American Music Museum for free on Wednesday, Feb. 7 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Transportation will be provided and students who plan to attend need to meet at Bud Robinson.
On Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Nashville Public Library from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. students will be able to experience the Civil Rights Room. Transportation will be provided and those who plan to attend will need to meet at Bud Robinson.
Historical Scavenger Hunt
During the last week of February, a historical scavenger hunt will take place on campus, where students will get prizes. More details about this event will be provided closer to date.
Black History Month outside of February
Beyond February, Diversity Council seeks to appreciate Black culture throughout the year.
“I would say the way students can contribute to Black History Month is to look for opportunities outside of February,” said Gordon.
On Thursday, April 4 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Diversity Council will show the movie “The Color of Care” and host a panel discussion at the end of the movie. The location will be provided closer to date.
Diversity Council and Walden seek to appreciate the African American community through diverse ways and hopes for student engagement.
“I think being at the events it’s a great way to learn about Black history,” said Smith, “Also, we would love for students to volunteer. We really need a lot of students, especially Black students.”
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