Published Friday, February 4th, 2022
Events include movie screenings and topical conversations during the month of February. Events are free and open to the public.
Wayne State and the Office of Multicultural and International Programs will present four special events to mark Black History Month at the college during the month of February. The events are free and open to the public.
The first event will be the screening of the movie “Little” at 5 p.m., Feb 7, in Gardner Auditorium in Gardner Hall. “Little” is a film about a woman who is transformed into her younger self at a point in her life when the pressures of adulthood become too much to bear.
There will be two events on Feb. 16. The first will be at 11 a.m. in the Student Center Atrium. Students will be provided with art kits to use to paint portraits of Black historical figures.
The second event on Feb. 16 will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Niobrara Room in the Student Center. The Office of Multicultural and International Programs will present the first of its Courageous Conversation series, which are conversations intended for biracial or multi-racial and mixed race students at Wayne State College. Multi-racial students are the second largest minority population among current students at WSC. Courageous Conversations will be an organic, diverse, mixed environment where attendees can be themselves, have a voice, and have ideas and concerns valued.
“The Office of Multicultural and International Programs is committed to celebrating mixed identities and embracing contradictions while fighting for a world beyond ‘othering,’” said Dr. Everette Oredein, Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion at Wayne State. “We serve the community through recognition of our space, the right to self-definition, and a commitment to social justice.”
Conversation topics will include challenges in the lives of multiracial students; racial devaluation; how race affects personal development; not feeling wanted and/or accepted; confusion of self identity through the merging of two distinct cultures; and where do you fit in.
The third event of the month, “Women of Color Rock,” will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Niobrara Room of the Student Center. Women of color is a phrase used to describe female non-whites. The political term "women of color" surfaced in the violence against women movement. In the late 70s it unified all women experiencing multiple layers of marginalization with race or ethnicity as a common issue. Topics to be covered at the event include BeYOUtiful: Living as You Are; I Am Not Your Superwoman; Debunking Women Having to Take Care Of Everything; I Got Your Back: The Importance Of Sponsorship And Having More Women In Executive Leadership; What’s Wrong With Being Confident?; Wear Your Crown with Pride; and Networking: Creating Your Own Beehive.
The final event of the month will be the screening of the film “Girls Trip” at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28 in Gardner Auditorium. “Girls Trip” is a story about “four lifelong friends who travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival. Sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling, and romancing to make the Big Easy blush,” according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).
For information: Edi Hernandez, coordinator of Multicultural and International Programs, at 402-375-7112 or [email protected].