Celebrating Black History Month at NCCU

Posted January 31, 2024, 3:02PM

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is set to host an insightful series of events throughout February 2024 in Durham, spotlighting significant moments and figures in African American history. 

The curated activities by the C.A. Jones History Club and Earlie E. Thorpe History Graduate Association, in the NCCU Department of History, and the Department of Music will promise an enriching experience featuring lectures, panel discussions, movie screenings and musical performances. 
 
Key events include:   

  • *Thursdays, Feb. 1,8,15, 22 & 29, 7 – 10 p.m.: Eagles Nest Jam with NCCU Jazz Studies Program. Missy Lane’s Assembly Room, 310 E. Main St., Ste. 100. Purchase tickets here

  • Friday, Feb. 9, 6 – 8:30 p.m.: Movie screening of “The Burial,” starring Jamie Foxx as NCCU alumnus and attorney Willie Gary. Miller-Morgan Auditorium, 530 Nelson St. 

  • Tuesday, Feb. 13, 4 – 6 p.m.: "Florence Price, Marian Anderson, and Womanist Networks in Classical Music Communities" lecture by Lydia Bangura, a doctoral student in music theory at the University of Michigan. The discussion will center around the music of Black women by prompting students to listen to, imagine and learn to hear Black women’s music. C. Ruth Edwards Music Hall, Room 202, 698 E. Lawson St.  

  • Thursday, Feb. 15, 6 – 7 p.m.: "Seeing Race Through Soccer: Honduran Footballers and the Myths of Mestizaje" lecture by Joshua Nadel, Ph.D., professor of Latin American history. The discussion will highlight the myths of Mestizaje in the context of Honduran soccer. Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 305, 113 Eagle Campus Dr. 

  • Saturday, Feb. 17, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Book Talk: “A Long Tradition of Excellence: NCCU vs. NCAT, More Than Just a Game” with authors Charles Johnson, Ph.D., NCCU Department of History chair, and Arwin Smallwood, Ph.D., chair of the History and Political Science Department at North Carolina A&T State University. Both will share their journey researching and writing “More Than Just a Game,” which examines the 100-year football rivalry between NCCU and NCA&T. Join the virtual discussion here.  

  • Tuesday, Feb. 19, 6 – 8 p.m.: "Healing Backwards: How Tracing My Gullah Geechee Roots Led to Personal Liberation" lecture by Tyanna West ’23. She will discuss her journey of discovery, researching and writing a master’s degree thesis on her Gullah Geechee ancestry. Edmonds, Classroom Building, Room 207, 113 Eagle Campus Dr. 

  • Wednesday, Feb. 21, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.: “Black Klansman” movie screening, which captures the life and legacy of retired police officer Ron Stallworth. Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 203, 113 Eagle Campus Dr. 

  • *Wednesday, Feb. 21, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.: The String Queens, a dynamic trio based in Washington, D.C., will perform at the Historic Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville St. Praised for its authentic, soulful and orchestral sound, the group creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel and imagine. Purchase tickets here

  • Tuesday, Feb. 27, 6 – 7:30 p.m.: "Grace P. Campbell's Insight into Abolition Democracy" lecture by Lydia Lindsey, Ph.D., associate professor of history. Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 207, 113 Eagle Campus Dr.

  • *Wednesday, Feb. 28 - Thursday, Feb. 29, 8 p.m.: The NCCU Department of Theatre and Dance Presents: "The Mountaintop" by Katori Hall. NCCU Theatre, 1707 Fayetteville St. Purchase tickets here

  • Thursday Feb. 29, 6 – 8 p.m.: Book Talk: “Emmett J. Scott: Power Broker of the Tuskegee Machine” with editors, NCCU Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs David H. Jackson Jr., Ph.D., and Assistant Vice Chancellor of International Relations and Community Engagement Will Guzmán, Ph.D. The discussion delves into the life of Emmett J. Scott, who served as chief of staff, adviser, and ghostwriter to Booker T. Washington. Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 207, 113 Eagle Campus Dr. 

For a full listing of NCCU Black History Month events, visit https://www.nccu.edu/events. For more information about the university’s Black History Month events, contact Charles Johnson, Ph.D., NCCU Department of History chair, at 919-530-6271 or [email protected].  

*Event is ticketed.  

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