Aspects of African-American life, past and present, will be spotlighted during February as Bowling Green
State University’s Bowling Green and Firelands campuses celebrate Black History Month.
The 12th annual Black Issues Conference, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Bowen-Thompson
Student Union, will take as its theme "The Content of Our Character: Overcoming Oppression and
Moving Forward."
Hosted by the Black Student Union and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the conference will include a
keynote address by the Rev. Jamie Washington, founder and president of the Washington Consulting Group
in Baltimore and former longtime higher education administrator. Among the day’s panelists is BGSU
Trustee Col. John Moore Jr. For more information, call Chad Coates at (419) 372-9645.
The month’s events begin Thursday with a new history of the civil rights movement presented by Dr.
Danielle McGuire of Wayne State University.
In "At the Dark End of the Street: Sexual Violence and the Civil Rights Movement," McGuire will
trace the roots of the movement to the systematic rape of black women by white men in the South, along
with economic intimidation, and Rosa Parks’ role in the freedom movement as an NAACP investigator. The
free talk will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. in 308 Union.
Civil rights activist Cheryl Brown Henderson will explore the legacy of Brown vs. Board of Education,
from 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Cedar Point Center auditorium at BGSU Firelands.
In a look at a popular culture phenomenon, Dr. Angela Nelson will discuss "It’s a Mad, Mad, Madea
World!: Tyler Perry, Urban Theater, and Black Popular Culture" from 11 a.m. to noon on Feb. 17 in
207 Union. An expert on black popular culture and media, Nelson will examine the success of Perry’s
gospel music stage plays as part of black religious culture in the U.S. Nelson is past chair of the
popular culture department and acting chair of ethnic studies. Her talk is also part of the Popular
Culture Colloquium Series.
On Feb. 26, the College of Musical Arts Festival Series presents "Selections from ‘Porgy and
Bess," at 8 p.m. in Kobacker Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center. It will feature the Bowling
Green Philharmonia and soloists from the College of Musical Arts. Tickets range from $12-$30; call the
box office at (419) 372-8171 to order. For more information, visit
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/music/events/festival.html.
The dilemma of infant mortality in the African-American community will be discussed at noon Feb. 9 in the
Women’s Center, 107 Hanna Hall.
The final Black History Month event will be a talk on the impact of war on girls and women in Sudan, at 7
p.m. Feb. 28 in the Gish Film Theater in Hanna Hall.
For a full listing of the month’s activities, visit http://www.bgsu.edu/blackhistorymonth/page75931.html.