This February marks the United States' 80th Black History Month. Carnegie Mellon kicked off its celebration of black history with a candlelight vigil observing the recent death of Coretta Scott King, the wife of late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the University Center and a town hall meeting on the state of diversity at the University sponsored by Student Government and Student Affairs.

This year's Black History Month is sponsored by minority-centered student organizations, Student Government, Student Affairs, and is coordinated by Emily Half of Student Affairs.

Half said that having student organization participation is refreshing.

"We usually have strong student involvement, but this year we had more student organization involvement," said Half. "We had a lot of co-sponsorship that I had not seen before."

This year's events and programs include workshops, lectures, on-campus and off-campus activities, movies, shows, and discussions. Roberta Burke, a CFA sophomore, will perform Minor Entity in the University Center this upcoming Sunday, February 12. Burke explained, "Minor Entity is a movement and dance piece about the true story of a young black woman dealing with the realities of racism, betrayal, and reconciliation at Carnegie Mellon University."

CAUSE (Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy) is sponsoring Dr. William P. Jones on February 17. Jones is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee specializing in African American history, the history of civil rights, and economic justice. Jones will be discussing his new book The Tribe of Black Ulysses: African American Lumber Workers in the Jim Crow South, which focuses on the cultural history of the African American industrial labor force in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Alabama.

One of many formal affairs is the Black Caucus Reception on February 24, which features keynote speaker Dr. Barney J. Wilson, a CIT alumnus and the current director of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. The event is hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha, the Black Graduate Student Organization, the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students, the National Society of Black Engineers, SPIRIT, the Tepper Black Business Association, Student Government, the Carnegie Mellon Black Alumni Association, and the Division of Student Affairs.

On February 27, Invisible Children will play in McConomy Auditorium. Invisible Children is a documentary about the plight of Ugandan citizens. A discussion will follow led by Griffith Matthews, an alumnus of CFA. The film has been shown on the Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and the National Geographic channel. The film has also been shown internationally.

Overall, there are more than 20 events happening throughout the month. To find a more detailed schedule of events, visit the Student Affairs website or contact Emily Half.

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