Month features African-American history, culture

One of the appliqué patchwork and embroidered flags of the Fante people of Ghana, on display beginning Saturday in an exhibition at the Johnson Museum, shows a visualization of the proverb "The monkey leaps only as far as it can reach" or look before you leap.

By Jill Goetz

Black History Month is about "just recognizing the fact that African-Americans as a people made major contributions to American history and culture," says Margaret Washington, associate professor of history at Cornell. "However people choose to remember that is pretty much up to them."

The choices have been many this month for members of the Cornell community, with programs ranging from exhibits at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art to a colloquia series at the Africana Studies and Research Center. Listed below are upcoming Black History Month events; except where noted, all are free and open to the public.

As in the past, the capstone event of Black History Month is the Annual Festival of Black Gospel, Feb. 21 to 23. (See story.)

The Africana Center's Spring Colloquium Series is under way, with the theme of "Black Women: Creativity and Struggle." The Wednesday series is held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the center's Hoyt Fuller Room, with upcoming talks as follows:

• Feb. 26, "Race, Gender and the Law," with Lauren Austin, director of the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission;

• March 12, "Gender, Race and Welfare Reform in the United States," Josephine Allen, associate professor of human service studies;

• April 2, "The Polemics of Womanist Theology," Patricia Kaurouma, visiting associate professor of Africana studies; and

• April 16, "Sojourner Truth: Writing the Life of a Legend," Margaret Washington, associate professor of history.

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum is hosting several exhibits and programs:

• Feb. 15-March 30: "ASAFO! African Flags of the Fante," an exhibit of the richly symbolic banners and flags produced by the Fante people of Ghana; on Feb. 20 at noon, Cornell graduate student of Africana studies Diane Butler will lead a tour of the exhibit;

• Through March 9: "Gendered Visions: The Art of Contemporary Africana Women Artists"; on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m., Cornell assistant professor and exhibit co-curator Salah Hassan will lead a tour of the exhibit; and

• Feb. 15: "Kuumba: Africa Day," a celebration of African music, games, storytelling, food, fashions and more, noon-4 p.m. Click here to read the story.

Also, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy will screen two more films with Africana themes this month: Blue Eyed, on Wednesday, Feb. 19; and All God's Children, on Wednesday, Feb. 26; films are free and begin at 5 p.m. in the Engineering Library of Carpenter Hall.

On Feb. 16, Cornell's Sage Chapel will feature a talk by William Gipson, university chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania.