William & Mary is recognizing Black History Month with a number of events, beginning this Friday.
Items from the True Black History Museum will be on display on Feb. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Sadler Center’s atrium. The exhibit includes more than 1,000 artifacts from the late 1700s to the 21st century. The traveling history museum aims to preserve the history of African Americans and educate visitors about contributions of African Americans to mankind. More about the event, which is sponsored Alma Mater Productions, may be found on its Facebook page.
Alma Mater Productions is also sponsoring a screening of the film “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” on Feb. 21. The event will begin at 9 p.m. in the Commonwealth Auditorium with a 45-minute discussion about the impacts of gentrification in America to provide context for the film’s main theme.
On Feb. 22, the second annual “Stepping Into Excellence Black Expo” will take place 2-4 p.m. in the Campus Center’s Trinkle Hall. Sponsored by the Black Student Organization, E.S.S.E.N.C.E. Women of Color at W&M and the Center for Student Diversity, the expo will showcase work from black-owned businesses from Virginia and student entrepreneurs. People interested in participating should RSVP online by Feb. 12. More information may be found on the event’s Facebook page.
While the aforementioned opportunities are open to the public, some planned events are available just to students. Those include the annual Sankofa Gala hosted by the Student Assembly at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 in Miller Hall’s Brinkley Commons and “The Disconnected Mentalities of the Black Man/Woman” hosted by the Center for Student Diversity on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. at a location to be determined.
For more upcoming happenings at the university, visit the W&M Events calendar online.
