In celebration of black history education, the university also announced Thursday that its Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum has established a summer institute for West Virginia teachers that will help integrate the study of black history in classrooms and provide graduate professional development credits for the educators.
“Marshall University and our Carter G. Woodson Lyceum faculty are proud to present a range of dynamic and intellectually stimulating programs this year,” said Maurice Cooley, associate vice president for intercultural affairs. “From enriching performances to lectures and socially vibrant experiences, there is something for everyone to choose. Marshall is committed to celebrating Black History Month each year. It began as ‘Negro History Week,’ created in 1926 by Dr. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator and publisher. We look forward to our community joining our students, faculty and staff at MU.”
Here is Marshall University’s schedule of events for Black History Month. Please visit www.marshall.edu/woodsonlyceum for updates.
Kickoff Event: “SNAPSHOT,” 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, Room BE5, Memorial Student Center. Carmen Mitzi Sinnott will provide a dynamic performance using scenes from her internationally acclaimed PBS broadcast solo play, “SNAPSHOT.” Dignitaries including Huntington Mayor Steve Williams; Jill Upson, executive director of the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs, who will represent West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice; and others will proclaim February as Black History Month and recognize Woodson’s contributions to Huntington, West Virginia, and the world. Contact Burnis Morris at morrisb@marshall.edu.
Annual Carter G. Woodson Soul Food Feast, 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, John Marshall Room, Memorial Student Center. Cost is $7 for students and $15 for adults. For reservations, contact Cooley at cooley@marshall.edu
“Ain’t I a Woman” Core Ensemble Performance, 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, Joan C. Edwards Playhouse. This work celebrates the lives and times of four significant African American women: abolitionist Sojourner Truth, novelist Zora Neale Hurston, folk artist Clementine Hunter and civil rights worker Fannie Lou Hamer. The performance is sponsored by Intercultural Affairs, Women’s Studies and the College of Liberal Arts, with a reception by the Drinko Academy.
Poverty Simulation, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, Don Morris Room, Memorial Student Center. This program breaks down stereotypes by allowing participants to role-play lives of low-income families. For tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/poverty-stimulation-tickets-52359309103. For additional information, contact Dr. Shelvy Campbell at campbels@marshall.edu.
Carter G. Woodson Lecture, featuring historian Cassandra L. Newby-Alexander of Norfolk State University, 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, Shawkey Room, Memorial Student Center. Newby-Alexander is dean of the College of Liberal Arts, a professor of history, director of the Joseph Jenkins Roberts Center for African Diaspora Studies. She will explain the historical impact of 1619 and commemorate the arrival 400 years ago of the first documented Africans and the largest group of marriageable English women in Jamestown, Virginia. A public reception follows, sponsored by the Drinko Academy.
“Don’t Call Me African” panel discussion, 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, Room BE5, Memorial Student Center. Panelists will explore students’ views about what it means to be African, African American and black. Contact: polk4@marshall.edu.
“City Kids: Urban in West Virginia,” 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the Shawkey Room in the Memorial Student Center. Panelists will discuss personal experiences, challenges and emotions of some young people who have moved to West Virginia. Sponsored by the Center for African American Students and Black United Students. Contact: polk4@marshall.edu
Annual Society of Black Scholars Service Learning Public Presentations, 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, Room BE5, Memorial Student Center. Topic I: “History of Segregation in U.S. Public Schools,” emphasis on West Virginia schools; Topic II: “History of Segregation in U.S. Colleges and Universities,” emphasis on U.S. and West Virginia’s historically black colleges and universities. Contact: cooley@marshall.edu.
Amicus Curiae Lecture Series, featuring the Honorable Robert L. Wilkins, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, Brad C. Smith Foundation Hall. Judge Wilkins served as chairman of the site and building committee of the Presidential Commission that Congress established to plan the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. Wilkins will discuss the century-long struggle to establish the museum. The series is sponsored by the Simon Perry Center for Constitutional Democracy, and this presentation is co-sponsored by the Woodson Lyceum.
Annual Diversity Breakfast, 7:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22, Don Morris Room, Memorial Student Center. Celebrate unity and the importance of a pluralistic society and a world of peace with others. The 2019 theme is “Building Bridges.” For reservations only, contact: cooley@marshall.edu.
Annual Ebony Ball, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, in Room BE5 of the Memorial Student Center. Celebrate Black History Month in style – with a night of great music, amazing food and wonderful people. “Best Dressed” Ebony Ball attendants will be crowned. Please wear formal or “cocktail” attire; the dress code will be strictly enforced. Sponsored by the Center for African American Students, Black United Students and Student Affairs. Visit the Center for African American Students office for more information.
“African American Genealogy Day,” 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, Cabell County Public Library, 455 9th St. MU Libraries and Cabell County Public Library are hosting this event with speakers, hands-on activities and research time. Contact: Public Library, 304-528-5700 to register (max 25 people).
A.E. Stringer Visiting Writers Series, 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, Don Morris Room, Memorial Student Center. Award-winning, Columbus, Ohio-based author Hanif Abdurraqib will read from his work and participate in a Q&A and book-signing.
Carter G. Woodson: The Early Years, Thursday, Feb. 28, WVU Tech, Beckley. Speaker: Burnis Morris, Carter G. Woodson Professor, Marshall University. Contact: sdrobertson@mail.wvu.edu
About the new summer institute for educators
Marshall’s new summer institute, called “The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum: Integrating the Study of Black History in School Curricula,” is being funded through a grant of $17,100 from the West Virginia Humanities Council and a commitment of more than $40,000 from lyceum resources in cash and in-kind contributions. It is the second lyceum institute funded through collaboration with the West Virginia Humanities Council to assist teachers seeking advanced study in black history and literature.
“This institute provides instruction in a much-needed area,” Morris said. “We’re still playing catch-up in putting the study of black history on equal footing with other chapters about history and literature. Woodson believed there was just one history, and African Americans were mostly left out. He didn’t want separate histories for blacks and other races – just one history that includes all people.
“We’re still addressing that problem,” Morris said. “Black history is now more popular than ever, but few educators and their schools have been properly prepared in this area. As a result, black history has not been fully integrated into school curricula in most places. However, most educators I know want to learn more about black history, and we plan to give them tools to be successful in their classrooms.”
The institute emphasizes the teachings of Carter G. Woodson, who was a graduate of Douglass School in 1896 and its principal from 1900 to 1903, before he became an international figure and was recognized as the “Father of Black History.” The lyceum’s previous institute was offered to the state’s teachers in 2017.
Twenty educators will be selected for the program, and they will study Woodson, black history, black literature and how to incorporate black history in their programs. They will also visit historic sites in the area. All sessions, except field trips, will take place on Marshall University’s Huntington campus June 17-21 and will be taught by national experts, including Marshall University faculty members and local historians.
The lyceum’s funding includes the teachers’ tuition for three graduate credits and provides them with a stipend of $500. Teachers will be required to commute to Marshall, collaborate with their instructors and peers, and create lesson plans for sharing with other educators on the lyceum’s website. Several lesson plans from the 2017 institute are available at www.marshall.edu/woodsonlyceum.
Applicants should apply at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L5VV8JB by 5 p.m. March 15, 2019. Questions should be addressed to Burnis Morris, Carter G. Woodson Professor and director/co-founder of the lyceum, at morrisb@marshall.edu.
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About the Lyceum
The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum has been assisting educators with their school curricula since 2016 and serves as a forum that provides opportunities to address this and other education issues, race and a free press in ways inspired by Woodson’s teachings. Woodson was a Huntington educator and West Virginia coal miner who is recognized as the “Father of Black History” throughout the world. The lyceum was created as a joint project of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications and the Drinko Academy at Marshall University.
This project is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.