Miami Dade College Celebrating Black History Month
Miami Dade College is commemorating Black History Month with a series of college-wide events throughout February.
This year’s theme is the Labor Movement and the collective effort of African American workers who have fought for fair treatment in the workforce.
“The United States would not be the country that it is without the sacrifice, hard work and activism of African Americans and it’s so important to celebrate [and understand] that history and understand, so that we carry that legacy forward,” said Earth Ethics Institute program professional Yadira Capaz, who is part of the Black History Month Committee.
Homestead Campus will host the opening event, Don’t let your past paint your future, on Feb. 5 at 12 p.m. in the Cafe Patio. During the session, students will learn about the Labor Movement’s impact through timelines and paintings that highlight the work prominent African American figures like educator and philanthropist Mary McLeod Bethune did.
“It’s very important for MDC to celebrate Black History Month, because we get to take the time to teach other students and faculty and different people in the community about things that they just haven’t heard before,” said Tamia Monroe, a sophomore at Homestead Campus.
Hialeah Campus will host the 3rd Annual Black History Month Cookout on Feb. 5 at 11:30 a.m., where students can enjoy food, karaoke and games.
On. Feb. 6 at 1:30 p.m., Padrón Campus will present The Art of the Fish Fry (Catfish): A Soul Food Feast. Students will learn how to cook an African American delicacy—catfish—in Room 3407.
West Campus is hosting a Black History Month Concert on Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. in Room 1102. Professors Teresa Mitchell and Alan Ngim will perform classical pieces by Chevalier, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Julio Racine on the piano.
Afterward, the United Faculty of Miami Dade College will bring in artifacts from the Black History Mobile Museum.
“Most of the time when we say ‘Black music,’ we think of hip-hop or jazz and R&B, but there have been musicians since the classical period who were from the African diaspora,” Mitchell said. “We’re reaching back into these periods, where people don’t understand that these contributions have always been there, but they have not been allowed to be seen.”
On Feb. 13, Wolfson Campus is hosting the #DowntownMiami Market & Movie @ Wolfson Campus, at 5 p.m. It will be filled with live music and movies, games and local vendors.
Medical Campus is hosting a Black History Month Fashion Extravaganza on Feb. 19 that will allow students, staff and faculty to show off their African Diaspora attire.
Hialeah Campus will have a cultural discussion focused on African Americans’ labor experience from the 1900s to 2000s in South Florida, led by professor Simeon Richardson, on Feb. 20 at 9:45 a.m. in Room 5101.
“I hope [students] can walk away with a better appreciation of what African Americans went through during that time and how their contributions during that time contributed to the building of South Florida,” Richardson said.
Live Arts Miami and Miami Light Project will present Arms Around America at North Campus’ Lehman Theater on Feb. 20 and 21 at 8 p.m. It will feature real stories from families affected by guns.
On Feb. 25 through 26, Kendall Campus will showcase dance performances like Honoring Labor; Seeking Truth at 12 p.m., directed and choreographed by Michelle Grant-Murray, and the Black Composer’s Recital at 7:30 p.m, coordinated by Wayne Bumpers. Both events will be held in Room 6120.
For more information, or to get a full listing of the college-wide Black History month events, visit https://calendar.mdc.edu/black_history.
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