Black History Month Celebrated

The Teaneck-Hackensack Campus is planning a trip to America’s first Black History Wax Museum in Baltimore, Md., on Sunday, February 24. This unique museum, committed to the study and preservation of African-American history, was established in 1983.

The museum boasts a full model slave ship exhibit to tell the story of the 400-year history of the Atlantic slave trade. Scenic displays highlight ancient Africa, the Middle Passage, the Antebellum period, Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights era and the present. During February, the museum is mounting an exhibit in honor of the father of Black History Month, Carter Woodson. There is a $5.30 fee plus the cost of lunch for this trip. 

The Teaneck-Hackensack Campus also featured an opening ceremony with the University Inspirational Gospel Ensemble and several landmark films. In addition, a performance experience, “African Resurrection,” will use song, story and dance to celebrate African-American culture. This free event will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 22, in the Student Union Building Cafeteria. 

In addition, Edward Williams Gallery is presenting the work of six African-American artists in “Believe,” an exhibit, focusing on the history and the future of the United States’ multicultural, multiracial society. It runs through February 22.

Black History Month at the Florham-Madison Campus is being celebrated with two special lectures. Rutgers University professor of history Deborah Gray White will be on campus on Monday, February 25, to discuss “From Mule to Bag Lady: Black Women Face the 21st Century.” Her lecture is at 1 p.m. in Lenfell Hall, the Mansion. White is the author of Ar’n’t I A Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South; Too Heavy A Load: Black Women in Defense of Themselves, 1894–1994; and Let My People Go: African-Americans 1804–1860. This lecture is free and guests are welcome.

Early in February, Judith Weisenfeld, associate professor of religion at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y, discussed “Saturday Sinners and Sunday Saints: African-American Religion in Race Movies.” She edits The North Star, an electronic journal devoted to the history of African-American religions, and served as co-editor of This Far By Faith: Readings in African-American Women’s Religious Biography.
For specific information on these events, consult the What’s Happening calendar in print or on the Web.

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