By: Delaney Hayden, Asst. News Editor
Black History Month, observed in February, celebrates the achievements and contributions of African Americans. It began as a week-long event in 1926 and later expanded to a month. It serves as a time for education, reflection and celebration of Black history, culture and resilience.
At Canisius University, the ALANA Student Center and the History club are holding several events in honor of Black History Month. The ALANA Student Center “provides African American, Latinx American, Asian American and Native American (ALANA) students with various services that help students to succeed at Canisius and after they graduate. [They] strive towards the campus community goals of fostering, respecting and exploring cultural differences.”
ALANA is hosting an “Express Yourself: Black History Month” creative contest where students are able to submit their own original creative pieces that celebrate Black culture, history and identity for a chance to win “exclusive Canisius merchandise.” Students can submit “original essays, stories, art, music, videos, poetry and more.” The submission form for this contest states, “The top 5 submitted original works will be unveiled on the ALANA Social Media page, and each participating student will be awarded a free Canisius merchandise as a token of appreciation.”
The Canisius University History Club, alongside the ALANA Student Center, is also hosting a series of movies and events for Black History Month. The first event that was already held was a streaming of the movie “Lincoln” on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Library Learning Center. This event includes an information session about the early history of African Americans in America and the fight to legally end slavery.
The second event took place in the Library Learning Center on Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m., and it was a showing of the movie “Selma.” This film follows “the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition”, according to IMDB.
The third event will be trivia night with a chance to win wings and gift cards.
The events these clubs are holding will educate people on some of the history of African Americans fighting for justice and equality in the United States. On the flyer for the events, ALANA and the History Club included this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The time is always right to do what is right.”