The college will host several virtual events aimed to celebrate, educate and encourage the community, Allen said.
“As a proud African American myself, I am happy to be a part of an organization such as Clark State that recognizes and embraces the importance of Black History for not only in the month of February but throughout the year,” he said.
Clark State’s Black History Month virtual events include:
Catch the Mic - Thursday, Feb. 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: This is a poetry slam for students and the community to share their own pieces of work. There will be a total of five scheduled performers. If interested, email allenr1@clarkstate.edu. Readings must be five minutes or less. The Open Mic session at the end of the night will be open to the public and is on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Paint & Sip - Friday, Feb. 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: This event, hosted by the Diversity Committee, will be guided by local professional artist Zuri Cole. Those interest will create a masterpiece suitable for framing, and the college will provide everything needed to create the painting.
NAACP Virtual Meet & Greet - Monday, Feb. 22 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: President Denise Williams of the Springfield NAACP will talk about the history and agenda of the local chapter. Attendees can also share concerns over racial issues in the community. To submit questions, email Tabitha Parker at parkert@clarkstate.edu.
African-American Read-In - Thursday, Feb. 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Choose any text by an African American author or author of African descent and then share your reading experience. This is called a “read-in” rather than a “read-out” to honor the Greensboro sit-ins during 1960′s civil rights protest.
Health discussion - Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.: The college will partner with Mercy Health to discuss health in the black community. The event will include a panel of health experts who will dispel myth from fact in a question and answer session.
For the links to register for all events, visit Clark State’s website under “News” and find the Feb. 5 release about Black History Month.
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