CSUMB's Black History Month adds fun to the mix

By Walter Ryce

In February Cal State Monterey Bay will again become a hub of Black culture and celebration. 

That’s owing to the faculty, staff and student members of the Black History Month committee who have been planning a full lineup of events for the campus and the public. 

Jeremias Zunguze, an associate professor of ethnic, gender and Africana studies, is a member of the committee. 

In addition to suggesting keynote speakers, he helped curate a slate of free film screenings at CSUMB including 2019’s "Harriet," showing at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, in Building 12, home of the Helen Rucker Center for Black Excellence.  

“Our students and the public, in general, need to learn that Africans and the African diaspora are not collectors of trauma but the architects of history,” he said. 

Other films in the line up include "School Daze" by Spike Lee, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and the Spanish-language "La Suprema." 

On Feb. 27, there will be a blood drive and awareness event for sickle cell anemia -- a blood disease that disproportionately affects Black people -- from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Building 12. 

Not all the BHM events are about awareness, consciousness or struggle. Black History Month, like the culture it spotlights and celebrates, is also just fun and jubilant. 

On the 12th, from 6 - 9 p.m., the Otter Student Union ballroom will be stocked with snacks, enlivened with DJ music, outfitted with a portable rink, and transformed into Roller Skate Night. 

At a recent meeting of the BHM committee, members threw out music suggestions including by Beyonce, Earth Wind and Fire, Doechi & Tyler and others to get the party jumping.  

“Roller skating is a big thing in the African American community,” said student and committee member Chrystina Utley. “It was really big for us during the Civil Rights Movement and gave our people a chance to express themselves creatively." 

Attendees can bring their own roller skates or rent a pair (you have to be wearing socks), and up to 35 skaters are allowed on the rink at a time. Even when not skating, people can dance or eat or soak up the fun vibes. Not bad for a Wednesday. 

And that’s not even counting one of the signature events of Black History Month, the All Black Gala, 4 - 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, in the Otter Student Union ballroom. It’s a formal event in which attendees are encouraged to wear black, gather to network and honor local history and leaders, and hear the keynote speaker Dr. Lori Patton Davis, professor in the Education and Leadership Department at UCLA. 

It’s also a fundraiser for the Helen Rucker Center programs that boost Black student success. 

“[Black History Month] is more than Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks,” said Victoria Mills, the Helen Rucker Center director and affinity centers coordinator. “Black history in America started before slavery. It’s tied to everything. It’s a foundation of this country.”

For more information about CSUMB’s Black History Month celebrations, see the Events webpage.