LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Commonwealth University – Lock Haven celebrates Black History Month this February with the efforts from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office (DEI). Students can expect food, trivia, speakers, a Winter Carnival, field trips and more.
“Black History Month means a lot of different things,” said Albert Jones, Chief DEI Officer. “It celebrates African American cultures of not only today’s society, but also the history of America and really the history of the world. It recognizes how we have been able to, as a society and a country, come together and celebrate the accomplishments of great African American leaders within the world.”
Kenneth Hall, the Director of DEI, explained that for decades people have been taught history from “one perspective.” Black History Month is important because “it gives us a richer, fuller picture of history than what we initially learned.”
Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote, “The time is always right to do what is right,” Hall reflects, “Black History Month reminds us that the right thing didn’t always happen.”
Black History Month is also “important for everyone to be educated, feel a sense of belonging, togetherness, and unity within Blackness,” said Mia Swales, Assistant Director of DEI.
Jones and Hall agreed that Heritage Months all have similar purposes as they recognize marginalized groups that have impacted history, but were not credited for their impact.
Hall affirmed that their office has a plethora of culturally based events planned throughout this month for students to build their perspectives.
Swales, Jones, and Hall agreed that these events have been successful with great turnout. They all strongly encourage students to express ideas on the type of events they want to see. “We work hard to make sure that the student experience, for example Black History Month, is built around what you all as students want to do,” Jones said.
Swales, Jones, and Hall are all alumni of Lock Haven University. When they attended the university, the DEI and Multicultural offices were not official. Since having these offices implemented, they acknowledged that there has been progress made on how this month is prioritized and celebrated on campus.
The following events are happening this month:
- Feb. 1 marked the start of the celebration with the “The current landscape of DEI in today’s society” presentation by Jones in the Parson’s Union Building multi-purpose room (PUB MPR).
- Feb. 15 will see students, faculty, and staff come together in the PUB MPR at 6 p.m. for trivia and soul food to celebrate the month.
- Feb. 17 and 18 is the annual Sankofa Conference at the Bloomsburg campus.
- Feb. 20 is Black History Month Trivia at 6:00 p.m. in the PUB MPR.
- Feb. 25 marks a day trip to the African American History Museum. Students will meet at the PUB and depart at 6:00 a.m. Students that are interested in attending must contact Swales to RSVP.
- Feb. 29 marks the close of the celebration with the Winter Carnival taking place from 12-2 p.m. in the PUB MPR.
The DEI office is located in at 134 Ulmer.
Chief DEI Officer, Albert Jones – ajones@commonwealthu.edu
Director of DEI Office, Kenneth Hall – khall3@commonwealthu.edu
DEI Assistant Director, Mia Swales – mxs3279@commonwealthu.edu
Breanna Chicas is a freshman at Lockhaven University. She is a first-year Media and Journalism major. This is her first year working on the Eagle Eye staff. As a writer for the Eagle Eye, Breanna has set two goals for this year: find her voice as a writer and take on writing assignments that push her out of her comfort zone. When she’s not writing, Breanna can be found chilling with her dogs, taking on some sort of crafting project, or working as a server. Breanna hopes to continue to learn about the media and journalism world and find ways to incorporate her own flare into her assignments and projects.
