Black History Month sheds light on stories

African American Affairs is hosting several events throughout February to celebrate Black History Month here at Minnesota State University, Mankato. 

This month, from February 23 to 25, the 46th annual Dr. Michael T. Fagin Pan African Conference will be held. The topic of this conference will be “Closing the Equity Gap in Education: Moving Beyond Conversation Toward Identifying Best Practices.”

While the conference will be held in person, students who wish to attend remotely will have another opportunity March 3-4. 

With events starting as soon as today, with the “Keeping It Real: We’re Tiiired but Resilient,” where students can join virtually or in-person in Centennial Student Union 245 to hear from MSU faculty members about the ways that they are tired while remaining strong. 

African American Affairs is also purchasing tickets to MSU Theatre’s production of Dr. Tim Berry’s “Wounded Healers” which debuts on Thursday at the Andreas Theatre. Students interested in this opportunity can visit the MSU African American Affairs Instagram page to get their ticket. 

The performance involves music and spoken word, and discusses how Black men have used creative expression to persist through neurological trauma that stems from systemic racism. 

With these events and many more, including “It’s the Black Girl Magic for ME!”, “Keeping It Real: Let’s Talk About Graduate School” and a Black History Month Gospel Concert, there are ample opportunities to celebrate and learn. 

For several of the events, there is an in-person as well as a Zoom option to allow for as many people to partake as possible. 

For more information on any of the events listed, or for the Zoom link, take a look at the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion event calendar on the MSU website.