L&C Celebrates Diversity During Black History Month

Lewis and Clark Community College is celebrating Black History Month with a
variety of activities and events in February. All are open to the public and free of charge, unless
otherwise noted.

Feb. 4
• The film “Mannie Jackson: From Boxcar to Boardrooms,” which has been produced by
two award-winning producers for the Big Ten Network, will debut at 7 p.m. on Monday,
Feb. 4, at the Wildey Theatre, before airing on national television Feb. 17. Former
Edwardsville resident Mannie Jackson has selected his hometown as the location for the
national premiere of the documentary about his life. Lewis and Clark and the Mannie
Jackson Endowment and Center for the Humanities will host the premiere event. Seating
is limited, so those interested in attending should reserve a free general admission seat
in advance by logging on to www.lc.edu/manniejackson.
• The Charles Drew blood drive, a Red Cross blood drive devoted to fighting sickle cell
anemia, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4 in The Commons. Community
residents are encouraged to donate.

Feb. 6

• Seattle-based filmmaker Eliaichi Kimaro, a mixed-race, first-generation American with a
Tanzanian father and Korean mother, will speak about her experiences at noon and then
again at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6 in Trimpe 141. When she grew up and had an
interracial relationship of her own, she wanted to better understand the world her father
had left behind when he was 18. When he moved back to Tanzania, Kimaro followed him
to make a film about this culture she would one day pass down to her kids. For more
information, call Jared Hennings, Black Student Association adviser, at (618) 468-6400.

Feb. 7
• Guest speaker and architect Maurice Thames will focus on factors contributing to his
successful career at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in Reid Memorial Library.
• A screening of the film “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth” will take place at 12:15 p.m. Thursday,
Feb. 7 in Trimpe 141. Pruitt-Igoe was a large urban housing project first occupied in 1954
in St. Louis. Living conditions in Pruitt-Igoe began to decline soon after its completion in
1956. By the late 1960s, the complex had become internationally infamous for its
poverty, crime and segregation. Its 33 buildings were torn down in the mid-1970s, and
the project has become an icon of urban renewal and public-policy planning failure.
Contact: Louise Jett
(618) 468-3220
ljett@lc.edu
Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who designed the complex, also designed the World
Trade Center towers and the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport main terminal.

Feb. 11
• The CeeJazz Soul Band will play from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Feb.11, in Reid
Restaurant. Lead vocalist Cheri Evans will sing a variety of tunes covering jazz, soul and
rhythm and blues.

Feb. 13
• The Spirit of Angela Dance Troupe will perform from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 13 in Reid Restaurant. The troupe will implement an interactive dance
performance featuring traditional West African drumming, artifacts and performance.
Students will participate by learning various dance techniques.
• Judy Hoffman will present a lecture on local history entitled “Fugitive Slaves and Free
People of Color Communities” near Alton at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 13 in Reid
Memorial Library. For more information, call Kelly Obernuefemann, associate professor
and coordinator of History, Political Science and Geography, at (618) 468-4767.

Feb. 16
• Celebration In Song, a musical journey demonstrating the impact gospel music has had
from the early years to the present day, will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16 in the
Benjamin Godfrey Memorial Chapel. Featured performers will include praise dancers
from Morning Star Baptist and Bread of Life churches and well-known soloists including
the mother-daughter duo Sheila and Marqueta Goins, Pamela Keys, Phyllis Banks and
pianist/vocalist Skip Clanton. Rev. Diana Connors-Williams, pastor of Alton Community
Church, will emcee the event. Ticket cost $7 per adult and $3 for ages 12 and under.
Admission for L&C students is free.

Feb. 18
• The St. Louis Black Repertory Company will perform at noon Monday, Feb.18 in the
Benjamin Godfrey Memorial Chapel. The community is invited to come witness “The
Day The Waters Came,” a powerful and moving depiction of New Orleans in the midst of
Hurricane Katrina.

Feb. 20
• The Mike & Brian Duo will perform from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, in
Reid Restaurant. Mike Fitzgerald and Brian White offer a contrasting and integrating
blend of sax and guitar, effortlessly playing every one’s favorite tunes from multiple
decades.

Feb. 22
• Assistant Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr., from the Springfield Division of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, will discuss topics ranging from his education and
career path, the history of agents of color in the FBI and investigatory practices and
policies used to partner with local law enforcement related to crime prevention at 10 a.m.
Friday, Feb. 22 in Reid Memorial Library.

Feb. 25
• Pizza, poetry and music will fill the Underground Connection at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb.
25. The art of Spoken Word evoked by Louis ‘Confliction’ will mix poetry with upbeat
tempos and phrases involving stories of life and emotion.

Feb. 27
• A Comedy Xplosion will take place at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb.27 in Reid Restaurant.
Three professional comedians headlined by St. Louis comedian Princeton Dew will cause
uproarious laughter during the lunch hour.

Feb. 28
• Don’t miss the Underground Railroad Bus Tour at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28.
Participants will explore some of the various locations throughout the Riverbend area
where slaves sought refuge as they escaped the South. Tour guide J. E. Robinson will
provide the history and perspective of these noteworthy sites. For more information, call
(618) 468-6400.

• The Alton African-American Oral History Project will run nightly on Charter Cable 989.
The project will feature a montage of profiles illuminating a variety of people who
contributed greatly to the fabric of our community. Some of those highlighted include –
Josephine Beckwith, Norval Cox, Hazel Killion, Joseph Berry, Grace Monroe and James
Bailey. The series will air throughout the month mostly at either 7 or 8 p.m. until Feb.
28.

Throughout the month, WLCA 89.9 FM and WBGZ Radio 1570 AM will feature the profiles of
Black American Moments from our nation’s history recorded by college employees and
community members. Some of the personalities include President Barack Obama, Oprah
Winfrey, Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Maya Angelou.

More like this: