Black History Month 2018

Multiple educational and co-curricular events planned

We encourage you to participate in our celebrations of Black History Month 2018 at Andrews University. This year’s theme is “As It Is In Heaven: The Politics of Jesus.” With the current political climate in the United States as our backdrop we’ll spend time thinking about and discussing our obligations as followers of Jesus through the lens of African Americans, black people in general and the entire African diaspora. In addition, there will be opportunity for worship, celebration and fun.

We’ll begin the month with a special chapel service on Thursday, Feb. 1, with a presentation by Michael Nixon, JD, our first vice president for Diversity & Inclusion.

On Friday evening and Sabbath morning, February 16 and 17, we’ll come together for our special worship celebrations in the Howard Performing Arts Center. Deliverance Mass Choir will present special music at both programs.

There will be three 50-minute short courses (Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.) presented by committee members and Andrews University students Garrison Hayes, Tatum Fowler and Ev Milliner. The topics are The Politics of Blackness, The Politics of Gender and the Politics of Home: Afro-Latinidad. Each Sabbath afternoon there will be a panel discussion at 4 p.m. in Newbold Auditorium. Topics include The Agora: Black Patriotism (Feb. 4) and Justice Labs presented by the Black Student Association of the Seminary.

The Black Student Christian Forum will be hosting a weekly book club on Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m. in the Campus Ministries office, discussing "The Fire Within" by James Baldwin and “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

We’ll wrap up the month with our third annual “Black Like Me, A Comedic Story Slam Event” with special guest Ezekiel Azonwu. We’ll laugh together as students share stories about growing up black.

Please visit the events page for more details and a full list of programming for the month.

Deborah Weithers
Chair, Black History Month Planning Committee