IU celebrates Black History Month with several February events, all of which are key to celebrating and learning about black heritage, IU Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs James Wimbush said.
“It’s good to provide these opportunities to learn about cultures and heritages of people that aren’t your own,” Wimbush said.
The purpose of the month-long celebration is to recognize the diverse cultures in the United States and to teach people who are not from those cultural backgrounds and to foster pride and self-education in those who do come from them, he said.
Wimbush said IU has always been known as an internationally welcoming university. It’s always been known as a university that is accepting to students of all backgrounds — religion, race, gender and sexual orientation, he said.
“It reinforces the notion that we are indeed a university that is welcoming to all,” he said. “It also sends a signal to the whole University and community that we are a welcoming place.”
Wimbush said, in the past, the celebrations have been very well-received by the community. However, he said he expects a higher turnout this year due to the contentious political climate. While he said the events will not focus on current events and political disagreements, the message may be applicable to the current situation.
“We’ve always had the message of one IU,” he said. “That message is still there.”
He emphasized that, while educational, the activities planned for the month of February are also fun for people to participate in and this year may be a little different than previous ones.
Wimbush said while the overall message and goal of the events remains the same, there may be some tweaks in their style and organization due to the new director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, Monica Green.
“This year the activities have her touch,” he said. “For me, the excitement is in observing what she puts together. People who know her have really come to respect her.”
Green has had the position since March of last year, so she was unable to be a part of the previous Black History Month.
In his statement on IU Newsroom, Wimbush said students should celebrate and learn about other cultures throughout the year.
“But it’s also important to celebrate these heritages, not only from a historical perspective but from a contemporary standpoint,” he said in the statement. “That’s why I’m so enthused about the theme for this year’s Black History Month Celebration at IU-Bloomington: ‘IU Black History Made Daily.’”
