Events at Missouri State University in connection with Black History Month will feature a historian with emphasis on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and a panel about multicultural love.
The university announced a lineup of events scheduled throughout February that highlight Black Americans’ contributions in the arts, including music, fashion, performance. A handful of them, including the presentations, are open to the community.
“We’re excited the office of multicultural programs can provide an opportunity for communities to come together and honor the achievements, culture and especially the resilience of Black people,” said Nina Barudzic, director of multicultural programs, in a press release. “We’ll have various programs and events on campus to educate, inspire and promote awareness of the significant role Black individuals have played in shaping our society and the world.”
Speaker Karlos Hill will be the university’s Black History Month speaker, and will be featured at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 at Plaster Student Union.
Hill, an associate professor of African and African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma, is the author of “Beyond the Rope: The Impact of Lynching on Black Cuture and Memory,” “The Murder of Emmett Till: A Graphic History” and “The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: A Photographic History.”
He is a frequent commenter on issues of race, equity and social justice in news reports, according to a biography. His research focuses on how Black people in America have resisted racial violence across different eras, and how their resistance methods have changed.
The subjects of the two latter books have been featured in movies and TV shows. Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy whose lynching became a keystone in the civil rights movement, was portrayed in 2022’s “Till,” while the Tulsa Race Massacre featured prominently in HBO’s “Watchmen.”
Other events include:
- A panel discussion about multicultural love will be presented at 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at Plaster Student Union. The panel will include people of varying generations and nationalities.
- Two basketball games will include a celebration of Black history: The men’s game vs Belmont on Feb. 3, and the women’s game vs Bradley on Feb. 29.
