Berks

Penn State Berks to celebrate Black History Month

READING, Pa. — In honor of Black History Month, Penn State Berks will hold the following events in January and February.

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m., Multipurpose RoomMartin Luther King Jr. banquet for Penn State Berks faculty, staff, students and invited community groups. Seating is limited and attendees must have a ticket to attend. The keynote speaker is Tyshana Rosado, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at Albright College. To reserve your seat, contact Karen Kihurani, multicultural/international counselor, at 610-396-6080 or via email at kek5@psu.edu.Tuesday, Feb. 2, 8:30 p.m., Multipurpose RoomHip-Hop Revolution Party for Penn State Berks students, sponsored by the Black Student Union.Wednesday, Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m., Perkins Student Center AuditoriumSpoken word poet Rudy Francisco will address issues of racial politics, love, domestic violence and religion. This event is free and open to the public. Francisco is the 2009 National Underground Poetry Slam Champion, the 2010 San Diego Grand Slam Champion, the 2010 San Francisco Grand Slam Champion, and the 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion. This presentation is part of the Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life at 610-396-6076.Friday, Feb. 12, 1 p.m., Multipurpose Room, Perkins Student CenterYaba Blay will present "The Lies My Teachers Told Me," an original program created for Penn State Berks. This event is free and open to the public. Blay is a professor, producer and publisher. She is one of today’s leading voices on colorism and global skin color politics. Her commentary has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Ebony Magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2012, she served as a consulting producer for CNN’s "Black in America." She is currently co-director and assistant teaching professor of Africana Studies at Drexel University. For more information, contact Karen Kihurani, multicultural/international counselor, at 610-396-6080 or via email at kek5@psu.edu.Saturday, Feb. 13, 1–6 p.m., Reading Area Community CollegeBerks Multicultural Symposium open to students of all Berks County colleges and universities and Penn State Schuylkill. Yaba Blay will present "The Color of Racism," an original program created for the symposium. Reservations are required; Berks students must register with Karen Kihurani in Room 311 of the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building.

For more information on Black History Month events, contact Karen Kihurani, multicultural/international counselor, at 610-396-6080 or via email at kek5@psu.edu.

Yaba Blay, co-director and assistant teaching professor of Africana Studies at Drexel University. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated January 20, 2016

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