Families & Visitors
<< Back to February 2013 Newsletter
Connecting Over Black History Month
February is Black History Month and your student can raise his awareness by attending campus and community events and discussions. You can also connect with your student over this important theme month by…
- Sharing some trivia questions (see box) to see how much you can educate one another.
- Talking about Black leaders, literary figures, those in the arts/sports/politics, etc. and sharing what you admire about these people and why.
- Asking your student what she is learning about Black history in class or through programs happening on campus.
Not only is Black History Month a cause for celebration, it’s also a chance for education, awareness raising and connection!
Black History Month Questions
Questions:
- Why was February chosen as Black History Month?
- In what year did Black History Month begin (after being Black History Week)?
- Which civil rights leader became the first African-American to make a serious bid for the U.S. presidency when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1983?
- Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Black Studies at Cal. State University, created _______ as a way to unite the African-American community after the Watts riots in L.A.
- Who was known as the “Moses of her people,” helping more than 300 slaves escape via the Underground Railroad?
- Which Black track-and-field athlete won four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, thus derailing Adolf Hitler’s intent to use the Olympic Games as a display of Arian supremacy?
- Which black broadcaster and author hosts his own radio and TV shows?
Answers:
- Because it contained the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men who made a significant impact on Black history.
- In 1976, the celebration was expanded to the entire month of February.
- The Rev. Jesse Jackson
- He created the well-known holiday of Kwanzaa, which is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, in 1966.
- Harriet Tubman
- Jesse Owens
- Tavis Smiley
Our Mission Statement
The Office of Residence Life at James Madison University is committed to designing and maintaining a caring environment that encourages academic success, respect, personal growth and responsibility to one's community.
Quick Links
Photos
