Under the baobab: State College, Penn State commemorate Black History Month

Happy Black History Month, which has been proclaimed by every American president since 1976. This national celebration evolved out of Black History week established in 1926 by the historian Carter Woodson. He noted that African American contributions “were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them.”

Woodson concluded that “race prejudice is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of the false instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind.” He chose the February dates because they coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

This year in State College, Mayor Ezra Nanes issued a proclamation honoring the struggles and accomplishments of African Americans. Borough Council President Evan Myers read a supportive statement that spoke to the timeliness of the proclamation considering historical and present circumstances. Accepting the proclamation on behalf of the community, Leslie Laing, Terry Watson and Gary Abdullah made inspiring remarks.

Around town

The latest example of imaginative and groundbreaking programs at the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State was “What Does Purple Sound Like,” a multimedia art installation/performance “nonshow” presented by Sydnie L. Mosley Dances at Eisenhower Auditorium this past week. It was performed by a mix of professionals from New York and community folks who workshopped with them for several weeks. For the finale the artists invited audience members to join them in a structured ritual from the “Purple Universe,” which creatively illuminated the reality of women, older adults, and Black folks in central Pennsylvania. Locals in the production included Sharon Frost, Pheolyn Hayes, Jacqueline B. Jones, Mariana Kammoun Shehadeh, Ann Van Kuren, Diane Spokus, Stephen Mariner, Jeffrey Martin, Grace Hampton and Carmin Wong.

The Housing Coalition presented their second annual “Gimme Shelter” benefit concert. Sponsors were the State College Community Land Trust, Centre Safe, The Centre County Youth Service Bureau, Out of The Cold and Housing Transitions. Performers included Biscuit Jam, The Nittany Knights, Jason O, (frontman for My Hero Zero) and Eric Ian Farmer, who was accompanied by Mickey Klein, Jake Puzycki and Rick Hirsch. Jeff Brown was the emcee.

A post-conviction relief hearing to determine whether Subu Vedam will be granted a new trial based on the discovery of new evidence was also held this week. Subu has been imprisoned for over four decades. He was found guilty of murder by an all-white jury that relied primarily on circumstantial evidence. Defense attorney Gopal Balachandran pointed out that there is a major conflict in the caliber of the suspected murder weapon: “I think the evidence shows that Subu is innocent.” A large crowd came to support Vedam’s effort to gain his freedom.

The Paul Robeson Cultural Center (PRCC), Black Caucus and the Black Graduate Student Association will sponsor the second annual Black History Month Fun Friday in Heritage Hall at the HUB-Robeson Cultural Center on Feb. 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be free food, games and music by DJ Bennie. Also at the HUB on Feb. 20, PRCC will collaborate with the Black Emotions Advocate Team (BEAT) and the Black Male Leadership Symposium to present “Brother You’re On My Mind,” a program designed to engage attendees in conversations centered around de-stigmatizing mental health, increasing mental health awareness and promoting therapy. The keynote speaker will be PSU alumnus Johnnie Geathers.

Penn State Sustainability and WPSU are hosting an online screening of “Fire Through Dry Grass” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, followed by a panel discussion. The film details the experiences of disabled African American artists in a New York City nursing home trying to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film highlights disproportionate impacts on communities of color.

And congrats to our dear friend Dean Marie Hardin, who will become president of Quinnipiac University in July.