UIS announces virtual Black History Month events

Events listed below are open to the general public. To find the full list of student events, visit the Diversity Center's website. 

UIS 2019 File Photo

The University of Illinois Springfield is celebrating Black History Month during February with a variety of virtual events designed to educate and raise awareness. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Still We Rise.” The following virtual events are free and open to the public.

The Status of Black Lives Matter: A Shift in Policy, Culture, Justice, and Reform
Recording available Monday, Feb. 8
This UIS Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) panel discussion by African American faculty and staff at UIS is designed to encourage students and the general public to learn about the societal issues that inform and led to the formation and evolution of the Black Lives Matter Movement. UIS panelists include Tessica Dooley, assistant professor of legal studies; Ty Price Dooley, associate professor of public administration, Tiffani Saunders, lecturer in Sociology/Anthropology and African American Studies; and Justin Rose, director of diversity and inclusion. This event will help participants recognize their social responsibility by highlighting issues related to policing, healthcare, housing and other economic disparities in the African American community in twenty-first century America. The recording will be posted at on the ECCE webcasting website.

Zuzu Acrobats
7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12
The Zuzu African Acrobats are bringing traditional Kenyan acrobatic skills set to high energy beats to UIS for Black History Month. The show will be a virtual live stream that begins at 7 p.m. There will also be an opportunity for a live Q&A with the performers after the show. Hosted in collaboration with the UIS Student Activities Committee, UIS African Student Association and UIS Diversity Center. Watch the performance live on Zoom. 

Race, Policing and Activism for Accountability in Black Chicago
Recording available Monday, Feb. 15
This UIS Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) event will feature professors and authors Simon Balto and Andrew Baer in conversation about race, policing and activism for accountability in Black Chicago. Balto is the author of “Occupied Territory: Policing Black Chicago from Red Summer to Black Power” and Baer is the author of “Beyond the Usual Beating: The Jon Burge Police Torture Scandal and Social Movements for Police Accountability in Chicago.” After they speak, a small panel of UIS faculty, students and community members will discuss the topic. The recording will be posted at on the ECCE webcasting website.

A Conversation with Nikki Giovanni
5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23
This is a collaborative program hosted in partnership with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois Springfield which will allow participants to explore activism through arts and poetry. Poet Nikki Giovanni will serve as a keynote speaker and performer for the hour-long conversation and poetry reading. Watch live at diversity.uic.edu/nikki-giovanni-webinar/.

For more information, contact Justin Rose, UIS director of diversity and inclusion, at 217-206-6334 or jrose22@uis.edu.