UIS Speaker Series explores slavery reparations in college as part of Black History Month

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series presents “College Students and Reparations: A Georgetown University Slavery Descendant’s Story” with speaker Melisande Short-Colomb.

WHEN: 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, 2020

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Melisande Short-Colomb was recently informed that two of her ancestors were two of the 272 enslaved people owned by the Jesuits of Georgetown University and sold in 1838 to keep the university afloat. The move paid down the crushing debt that threatened the school, but left a haunting question of reparations and restitution.

Granted legacy status, Short-Colomb enrolled at Georgetown at age 63 and joined other activist students in documenting the university’s slavery history, grappling with the question of reparations, organizing and voting for a semesterly restitution fee and debating how to best use the fees.

After sharing her remarkable story, which includes working as a professional chef and surviving Hurricane Katrina, Short-Colomb will lead a discussion on college students, alumni, a campus community and restitution.

This event is cosponsored by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Department of Women and Gender Studies, Diversity Center, Black Student Union, UIS Black History Month Academic Ad Hoc Committee, Brookens Library, Department of Political Science, Global Studies and the UIS Office of Access and Equal Opportunity.

Individuals with disabilities who anticipate the need for accommodations should contact the UIS Speaker Series Office at 217-206-6245 or speakerseries@uis.edu in advance. For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speaker Series events, visit uis.edu/speakerseries/.

UIS announces Black History Month 2020 events

The University of Illinois Springfield will celebrate Black History Month in February with a variety of events designed to educate and raise awareness. The theme of this year’s celebration is “We Are Deeply Rooted.” The following events are free and open to the public.

Candle Light Vigil 
11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 – UIS Student Union
Students and community members are invited to participate in a Candle Light Vigil honoring the life of anyone who they have lost. Participants are encouraged to light a candle and say a few remarks for that special person.

BHM 2020 Unity Rally 
6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 – UIS Student Union Ballroom
Come out and help open the month by engaging in sign-making, chants, and other activities. Additionally, at the rally, we invite and encourage all to bring special recipes from their cultures dedicated to the idea of making a “Food for the Soul” cook book.

Healthcare’s Hidden Figures 
5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7 – Diversity Center
The Diversity Center will host a dynamic panel of women who will discuss the challenges and triumphs they have faced as women of color in the healthcare field. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and network with panelists who come from diverse backgrounds in healthcare. Panelists include Charlene Aaron, Ph.D, R.N., chancellor of the St. John's College of Nursing; Elaine Hardy, Ph.D., R.N., president of the Black Nurses Association of Central Illinois; Erica Maduakolam, a student at the SIU School of Medicine; Kia Stewart, R.N., neuro/trauma ICU nurse manager at Memorial Medical Center; and Dr. Wendi Wills El-Amin, associate dean for equity, diversity and inclusion at the SIU School of Medicine. The panel will be moderated by University of Illinois at Chicago nursing student K'Lynn Brown.

Black Male Collegiate Society/Men of Color Induction Ceremony 
4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8 – Student Union Ballroom
Join UIS as we celebrate the accomplishments of those being inducted into the Black Male Collegiate Society/Men of Color Initiative. Hear from various past members and newly inducted members on their journey from maleness to manhood.

Open Mic 
9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13 – Student Union Sports Grill
Join the Student Activities Committee for an open mic night with Chicago-based author, motivational speaker and new age poet Harold Green. The event is a live show where audience members may perform their spoken word pieces.

Highschool Mixer 
9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14 – Student Union Ballroom Local high school students (juniors and seniors) are invited to partake in a campus visit where they will have a chance to interact, learn and socialize with many current African American student leaders at UIS. There will be a chance to learn more about the importance of Greek Life and witness a special presentation.

Greek Life: Past, Present, Future 
5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14 – Public Affairs Center, Room F
Greek life isn’t all about strolling, throwing up hand signs or wearing colors. The purpose and work of Greek letter organizations has impacted the world in numerous ways. This presentation will include an in-depth conversation about the purpose and impact of Greek life while focusing on the three pillars of education, politics and social atmosphere. Presenters will discuss how these three topics have evolved throughout history.

“The Birth of a Nation” film screening and discussion 
7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 – UIS Studio Theatre
A film screening and discussion about the 2016 motion picture "The Birth of a Nation" starring Nate Parker. Interactive and respectful discussion is encouraged following the film among the students and other attendees.

ECCE Speaker: Cori Bush 
6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 – UIS Brookens Auditorium
The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series will welcome Cori Bush — one of four politicians featured in the award- winning documentary “Knock Down The House” — to discuss her experience, the goal of getting diverse voices into political office and why these voices matter. The event will start with a screening of the documentary, followed by a discussion.

Gospel Concert 
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 – Lincoln Residence Hall Greatroom
"Sounds of Victory" will serve as the spiritual component within Black History Month. Students and guests are invited to be reminded of healing and triumph through song, dance and fellowship.

ECCE Speaker: Melisande Short-Colomb 
6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24 – UIS Brookens Auditorium
The UIS Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series presents “College Students and Reparations: A Georgetown University Slavery Descendant’s Story” with speaker Melisande Short-Colomb. She was recently informed that two of her ancestors were two of the 272 enslaved people owned by the Jesuits of Georgetown University and sold in 1838 to keep the university afloat. Granted legacy status, she enrolled at Georgetown at age 63 and joined other activist students in documenting the university’s slavery history, grappling with the question of reparations, organizing and voting for a restitution fee and debating how to best use the fees.

For more information on Black History Month events, visit the UIS Diversity Center website at uis.edu/diversitycenter/ or contact Justin Rose, director of diversity and inclusion, at 217-206-6333 or jrose22@uis.edu.

UIS announces 2019 Black History Month celebration events

The University of Illinois Springfield will celebrate Black History Month in February with a variety of events designed to educate and raise awareness. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Black is Beautiful, Black is Powerful, Black is Confident and Black is Resilient.”

The following events are free and open to the public.

Friday, February 1 
Candle Light Vigil 
Students and community members are invited to participate in a Candle Light Vigil honoring the life of anyone who they have lost. Participants are encouraged to light a candle and say a few remarks for that special person. The vigil will start at 11:30 a.m. in the UIS Student Union.

Step Afrika! 
A performance by Step Afrika! will take place at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Over the past 23 years Step Afrika! has grown to become one of the top 10 African American Dance Companies in the U.S. and Washington D.C.’s largest African American arts organization.

Wednesday, February 6 
Spoken Word
Artist Britteney Black Rose Kapri will be coming to campus and performing poetry at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Osborne Lounge. She is a teaching artist, writer, performance poet and playwright. She is the author of “Black Queer Hoe” (Haymarket Books, 2018). Her writing has been published in Poetry magazine, Vinyl, Day One, Seven Scribes and Kinfolks Quarterly.

Friday, February 8 
The History of Springfield – From 1908 to Now 
The Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series, the UIS Diversity Center and The Springfield NAACP will co-host a film screening and panel discussion at 4 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. This event will begin with a screening of the 30-minute film “Springfield Had No Shame: The Springfield Race Riot of 1908.” The film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Teresa Haley, president of the NAACP Springfield and Illinois Chapters.

Sunday, February 10
Black Male Collegiate Society Induction Ceremony 
Join UIS as we celebrate the accomplishments of those being inducted into the Black Male Collegiate Society. Hear from various Black Male Collegiate Society members and newly inducted members on their journey from maleness to manhood. This event is at 3 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. This event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, February 12
Know Your Heritage Bowl 
Join UIS for a trivia game to learn about important African-American people, inventions, and legislations that impact the way we see society today. The event will happen at 9 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

Friday, February 15
High School-College Mixer 
Local high school students (juniors and seniors) are invited to partake in a campus visit where they will have a chance to interact, learn and socialize with many current African American student leaders at UIS. There will be a chance to learn more about the importance of Greek Life and witness a special presentation. This event will be held in the Student Union Ballroom from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This event is open to local high school students.

Movie Screening & Discussion: “Cornbread, Earl and Me” (1975) 
Nathaniel "Cornbread" Hamilton was the black urban dream and a hero to Wilford. Shortly before he would have become the first man from his community to go to college, the police mistake him for a rapist and shoot him dead in the street. Wilford is determined not to betray his hero’s memory. Join us for this movie screening and panel discussion at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. This panel discussion is in conjunction and builds into the “Stranger Fruit” documentary screening and discussion.

Sunday, February 17 
Soul Food Festival
The Soul Food Festival serves as a time for the university to come together, have fun and listen to music, all while enjoying soul food. Educational and cultural exhibits will be displayed throughout the evening. This event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center, lower level concourse.

Monday, February 18 
“Stranger Fruit” Documentary Screening 
The documentary “Stranger Fruit” will be shown at 8 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. The documentary tells the story of Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri on April 9, 2014. “Stranger Fruit” shows what took place through the eyes of Brown's family. Following the documentary, there will be a discussion on the rights and responsibilities of citizens and police officers in the U.S.

Tuesday, February 19
“Blackness Across Borders” 
Speaker Roberto Rincón will offer an analysis of black racial identification among Afro-Mexicans in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from Noon to 1 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center, Rooms C/D.

Wednesday, February 20 
Building your Trans Ally Toolkit or Beyond Black Trans Death & Doom
Black, gender-expanding activist, educator, and musician, Jay-Marie Hill will enlighten audiences on transgender power and resilience through lecture, discussion, and live original music at this UIS Black History Month event at 4 p.m. in the Lincoln Residence Hall Greatroom. This performance/experience will widen audience awareness to include living and thriving alongside transgender people. This performance experience will include a focus on supporting Black Trans Thriving.

Friday, February 22
Hairstory 
This event is being held at 4 p.m. in the Diversity Center to educate and create dialogue surrounding the importance of hair in the black community, specifically with women and the issues that can arise as a result of lack of understanding, discrimination, and appropriation. This panel discussion will provide education to those who might not have the understanding around hair and the black community, as well as allowing participants to share and ask questions they might have.

Saturday, February 23
Ebony Ball 
The Ebony Ball is a chance to appreciate and celebrate the black excellence of our current student leaders. The evening will be filled with education, laughter and positivity. The event is open to all students who believe in leadership and unity. Please take the time to increase the value of our student leaders by rooting them on in celebration this evening. Dress attire is business casual. This event will take place in the Student Union Ballroom at 8 p.m. Lincoln Land Community College students are welcomed to attend.

Sunday, February 24
Gospel Karaoke 
This is an event that will highlight spirituality within the black community as its importance and prominence within the culture. Join us at 6 p.m. in the Lincoln Residence Hall Greatroom.

Thursday, February 28 
Closing Ceremony 
Students will reflect on Black History Month during this closing ceremony featuring food and discussion at 3 p.m. in the Diversity Center.

For more information on Black History Month events, visit the UIS Diversity Center website at www.uis.edu/diversitycenter/ or contact Justin Rose, director of diversity and inclusion designee, at 217/206-6333 or jrose22@uis.edu.