Kean celebrates Black History Month with a litany of events

By Leshay Jones | Published by February 14, 2020

Students and faculty at Kean are celebrating their blackness with pride this Black History Month with a calendar packed full of events.

The Office of Africana Studies, along with other black student organizations, gathered outside of the clock tower Feb. 3 for the opening ceremony for the Black History Kickoff to listen to an opening speech by Dr. James Conyers, the director of Africana Studies.

At the kickoff, the Miron Student Center (MSC) was a sea of melanin. Students of all shades socialized and ate soul food while music played in the background. 

Pan-African Student Association President Kevin Preko said he believes that this is the perfect time for black students at Kean to come together.

Not only is there a plethora of events for African American students to attend to celebrate the month, but this is also the first year that black student organizations are collaborating on these many events.

“I’m just really excited to see all of the black students on campus collaborating this month to celebrate our history,” Preko said. “I hope this opens up doors for more collaboration throughout the year. I love to see the unity of our people.”

The National Council of Negro Women hosted an event on Feb. 6 called “Young, Black, and Creative,” the conclusion to their all-day “For Us By Us” event. Students sat in the Cougar’s Den and listened to fellow classmates and alumni speak about their fields on an open panel.

There was an open mic session where students shared poetry and songs inspired by Black History Month, paired with a networking portion where students interacted with each other and some of the panelists, exchanging words of encouragement and sharing innovative ideas.

“Black people working with black people, we love to see it,”  junior Jenny Jean-Louis said. 

Conyers stressed the importance of African American students at Kean knowing their history and liberating their minds of what he believes is the greatest enemy of African Americans.

“The greatest enemy that people of color face, especially Africans, is racism in the form of white supremacy,” Conyers said.

Conyers said his goal for this month is to continue his daily work of educating the African American body at Kean of their history and culture.

“The goal is to enlighten Africans all days of the year,” Conyers said. “Black History Month, which should really be called African History Month, is just a time when there is an emphasis on that enlightenment.”

Students will be able to learn more about the culture with all of the events organized this month through the Office of Africana Studies along with other black student organizations.

 

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