On Feb. 1, Elizabethtown College celebrated the start of Black History Month with a number of events that symbolize Black pride and excellence, such as hand printing with the Pan-American flag colors and raising the flag in the BSC Concourse. The posters with the hand prints were hung up in the BSC prior to the much-anticipated flag raising event.

The event kicked off with Associate Director of Diversity, Equity and Belonging Darcey Mills explaining the history behind the recognition of Black History Month in February and the meaning behind the Pan-American flag. Mills explained that February was recognized as the month to celebrate Black excellence and liberation because it is the month of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass’s birthdays.

“Following Carter G. Woodson’s concept around Black History Week, we wanted to separate Black people from the constant theme of trauma,” Mills said. “Woodson created what became Black History Month to celebrate different contributions from Black people in America without having to overemphasize slavery. While we do recognize this time period, we want to recognize achievements outside of trauma. We wanted to create and experience JOY, and that’s exactly what happened. We are thankful for the visit from Crispus Attucks Infamous Unstoppables and look forward to what’s in store the rest of the month of February.”

After Mills spoke about the meaning behind the month, he asked everyone to look up for the flag raising, which was led by Area Coordinator at Residence Life Eugene Thomas. Thomas raised the flag across the BSC Concourse to the cheers of everyone attending. 

“Black History Month is about celebrating the lives, achievements, accomplishments and passions of Black people,” Thomas said when asked about the importance of celebrating the month. Thomas sets up events to celebrate the accomplishments of Black people throughout the year by planning a number of discussion-based events and is also known to host the Men Cry Too series. 

The flag raised was followed by a performance by the Crispus Attucks Community Center. The Center, which is based in Lancaster, is collaborating with the College throughout the February celebrations, with Black History Month events each Saturday of the month at the Crispus Attucks Community Center.

“I am here for the flag raising for Black History Month,” sophomore criminal justice major Pamela Pina said, “which is important because we need to show up during this month to remember the history of Black people and how we got to where we are today.”

The event featured a music and dancing performance by the group in the KAV. After the main performance, the group led the way to the Susquehanna Room followed by all the attendees. The drumming rang throughout the College’s campus to announce the start of many celebrations this month. Onlookers joined with the festivities and cheered on as the group led everyone to the closing event of the night.

The Susquehanna Room reception featured a catered dinner in anticipation for keynote speaker Jodie Richardson. Richardson is a member of the Lancaster community, having spent all her life in the area. Richardson is known to be an advocate for restorative justice and advocating for a number of issues that the community is in dire need for, such as treatment for substance abusers and services for people facing mental disabilities. 

“Running for Magisterial District Judge was both an honor and my duty to position myself as a public servant for the improvement and enhancement of my community. I am principled, forthright, and will always operate with integrity,” Magisterial District Judge Jodie Richardson said. 

Prior to  Richardson taking the podium, a group of Ubuntu mentors talked about their experiences in college, discussed challenges they faced and the importance of continuing to do advocacy work. The Ubuntu program is a program that serves first-year students that come from marginalized identities and is based in the Mosaic House.

Senior legal studies major Jalen Belgrave talked about his experience with starting the NAACP chapter at Etown and being the only person of color in rooms full of white people. Junior public health major Samhar Almomani discussed their experiences running the Gender-Sexuality Alliance club and being an international student. Junior international business major Emely Guevarra talked about playing a big role in starting the LatinX/Hispanic Student Union and HerStory. 

“Today, we kick off the first day of Black History Month with a number of events to celebrate the accomplishments of Black people,” Belgrave said. “This is my last semester here, and I wanted to leave an impact on the high school students visiting and performing today at Etown.”

After the Ubuntu mentors fielded any questions asked, Richardson was introduced to the attendees. She focused on her experience being the only person of color and learning to advocate for people of color in front of people that may not have taken people of color into account when making their decisions. She emphasized that it was not easy but needed to be done.

Richardson talked about how her perspective has led to many of her community feeling comfortable when dealing with the judicial system. After her powerful talk, Richardson stuck around to meet members of the Etown community and connected with the College’s NAACP and GSA on social media in a sign of growing publicity for the College in identity-based circles. 

There are many events available for the Etown community to attend during Black History Month. Make sure to keep an eye out, as the Features section will diligently cover each of the week’s events. For a full list of events in February, visit https://news.etown.edu/index.php/2023/01/20/elizabethtown-college-celebrates-black-history-month-3/