McDaniel College honors Black History Month with virtual events

McDaniel College hosts two virtual events in February in honor of Black History Month. The events take place virtually through the web-conferencing platform, Zoom. They are free and open to the public.

The events are organized by McDaniel College’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which promotes and facilitates programming that supports the college’s diverse student population, including such topics as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, physical ability and religion.

McDaniel’s Office of Student Engagement along with the Black Student Union, Africa’s Legacy, and Curl Friends student organizations are partnering on these events.

For more information, call 410-857-2265 or email diversity@mcdaniel.edu. Visit www.mcdaniel.edu for more information about McDaniel College.

EVENT SCHEDULE:

CROWN ACT PANEL DISCUSSION

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.

Location: Virtual/Zoom

Link: https://www.mcdaniel.edu/crown-act-panel-discussion

Join McDaniel College’s the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Curl Friends, a student organization at McDaniel devoted to celebrating natural hair, and Phenomenal Women, a student organization at McDaniel focused on women empowerment, during a virtual discussion on the importance of the Crown Act and the impact this law has on society. The Crown Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists or bantu knots. Panelists include: Maryland Delegate Stephanie Smith, a Democrat representing Baltimore City; Erin Watley, assistant professor of communication & cinema at McDaniel; and Ambi Shannon, associate director of residence life at McDaniel.

DISMANTLING RACIST STRUCTURES AND NORMS

Thursday, Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m.

Location: Virtual/Zoom

Link: https://www.mcdaniel.edu/dismantling-racist-structures-and-norms

This session includes nationally-recognized diversity consultant Jack Hill as a presenter. Hill is the founder and facilitator of National Anti-Racism Teach-In, a national anti-racist conference and global movement designed to identify, analyze, and challenge racism and white supremacy. He is also a facilitator, educator, author, and child advocate. In this session, Hill will talk about his work on white fragility, racial equity versus racial equality, and much more. Dismantling Racist Structures and Norms is co-sponsored by the Black Student Union, a student organization that promotes the recognition and involvement of African American students at McDaniel College. Dismantling racist structures and norms takes more than one person and one race. This session will shed a light on how to be an advocate and improve cross racial-relationships as well as racial literacy for all.

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Additional information: Requests for interpreters are welcome and can be made up to one week prior to the event by contacting interpretingservices@mcdaniel.edu. Other accommodation requests can be directed to Conference Services at 410-857-2212.

McDaniel College, founded in 1867, is a four-year, independent college of the liberal arts and sciences offering more than 70 undergraduate programs of study, including pre-professional specializations and student-designed majors, and over 20 graduate programs. One of 40 “Colleges That Change Lives,” McDaniel emphasizes experiential learning and student-faculty collaboration to develop the unique potential in every student. Represented by the Green Terror, its 24 athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. A student-centered community of 1,800 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students offers access to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., plus a European campus in Budapest, Hungary. www.mcdaniel.edu