Black History Month Edition 2015
n a i l l i v e z n o r B e th
nt Suppleme A newsletter from the An electronic newsletter from the Department of African African American American and and African African Studies Studies Community Extension Extension Center Center Community
Celebrating Black History at the Community Extension Center Features
By: Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D.
Pages 1,3: Celebrating Black History at the Community Extension Center – Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D. Upcoming Events Page 4: Senior Movie Matinee Page 5: Girls Go Techbridge Page 6: The Math and Science Program Page 7: 2015 Summer Enrichment Camp Page 8: 2015 Summer Residential Program
Over the years, the African American and African Studies Community Extension Center (AAASCEC) has offered a variety of programs to help improve the lives of Ohioans through educational and civic engagement services. From lectures and panel discussions to Elder and youth programs to honoring Black veterans, AAASCEC programming has documented and celebrated various aspects of the long rich African American and African history and heritage. And this year’s Black History Month Series highlighted much of the work being done at the Center, showcased the life and work of Bayard Rustin, and emphasized some of the major achievements by African Americans and Africans during the Black History Month Challenge. This year’s Black History Month Series kicked off with a community presentation and discussion on heritage teaching. The presentation focused on John Henrik Clarke’s articulation of the role of history. Clarke writes in African People in World History, “…history is a clock people use to tell their historical, cultural, and political time of the day. It is a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography.” He continues, “History tells a people where they have been and what they have been, where they are and what they are. Most importantly, an understanding of history tells a people where they still must go and what they still must be.” Three questions were presented: What Time Is It? Where Are We? Where Must We Go? One question after the next, participants shared their thoughts on the conditions of Black Americans in the United States. Some of the comments consisted of designing a cultural reeducation system that promotes positive individual and group identity development, building strong families and communities through educational, political and economic empowerment, as well as understanding the importance of heritage teaching. According to Clarke, “The ultimate continued on page 3
Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413
Phone: (614) 292-3922 Fax: (614) 292-3892 http://aaascec.osu.edu aaascec@osu.edu
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of the CEC 12Core Programs 6 T he Ohio State University’s AAAS Community Extension Center is the outreach component of the Department of African American and African Studies. The CEC is one of the few off-campus facilities of its kind in the nation. Originally housed at two different locations on Ohio Avenue, the CEC moved to its current location in 1986. The CEC plays an integral role in enhancing the life chances of those who live in and around the Mount Vernon Avenue Area. Toward that end, the CEC offers an array of programs at no or nominal cost to the public. Programs include, but are not limited to, the following: conferences, symposia, computer classes, credit and noncredit courses, summer programs, lecture series, and film series. People from all walks of life have participated in these programs. Based on evaluations of our programs and personal testimonies, the CEC is having an impact on residents living in and around the Bronzeville Neighborhood.
1 Black Veterans Day Salute During the salute, Black men and women from Ohio who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces are publicly recognized. Since the salute’s inception in 2006, the CEC has honored Vietnam War veterans (2007), Korean War veterans (2008), African-American servicewomen (2009), World War II veterans (2010), Gulf War Era veterans (2011) ,Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans (2012) and Black Civil War Veterans (2013)
2 Ray Miller Institute for Change & Leadership This 10-week long leadership course trains young Black professionals from the Columbus community in various areas of leadership. The Institute was founded in 2006 by former State Senator and Minority Whip Ray Miller. Miller has built a reputation as a strong advocate for those who have historically not had access to power. Admission to the Institute is highly competitive. The Institute is offered during OSU’s autumn and spring semesters with the support of OSU’s Office of Continuing Education. Participants who complete the course receive three CEU credits.
3 Senior Citizens Movie Matinee The movie matinee is a chance for senior citizens to watch a film that otherwise might be cost prohibitive in an accommodating environment. A discussion, usually led by an OSU professor or administrator, is held at the end of the film.
4 Computer Literacy Program Throughout the academic year, the CEC offers free and reduced-cost computer technology courses. The program is geared toward seniors but open to everyone. Courses include the following: Senior Computer Orientation, Internet, Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.
5 Lecture Series Presentations given by OSU faculty, students and/or community members about topics pertinent to the Black community.
Math and Science Program
The Math and Science Program was established in partnership with the OSU Medical Center in 2003. The Math and Science Program exposes students in grades 4 through 12 to the wonders of math and science using hands-on activities. The purpose of the program is three-fold: 1) To increase competency in math and science among students of color; 2) To expose students of color to math and science related careers; and 3) To encourage students of color to major in math or science. The program meets on the fourth Monday of each month from October to May.
7 Summer Residential Program The Summer Residential Program (SRP) was established in 1999 and is designed to provide students with both an appreciation for and an understanding of African-American and African culture and history. The SRP also helps students strengthen their computer literacy skills. Past themes include: “Entrepreneurship in the Black Community and Economic Freedom” (2013), “The Underground Railroad” (2012), “All Eyez On Me: Deconstructing Images of African-American Women in Hip Hop” (2011), “letz b down: Social Justice Advocacy for Blacks During the American Revolutionary War Era” (2010), “The Low Country: Black Culture, Literacy and History in Charleston, South Carolina” (2009). The program is held every June and is for rising 11th and 12th graders. Students live on OSU’s campus.
8 African Affairs Symposium This one-day symposium brings members of the African American and African communities together to discuss issues of particular interest to Africa. The inaugural symposium in 2007 examined the life of South African civil rights activist Steve Biko. “Africa in the Age of Globalization” was the theme of the 2008 symposium. The 2009 symposium examined the life of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, West Africa. In 2010, the focus was on Pan-Africanism and the Diaspora. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the theme of the 2011 symposium.
9 Summer Enrichment Program This week-long, non-residential day program is designed to help rising 9th and 10th graders improve their reading and writing skills. The program, which was founded in 2009, is hosted annually in June and accepts approximately 15 students.
10 History of Black Columbus Conference This one-day conference celebrates the rich history of African Americans in Columbus and increases awareness of the significant contributions African Americans have made in all areas of city life. This annual conference is held in the spring.
11 Black History Month Forum The forum is in its fourth year and is focused on celebrating African descended peoples from all over the world. This year, documentaries about the following influential Black historical figures were shown: John Henrik Clarke, Kwame Nkrumah, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Baldwin, Minister Elijah Muhummad.
12 Enemies of the State The annual event features activists from America’s most notorious radical organizations, people who pressured America to live up to its highest ideals. In past years, activists from The Revolutionary Action Movement (2013), The Us Organization (2012), and the Black Panther Party (2011) were invited to speak.
About Bronzeville During the 1930s, African-American leaders in Columbus named the predominately African-American neighborhood between the boundaries of Woodland Avenue (East), Cleveland Avenue (West), Broad Street (South) and the railroad tracks (North) “Bronzeville.” The population was approximately 40,000 residents. In 1937, the same African-American leaders elected a mayor of Bronzeville and created an eight member Cabinet to address social, political and economic issues in the neighborhood. Now, as a result of the establishment of several Neighborhood Civic Associations such as the Woodland Civic Association (East) and the Discovery District (West), Bronzeville was reduced to its current boundaries: Taylor Avenue (East), Jefferson Avenue (West), Broad Street (South), and I-670 (North). The Bronzevillian is inspired by this rich history.
CEC Advisory Board Paul Cook Wanda Dillard Francisca Figueroa-Jackson Mark S. Froehlich Ray Miller, former State Senator Lupenga Mphande, Ph.D. William E. Nelson, Jr., Ph.D. (Deceased) *Ike Newsum, Ph.D. and Chair Rick Pfeiffer, City Attorney Thomas Simpson, Ph.D. Reita Smith Charleta Tavares, State Senator Nana Watson
CEC Director *Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D.
CEC Staff Sarah Twitty Senior Program Coordinator & Fiscal Officer Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D. Program Coordinator Alecia Shipe Technology Program Coordinator
Address Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413 *Ex officio members.
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purpose of heritage, and heritage teaching, is to use a people’s talent to develop an awareness and a pride in themselves so that they can become a better instrument for living together with other people.” And this program was an opportunity to tell the story and successes of the AAASCEC, drawing attention to the more than two dozen programs and services offered throughout the calendar year to tackle the most daunting issues affecting Ohioans as well as Black Americans in the US.
The second program was a showing and discussion of the documentary, Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, which chronicled Rustin’s career as an activist and organizer, a strategist for the emerging Civil Rights Movement, and a politician. As a champion of Gandhi’s nonviolence philosophy, Rustin displayed a fervent commitment as an advocate for human rights, working along the complex lines of race, class, ideology, sexual orientation, and many others. Willing to put his life and body on the line, at times, in a moment’s notice, Rustin launched a campaign for racial justice that garnered the support of civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Phillip Randolph and led to the organizing of the 1963 March on Washington—one of the greatest demonstrations in world history. And his struggle for racial progress also put him in direct contrast to more radical promoters of human rights, for instance Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture). He debated both men on separate occasions on strategies to best advance Black life in particular and humanity in general. In the end, the Brother Outsider chronicled Rustin’s six decades of social and political activism, as well as his multifaceted career fighting for peace and justice.
The final program in the Black History Month Series was designed to provide a fun and educational intergenerational experience. Therefore, the Center hosted The Black History Month Challenge. Last year’s Challenge was a version of the popular television game show Jeopardy! There were three contestants who competed before an audience each week for a chance to participate in the Grand Finale, where a winner was determined. There were five categories and 25 possible questions per round. Contestants moved from one category to the next until the screen was clear. This year, we decided to do something different. Instead of there being three contestants and an audience, everyone from children to Elders was encouraged to be a contestant. When a question and four possible answers were revealed on the screen, contestants walked, strolled, jogged, or danced their way to a designated area as responses to the Black History Trivia. After two weeks of competition, Challenge winners were first place Eunice Hall, second place Frank Eubanks, and third place Bobbie Smith. This years challenge proved to be a great time and we hope to get even more community members involved. Each year the Center works to create programs that entertain, assist ,and educate. We hope to see you at some of our future programs.
First Place Winner Eunice Hall
Second Place Winner Frank Eubanks
Third Place Winner Bobbie Smith
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2015 Senior Movie Matinee
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Girls Go Techbridge
. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-4144
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The Math and Science Program
The next Math and Science Club Session is Monday, March 23, 2015. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-3922 or 293-8357
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The 2015 Summer Enrichment Program
We are now accepting applications for the 2015 Summer Enrichment Program. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-3922.
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The 2015 Summer Residential Program
We are now accepting applications for the 2015 Summer Residential Program. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-3922.
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