This photo was taken during the B.L.A.C.K. Image Awards hosted on Saturday, Feb. 11
in Williams Auditorium at Ferris State University.
Black History Month celebrations on the Ferris State University campus include a call to leadership from faculty and staff of color, remembering alums across generations on the Big Rapids campus, and events offering viewpoints of Ferris students and various artists.
The Office of Multicultural Student Services began its schedule Thursday, Feb. 2, with a game day in their offices to bring students together and make them mindful of their importance in the campus community. The “28th Annual BLACK Image Awards,” organized by Black Leaders Aspiring for Critical Knowledge, took place on Saturday, Feb. 11, in Williams Auditorium.
OMSS Assistant Director Darnell Lewis is enthusiastic about the schedule of planned activities.
“We will welcome six members of our faculty and campus offices for ‘Black Leadership @Ferris: Designed With You in Mind’ Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m.,” Lewis said. “This event in the David L. Eisler Center Ballroom will be a student-moderated discussion, where our guests will speak of their challenges while suggesting paths students might follow in their quest to become leaders.”
The concluding OMSS session will be in Suite 159 of the Ferris Library for Information, Technology and Education on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 p.m. Lewis said that “Being Black @ Ferris” will welcome contributors from the FSU Black Alumni Association to their office.
“We are glad to have the support of alumni of varied ages, ready to reflect on their campus experiences,” Lewis said. “They hope to tell of the strength they gained from their time at Ferris and the concerns they addressed to help current students move forward.”
Here are other notable events during Black History Month:
- A presentation by spoken word artist, poet and writer Ashlee Haze, in an event presented by Student Life Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the David L. Eisler Center ballrooms;
- The Chi Espilon chapter of the Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority offers “Walking in Our Shoes,” a panel discussion Thursday, Feb. 23, from 5 to 6 p.m. in Room 213 of the David L. Eisler Center;
- The second annual Ferris Equity Initiative University Convening, Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. with student success speaker Ed Venit as the initiative’s featured guest, in Ballroom A of the David L. Eisler Center; and
- Spoken word artist, poet and writer Kyla Jenee Lacey will visit on behalf of Entertainment Unlimited on Feb. 28, 6 to 7 p.m. in the David L. Eisler Center ballroom A.
For more information about Black History Month activities, contact the Office of Multicultural Student Services at (231) 591-2617 or email.