Celebrating Diversity Blog: Black History Month 2022

February 1, 2022
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Black History Month is for All of Us

By Alecia Haney, Associate Director of Foundation Relations – Office of Institutional Advancement & Jordan Mickey – Junior Communication Design BFA + Advertising Minor | Student Activities Board + Student Government: Communication Design Representative + / Black Creatives Club+ Student Org President

Originally established as a week-long celebration in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Black History Month was first recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976. President Ford challenged the American people to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Celebrate our shared history by making it a point to Celebrate Black History this month (and hey! – make a point of listening to Black Voices year-round!)

 

2022 Theme: Black Health and Wellness

Black Health and Wellness has been selected as the theme for 2022 by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. In addition to Western medicine and the recognition of medical and health scholars, this theme also encompasses the other health and healing practices of the African Diaspora (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.). The activities and practices undertaken by Black communities in order to promote and ensure overall wellness are celebrated with this theme. For an excellent overview of this theme, visit the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. 

 

Personal Reflections

Jordan Mickey / Junior Communication Design BFA + Advertising Minor | Student Activities Board + Student Government: Communication Design Representative + / Black Creatives Club+ Student Org President

My name is Jordan Mickey, and I am so excited to celebrate Black History Month at CCS! When I transferred to CCS, I struggled to find other Black students on campus. During my first semester, I loved getting involved in the events and activities that were happening on-campus, but I felt like there was a need to increase activities focused on or geared towards Black students. 

In October of 2019, there was a trip to a cider mill and the bus ride was about 45 minutes, and little did I know that those 45 minutes would change my entire CCS career. I attended the trip with Sadaira Wills, the current Vice President of Black Creatives Club+, and on that trip, we met Gayla Blake (CCS Alum – Interior Design 2021) and Olivia Holt (CCS Alum – Product Design 2022). During that bus ride, we discussed how my first year at CCS was going and they shared their experiences being Black at CCS. During our discussion, we all came to the conclusion that CCS should have more programming focused on Black culture on campus. That’s when we started Black Creatives Club+ (formerly Black People Meetup). 

Our first event was a “meet up” where we put out flyers that told all students interested in joining our organization to come and meet up with us. During that event, I was shocked at how many Black students were on campus because I never crossed paths with them or saw them around campus. Fast forward to this year, 2022, I am excited to celebrate Black History Month, because while we were able to host a Black History Trivia event in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began and we were not able to host in-person events during 2021. Now it’s 2022, and we are absolutely pumped! I grew up in a predominantly non-Black community, so I am excited to have the opportunity at CCS to gather a group of students looking to celebrate and learn about Black culture. This Black History Month, it’s important to remember that Black History Month is not strictly just for Black people to celebrate, but for everyone to celebrate. I want the CCS community to have an opportunity to learn and understand Black Histories beyond stories of racism and slavery and spotlight Black achievement.

 

Events Planned for Black History Month at CCS

  • February 4th, 2022 – Movie Night: Friday | 7:30-9:30pm in TC280
  • February 11th, 2022 – Being Black at CCS: Instagram Live Session | 7:30-8:00pm on @ccs_blackcreativesclub Instagram
  • February 19th, 2022 – The Cookout | 5:00-8:30pm in TC 11th Floor Auditorium
  • February 21st, 2022 – Alumni & Industry Panel | 11:30-12:30pm via Zoom

 

Other Local Events 

Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is hosting a month long celebration that includes a ton of online activities – all for free. Open Wednesday – Friday (9am – 4pm) and Saturday – Sunday (10am – 5pm) Tickets are free for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. Student tickets are $8. Highlights include:

  • Friday, February 4 at 7 p.m. (DFT) | Film, Conversations on X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
  • Thursday, February 10 at 1pm (virtual) | Tour: New Black Vanguard Part I
  • Saturday, February 12 at 10 am – 2:30pm | Black History Month Educator Workshop 
  • Sunday, February 13 at 1 – 2:30pm (Lecture Hall) | Special event, 29th Annual Alain Locke Awards: New Black Vanguard Part II
  • Wednesday, February 23 at 6 pm (DFT) | Lecture, Talking about Art with Shirley Woodson

Streaming films

  • Feb 1 – 7 | Documentary Films of Madeline Anderson
  • Feb 8 – 14 | The Last Angel of History
  • Feb 22 – 28 | Seven Songs for Malcolm X


Detroit Historical Museum 

  • Open Thursday – Saturday (10am – 5pm) and Sunday (1pm – 5pm).
  •  Advance ticket purchases are encouraged, but not required. Tickets for 1.5 hour time blocks are available here. Student tickets are $8.


Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

  • Open Thursday – Saturday (9am – 4pm) and Sunday (12 pm – 5pm). 
  • Tickets are $10.


Event Highlight: “Glimpses From “AND STILL WE RISE”

  • Thursdays, 12:00 noon – 1:00pm & 4:00 – 5:00pm  Join each Thursday during Black History Month as we share parts of our world renowned long-term exhibition, And Still We Rise!
  • February 3, 2022 – Ancient Africa
  • February 10, 2022 – The Transatlantic Slave Trade
  • February 17th – Resilience and Resistance: Africans in America
  • February 24, 2022 – Emancipation & The Great Migration

 

Association for the Study of African American Life and History


National Museum of African American History and Culture

Explore the virtual exhibitions, online collections and digital resources of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

 

Resources to Dig Deeper:

For facts and an in-depth history of Black History Month


For timely discussion of the importance of studying Black History, consider the following articles:

 

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