Richland College to celebrate Black History Month with series of events

by PegNews wire

Richland College, part of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), is celebrating Black History Month with a series of five events.

First, the college presents its 10th Annual African-American Read-In at 11 a.m. on Feb. 12 in Fannin Performance Hall. The Read-In, an internationally observed event, promotes African-American literature, dance, performance and cultural understanding. The first 50 people in attendance at Richland's Read-In will receive a Read-In T-shirt or book bag.

Then on Feb. 18, the celebration starts at 10 a.m. with a presentation by musician and author Reinhold Wagnleitner entitled “The United States and the World: Views From a Distance.” The lecture in Fannin Performance Hall is a historical tour through trans-Atlantic perceptions, prejudice, stereotypes and cliches that have been developed since the age of Christopher Columbus.

At 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 18, the staff from Boston African American National Historic Site will share “The Struggle for Freedom: Boston’s Black Heritage Trail,” detailing the rich history of the free African American community in Boston in the years leading up to the Civil War. The presentation in Room C140 of Crockett Hall will examine this unique community’s central role in the Abolition Movement, the Underground Railroad, and the early struggles for equality and justice.

At 12:30 p.m. on Feb 18 in Fannin Performance Hall, pianist Tom McDermott will perform “New Orleans Piano and Beyond,” featuring a mixture of ragtime, New Orleans traditional jazz, Brazilian choro, Gottschalk, biguine and post-WWII New Orleans piano styles.

That evening, the program will feature “Satchmo Meets Amadeus” at 7 p.m. The presentation in Fannin Performance Hall, based on Dr. Wagnleitner’s book by the same name, examines the similarities between classical musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and jazz legend Louis Armstrong (whose nickname was “Satchmo”).

Source: Richland College