February events celebrate ‘blacknicity’

The word of the month is “blacknicity”—or at least it is for those celebrating Black History Month.

Blacknicity, Columbia's Black History Month committee’s choice theme, came as a result of the issue that the word “black” usually evokes “race,” while the word’s “ethnicity” connotations get tossed aside.

“Oftentimes, when we say ‘black,’ people strip the culture of it,” said Emeka Ekwelum, CC ’12, the social-cultural chair of the Black Students’ Organization. Ekwelum added, “Showing that there’s a culture to being black is one of our [BSO’s] biggest aims.”

Several festive events are lined up for the month, from cultural showcases to political discussions—all of which are “directed towards the black community as well as the other communities we are trying to integrate,” said Khalema Boateng, BC ’11, the Barnard BHM chair. According to BSO President Felicia Bishop, CC ’12, the organization’s usual 9 p.m. Thursday discussions will be “tailored to a cultural celebration” in line with the blacknicity theme.

Single students can look ahead to a lively dating game sponsored by BSO that will aim to encourage, as Ekwelum said, “not just black love but love in general. Though, I use that loosely because no one’s participating to find love, it’s just to have fun.”

BSO has also planned performances of speeches, monologues, and songs set to take place on campus sporadically throughout the month. Powerful content will range from Martin Luther King Jr. to Malcolm X, messages which Bishop hopes will inspire students.

The Black Theater Ensemble also collaborated with the BHM committee, assisting in the planning of “Arts Day,” which is slated for Feb. 26.

“We want to showcase a series of arts,” said Jessica Johnson, CC ’11, president of BTE. “We’re going to have a dance station, a theater station, and potentially an art station. The point is, we will be doing this with students from the Harlem community.”

The BHM opening ceremony held last night, Jan. 31, initiated the month of events. The committee’s goal for the night was to get students thinking about the meaning of race in their everyday lives.
“We want people to understand the relevance of race—whether you’re black or white—at all times,” Bishop said. “It’s a challenge to get people to do that when you seem to live in a color-blind society.”

Although BHM is only 28 short days, it is clear that the groups’ efforts will continue on after February is over. “We like to celebrate blackness every day, not just to be confined [to] 28 days of the year,” Ekwelum said.