Northwestern State University of Louisiana and the Natchitoches community will host numerous events throughout the month of February to commemorate Black History Month including a parade, mobile museum and other programs.
The city of Natchitoches is hosting its third annual Black History Month Parade on Feb. 15. The parade will start at 2 p.m. by the Natchitoches Parish Courthouse and end on Martin Luther King Street. The line up will include floats, dance teams and the grand marshal Latorria Freeman. The Natchitoches native was named grand marshal for her work as an author and publisher of The Real Views Newspaper.
Ty Johnson is spearheading the parade. She is a councilmember for the city and the founder of The Color of My Skin, a racial equality advocacy program.
“The more included the younger generations are, the more they will be active in community events,” Johnson said.
Following the parade, a community block party and ceremony honoring Black history will take place at the Ben Johnson Auditorium on Martin Luther King Drive. There will be a car, bike and truck show, vendors, performances and interactive learning throughout the day.
At NSU, the Gail Metoyer Jones Center for Inclusion and Diversity will host the Black History Month Mobile Museum in the Student Union Ballroom on Feb. 24. This event will showcase history from 1860 to present day.
Jasmine Wise, coordinator of black studies at NSU, explained that Americans take for granted the impact that Black history has on American culture.
“It is important to remember Black History Month every year because it had to happen for Black Americans to live the way they do now,” Wise said.
Wise is hosting Exploring Legacy on Feb. 25 in the Lucille M. Hendrick Room of the Student Union. “Attendees will be able to talk to historians about freedom colonies and Rosenwald’s School and how they shaped Black history,” Wise said.
Carlton Johnson II, junior health and exercise science major, said that these events are important because everyone can always learn more about Black history.
“These events can help individuals better understand the world that we are living in today,” Johnson said.
Student Support Services (TRiO) and Helping Hands are hosting the Helping Hands Black History Program in Magale Recital Hall on Feb. 27, where attendees will learn more about history through speakers and storytelling.
As BHM arrives, events could surface by other organizations to remember and honor the history of Black Americans. To find out about other events check the student messenger.
