{"id":191643,"date":"2024-02-08T14:49:52","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T00:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=191643"},"modified":"2024-02-12T15:48:37","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T01:48:37","slug":"black-history-month-at-uh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/08\/black-history-month-at-uh\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> celebrates Black History Month"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"MLK<\/p>\n

On February 19, 1964, legendary Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa campus at Andrew\u2019s Amphitheater<\/a>, in front of an overflowing crowd of 10,000 people. King spoke about progress toward desegregation and how supporters were using, “moral means to achieve moral ends.”<\/p>\n

Sixty years later, UH<\/abbr> is commemorating Black History Month with tributes to historical figures like King, along with panel discussions, exhibits and more (listed below). For many members of UH<\/abbr>\u2019s Black community, it\u2019s about recognizing and remembering the adversity their ancestors faced throughout history for the community to thrive today.<\/p>\n

February is a way for us to speak truth to power about our history…
—Niya McAddo<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“In a country that has continued to deny us and our history, February is a way for us to speak truth to power about our history, and also celebrate the ways that the Black Diaspora community are building futures rooted in liberation and joy,” said Niya Denise McAdoo, a UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa graduate research assistant in educational administration<\/a> and co-founder of Sister Circle at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa. “There has been a deep-rooted and rich history of solidarity and pilina between the Kanaka ʻŌiwi<\/span> and Black community since the Hawaiian kingdom outlawed slavery in 1852. It\u02bbs my hope that we remember and celebrate these legacies not just this month, but all year.”<\/p>\n

Among the individuals that will be celebrated is Alice Augusta Ball<\/a>, who graduated from UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa in 1915. Ball is the first woman and African American in Â鶹´«Ã½history to earn a master\u2019s degree in chemistry and Black female chemistry instructor, and is credited with discovering the most effective treatment for Hansen\u02bbs disease, at the time.<\/p>\n

“Alice Ball\u2019s story is just one great example of incredible brilliance and scientific accomplishment in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> over 100 years ago by a young African American woman that might have been lost if not rediscovered through the passion and diligence within our UH<\/abbr> community,” said UH<\/abbr> President David Lassner. “Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect openly on our past and celebrate African American achievements to help foster a shared understanding of our history that paves the way for a kinder and more inclusive future for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa events<\/h2>\n