Northeastern’s Black History Month to honor contributions of African diaspora

Northeastern’s celebration of Black History Month will feature a range of educational events, including Jeopardy!-style trivia, a panel discussion with African American executives, and a conversation with an exonerated member of the Central Park Five. Graphic by YoungHee Jang/Northeastern University

Northeastern University’s celebration of Black History Month will feature a range of educational events, including a panel discussion with African American executives, a conversation with an exonerated member of the Central Park Five, and Jeopardy!-style black history trivia.

The monthlong series, which is organized by the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, will honor the rich his­tory, con­tri­bu­tions, and global impact of the African dias­pora.

Here’s a rundown of upcoming events:

Fortune 500 panel

A panel of local African American executives will examine “Black professionalism in corporate America” on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. in the Cabral Center.

The panelists will share their stories and impart advice to students, with a particular focus on Black millennials interested in seeking careers at Fortune 500 firms.

Ending gun violence in America

Lucy McBath, a national spokesperson for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, will discuss the nation’s gun violence epidemic on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. in Blackman Auditorium.

McBath lost her 17-year-old son Jordan Davis to gun violence in 2012, when he was shot and killed at a Florida gas station after shopping with his friends on Thanksgiving weekend.

Black staff recognition lunch

Northeastern’s black staff will be honored for their service to the university at a lunch in the Cabral Center at 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Sapphire Awards

An awards show—the fifth annual Tribute to Black Women and Sapphire Awards Ceremony—will be held in the Cabral Center on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m.

Northeastern’s chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, which will host the program, will honor three women with the Sapphire Award, the highest honor bestowed by the fraternity upon women in education, business, and social justice.

Black history trivia

The Graduate Students of Color Collective will celebrate the myriad contributions members of the African Diaspora have made to society on Friday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. in the Cabral Center. Dubbed the “Night of Black Excellence,” the event will include dinner and Jeopardy!-style trivia about black history.

Millennial activism and social justice in the Trump era

Five thought leaders on the frontlines of grassroots activism and contemporary political debate will convene on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Cabral Center for a conversation titled “Run Toward Fear: Millennial Activism and Social Justice in the Trump Era.”

The panelists will include Tamika Mallory, the national co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington, and Yusef Salaam, an exonerated member of the Central Park Five, a group of black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were accused of assaulting and raping a white woman in Central Park in 1989.