Countywide : CSUF Spotlight Falls on Achievements

Students at Cal State Fullerton will begin their celebration today of Black History Month. The culture and heritage of blacks will be honored through a jazz concert, lectures, a comedy show, workshops, a dance recital and an art show.

All of the events are open to the public, and many are free.

Black students at Fullerton numbered 689 out of 24,503 who registered in the fall, according to university records.

Black students have said the monthlong celebration gives them a opportunity to form a support network for themselves and share their culture with others.

“When you come here, it’s kind of like a culture shock,” said Shebet Floyd, 20, who came from Los Angeles to study political science.

“You like to see people who are like you,” said Tim Johnson, a senior from Long Beach. “It’s kind of intimidating.”

Johnson is a member of the Afrikan Student Alliance; Floyd belongs to the Black Business Student Assn. They and and other students helped organize the activities.

“To me Black History Month is every month,” Floyd said. “I’ll never forget what my people had to go through.”

The celebration begins today with a national video conference at the University Center Theater on the contributions of black writers. It will be broadcast from Washington. Writers Terry McMillan, Nikki Giovanni and others will discuss black literature and take questions from audiences watching around the country.

Delicia Rich, a staff member, helped organize a similar teleconference for Black History Month last year and said the theater overflowed with viewers.

“It’s something that the whole school can enjoy,” said Tiffany Horton, president of the Black Business Student Assn., which has about 20 members. In addition, she said, the events help black freshmen and transfer students mix and meet others.

Floyd said she is excited about a black artists exhibit that will open Monday and a play about scientific inventions by blacks that will be performed on Feb. 22.

“It should be known that we have made a lot of contributions to the world today,” Floyd said.

The play, “1,001 Black Inventions,” is about a modern family trying to survive in a world without black inventions.

The Assn. for Intercultural Awareness is sponsoring a film Feb. 11 about the black U.S. Army battalions that helped liberate Nazi concentration camps.

“We need to start learning from each other,” said Robert Bernstein, 22, the chair of the association.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “People of Unity,” Johnson said.

For information about the month’s activities, call (714) 773-3211.