SUNO celebration features colloquium on Miss. rights movement

Southern University at New Orleans' (SUNO) Center for African and African-American Studies (The Center) continues a tradition of events for Black History Month. The extensive calendar of activities features a lecture by Dr. Curtis Austin, associate professor of history and director of the Center for Black Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi. Austin will conduct his colloquium on Friday, February 16th at 11 a.m. on the second floor of SUNO's Health & Physical Education Building at 6400 Press Drive. He will deliver a presentation based on his CD-ROM “Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Lives: The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi”. Other featured events include a presentation by local quilt expert and SUNO Museum Studies student Cynthia Pedescleaux on quilts from the Underground Railroad on February 17th at 11 a.m. in Building 43 on SUNO's Lake Campus (6801 Press Drive). SUNO's College of Business and Public Administration will conduct a presentation entitled “Preserving Black Economic Gains in a Time of Socio-Economic Uncertainty” in Building 28C on SUNO's Lake Campus on Thursday, February 19th at 11 a.m. SUNO is also holding an essay contest for students. Based on the national theme “Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas” two students will win African ancestry DNA kits, provided by AfricanAncestry.com. The winners will be announced on February 19th at the culminating event for the month. “We want to encourage our students to inspire us with their essays about their own quest in understanding their connection with this country's history,” says Melonee Griggs, program coordinator for The Center. “Historically, this quest has been undertaken by ordinary citizens like them particularly those who founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an interracial group of Americans who shared a common vision for equality and justice.” The Center is also providing a limited supply of Black History Month posters to the public which feature an exclusive image produced by local artist Gus Bennett, Jr. Posters can be picked up in Room 209 in SUNO's Administration Building at 6400 Press Drive. For a full calendar of all events and to learn more The Center please visit the website at http://caaas-suno.weebly.com. For more information call (504) 286-5004.