North Carolina Central University Celebrates Black History Month

DURHAM, NC – North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will commemorate Black History Month with a series of virtual events that are free and open to the public.

The university will host lectures, a film screening, and panel discussions throughout February, including appearances by nationally noted African American history scholars and a successful entertainment entrepreneur.

The university kicks off events with the Rock the Lyceum Lecture Series featuring noted historian Reginald K. Ellis, Ph.D., assistant dean of the School of Graduate Studies & Research, and associate professor of history at Florida A&M University. Ellis will provide the keynote address at 6 pm on Wednesday, Feb. 10.  

Ellis is the author of “Between Washington and Du Bois: The Racial Politics of James Edward Shepard,” which highlights how NCCU founder Dr. James E. Shepard played a vital role in the creation of a black professional class during the Jim Crow era. Registration for this event is online at http://bit.ly/NCCU-RTL-REllis.  

Additional Black History Month activities, sponsored by the Department of History, include a virtual viewing of the “MLK/FBI” documentary Feb. 9-11. Individuals may register to view independently at https://mlkfbiatnccu.eventbrite.com, with School of Law professor Irving Joyner slated to host a panel discussion featuring film director Sam Pollard about the movie at 6 pm, Thursday, Feb. 11. Register for the event at http://bit.ly/MLKFBIDocumentary (password: MLKFBI211).  

NCCU Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye will deliver remarks during NCCU Day at St. Joseph AME Church at 10 a.m. on Feb. 14.  The event will broadcast live on St. Joseph AME Church’s Facebook page, http://facebook.com/stjosephamec and YouTube channel, http://tinyurl.com/3amwzze4.

Other highlights include:

•  Feb. 8: The movie “Antwone Fisher” will be screened at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 8, with a discussion to follow. For more information, visit https://nccu.campuslabs.com/engage/event/6650235.

•  Feb. 24: Sulaiman Mausi, NCCU alumnus and Durham-based entertainment entrepreneur will be featured in the third installment of the Rock the Lyceum Lecture Series on Feb. 24. Mausi is the owner of The DOME Group LLC, an entertainment production company. In 2018, the organization acquired the rights to The Art of Cool Festival, a Durham-based music festival that attracts thousands of music lovers to downtown Durham. Mausi will speak at 6 pm. Register for the event at http://Bit.ly/NCCU-RTL-SMausi.  

For more information, call the Department of History at 919-530-6321.