Queens College honors the contributions of African descendants during the February Black History Month observance. In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson--historian, author and scholar established Negro History Week to celebrate the achievements of African Americans. Negro History Week evolved into Black History Month.
Throughout February, Queens will celebrate and explore the African American and Black experience. Under a unifying theme,
Sankofa: Reclaiming Our Time, we will examine how the influences of the African diaspora continue to impact the social, political and cultural constructs of our societies.
Sankofa is the Akan word meaning "We must go back and reclaim our past in order to move forward." Looking back to move forward will assist us in acting on the now famous phrase "reclaiming my time" from Representative Maxine Waters' speech in the House of Representatives. This use of the parliamentary term went viral because for many women and people of color, the words "reclaiming my time" resonated, "
with the idea of reclamation speaking specifically to both the present and the past. Society has been wasting not only their time but also their voices, agency and potential--for years." Please join us in our ongoing dialogue on race, education
and empowerment as part of one of our key strategic initiatives to nurture campus diversity. All events are free and all are welcome.
