An opening ceremony for African American Celebration Month (AACM) was held on Tuesday, Jan. 16, hosted by the OU Center for Multicultural Initiatives (CMI).
During this ceremony, the CMI pays tribute to African American culture and heritage.
Rae Johnson, OU lecturer, field coordinator and member of the AACM committee, said the main goal of the ceremony was to bring people together.
“[The point is to encourage] the campus community to partake and participate and engage with others who are different from themselves and letting students know what this month is all about, why we celebrate,” Johnson said.
The ceremony was also on National Day of Racial Healing, which is part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation efforts. The goal of the day is to facilitate racial healing to promote racial equity.
“For the National Racial Day of Healing, it is a day where we come together, all people of all different kinds of life, race and ethnicities to heal from past traumas that have impacted our community,” Johnson added. “What we wanted to do is, here today, have a community with food, breaking bread, but also honoring those who have come before us.”
Johnson put a QR code on the projector with a statement above that said “Honoring those who have come before us.” Students scanned and listed African Americans who have impacted their lives in some way.
The list included memorable names such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman.
There are many resources around OU to help minorities around campus, Johnson said, including the Golden Grizzly Pantry, Grizz Garments, CMI and Veteran Services.
“Every campus unit serves black and brown students or those who have been historically minoritized,” she said. “Every campus unit is putting in the effort to learn how to support students who are diverse.”
Johnson said that diversity is very important to college campuses because it will only continue to grow.
“When we look at our communities, they are increasing and getting more diverse. We are seeing folks from different countries and speak different languages… also having a multitude of different identities,” Johnson said.
Paige Burns, a second-year student attended the opening ceremony.
“I feel like black history should be celebrated year-round,” Burns said.
The full list of AACM events is available on CMI’s website. For additional information and resources, email [email protected].
