In honor of Black History Month the African-American Society at Providence College hosted a series of events during the last week of February. African-American Society President Adriana Okwara '09 said that Black History Month will be recognized and celebrated at the College with an exploration of black culture based on art, cinema, history, and performances. Okwara and her club members put together five events. The celebration began with a showing of a movie by Spike Lee called "Do The Right Thing." The movie deals with racial prejudices and the consequences that often result from them. On Tuesday the African-American Society hosted a forum on Racial Stereotypes.

On Wednesday, a "Poetry Slam" was held in McPhail's, PC’s student entertainment facility, and The Fannie Lou Hamer Story played in the John Bowab Studio Theater in the Smith Center for the Arts on Thursday.   The production consisted of a performance by actress Mzuri who plays Fannie Lou Hamer, a native Mississippian who became a state and national leader during the Civil Rights Era. Weekend events included the masquerade ball on Friday night and a presentation called "The Civil Rights Era: Trials and Tribulations" on Saturday. During the presentation, the African-American Society highlighted the milestones that have occurred in black history, especially during the Civil Rights Era.

The African-American Society planned these events with the assistance of the Political Science Club, the Public and Community Service Club, the Department of History, The Balfour Center, and the Black Studies program. In addition to high turnouts at the events, Okwara hopes that the events can accomplish something greater.

"I want not only the black community, but all of the communities at PC to understand how important African-Americans are to our history," said Okwara. Tara Miller '09, treasurer of the African American Society, agreed with Okwara and feels that Black History Month should be a celebration of America 's history. "We're looking to celebrate how far we've come and to celebrate our accomplishments," said Miller.

The African-American Society finds this Black History Month to be especially important because of Barack Obama's victory and his rise to the presidency marking the first African-American to become the president of the United States . Okwara believes that Obama's victory marks a milestone in African-Americans' struggle for equality. "I think without the people of our past [Obama] never would have gotten as far as he did," said Okwara.

At PC, the African-American Society hopes to get all communities to recognize the importance of African-Americans in the history of the United States . Okwara strongly believes that the African-American Society is responsible for spreading news on campus about the Black community. “Black History Month is a way to bring diversity and awareness to the campus," said Brianna King '11, secretary of African-American Society.