Local NAACP Leader is Black History Month Dinner Speaker
Contact: Jose Cordero, 581-1425, George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO – James Varner, president of the Greater Bangor NAACP, will bethe Black History Month dinner speaker on Friday, Feb. 24 from 6-8 atStodder Commons.
The previously scheduled speaker, James Wallace, professor of highereducation leadership at Eastern Illinois University, was unable to makethe engagement, according to Jose Cordero, interim director ofmulticultural programs at UMaine and the ALANA (African, Latino, Asianand Native American) Center.
Black History Month has been observed throughout February at UMaine,with speakers, films and the annual Black History Month dinner on Feb.24
Varner will speak on the legacy of Black History Month in the UnitedStates. The dinner and program are free and open to the public. Theevening also includes poetry and a menu of “popular soul food,” Corderosays. This year will feature a tried and true southern staple of friedchicken, mashed potatoes, corn biscuits and apple pie.
Fried chicken and mashed potatoes may seem like a common staple formany Americans today, but Cordero explains that these food items andcombinations were not always rooted in African American culture.
“Slaves were forced to eat scraps mostly, and soul food became popularat the turn of the last century,” he says. “This is the menu that willbe served on Friday.”
Black History Month at UMaine is intended to provide students and thepublic with a better insight into the African American culture andhistory, and also give thought to issues of racism, according toCordero. If people were exposed to a more equal representation ofdifferent cultures’ histories, there might be less misunderstanding ofracial differences and more appreciation of cultural traditions, hesays.
The University of Maine is temporarily home for students from 70countries, each bringing unique cultural characteristics to the campuscommunity.
Cordero can be reached at (207) 581-1425 for more information.