Violinist Richmond Punch will perform Feb. 12 at Northwest as part of a musical celebration of diversity coinciding with the University's Black History Month activities. (Submitted photos)

Feb. 5, 2019

Black History Month features musical celebration, Soul Food Dinner

By Kelsey Johnson, communication assistant

Dr. Latrese Adkins Weathersby will appear as the keynote speaker at Northwest's annual Soul Food Dinner on Feb. 16.

Northwest Missouri State University will host a musical celebration and its annual Soul Food Dinner with Dr. Latrese Adkins Weathersby to commemorate Black History Month.

Black History Month’s 2019 nationwide theme, “The Migrations,” focuses on the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and social realities, primarily during the 20th century through today. All Black History Month activities at Northwest are open to the public.

Northwest’s Black History Month programming begins Tuesday, Feb. 12, with a musical celebration of diversity featuring special guest Richmond Punch, a violinist extraordinaire. The Northwest Symphony, directed by Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Robert Pippin, will also perform selections from William Grant Still’s hallmark composition, “Afro-American.” The free event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts.

On Saturday, Feb. 16, Northwest hosts its annual Soul Food Dinner, featuring food traditionally enjoyed by African-American families as well as a keynote address by Dr. Latrese Adkins Weathersby. The doors of the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom will open at 6 p.m., and the dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and children 6 and older.

Adkins Weathersby is a public speaker, professor and author of numerous published manuscripts such as “Ethnic diversity in religious practices: The call of community psychology for exploring the intersections of faith and race” and  “Invisible Body, The Catalytic Power of Death in Antebellum Slave Funerals of the U.S. South.” Her professional presentations include “The Hip Hop Speaks, Critiquing the Uses of Hip Hop Culture in the Socialization of Black Youth” and “Social Justice and Black Churches: An Historical Analysis.”

Celebrated each February, Black History Month celebrates individuals and events in the history of the African American culture. Black History Month was founded as Negro History Week in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson with the goal of educating blacks about their cultural background and instilling a sense of pride in their race. Since 1976, Black History Month is celebrated annually in the United States.

For more information about Black History Month activities at Northwest, contact Director of Diversity and Inclusion Justin Mallett at jmallett@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1317.