The theme for this year’s Black History Month programming at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is concise: More than words.
Alphonso Simpson Jr.
For Alphonso Simpson Jr., director of UW Oshkosh’s African American Studies program, it represents a call to action—not just a time to talk.
More than words: “Don’t just talk the talk,” he said. “Walk the walk.”
“Don’t just talk about it. Be about it.”
To help be a catalyst for that action, the University is offering dozens of events—including guest speakers, panel discussions, film screenings, workshops, arts performances and much more—throughout February in celebration of Black History Month. The packed calendar is thanks to hard work from the leaders and members of the African American Studies program, the Black Student Union and Academic Support of Inclusive Excellence.
Among the series of events, which began Monday, is the second annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration and Awards Program. Set for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Reeve Union theater (and on Zoom), the keynote speaker is the Rev. Reginald Johnson of Believers in Christ Ministries in Milwaukee and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity’s Wisconsin district director. King himself was an Alpha Phil Alpha member, as is Simpson.
“He’s just a phenomenal speaker,” Simpson said of Johnson. “He loves and embodies everything the fraternity stands for. The aims of the fraternity are ‘manly deeds, scholarship and love for all mankind.’ That is absolutely what Dr. King embodied in everything he did.”
Other highlights of the events schedule are virtual roundtable discussions. Simpson will moderate one on the evening of Feb. 10, for example, with five Black leaders in police departments from around the U.S. They’ll talk about their experiences overseeing largely white departments and other dynamics of being Black and working in law enforcement.
On Feb. 23, Simpson will moderate back-to-back discussions with more panelists from around the country. At 5:30 p.m., in a session called The Imaginary Middle, educators from Alabama and Wisconsin will talk about teaching Black history in predominantly white schools, including from the perspective of Black teachers. Then at 7:30 p.m., several church leaders will talk about the presence of Black people in the Bible in a session titled The Struggle to be Recognized.
Here is the complete calendar of Black History Month events.
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