Kishwaukee College will offer several programs and events in February to celebrate Black History Month.
The month-long celebration will focus on the theme “The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity.” These programs reflect the College’s core values of inclusion and accessibility for all members of the Kish community. Kish students, staff, faculty and members of the public are encouraged to attend this year’s offerings.
Kish’s annual Brown Bag series will be broken into four interactive discussions from 1-2 pm on Tuesdays during February and the first week of March. All discussions are open to the public.
Feb. 9 — My Play Brothers and Sisters: Blood and Kinship in the Black Family — This discussion will explore diverse notions of the Black family. Contemporary definitions of the family include people who may not be related by blood. Are fictive kin real family or not?
Feb. 16 — The Real MVP: Single Parents and the Raising of Black Children — Successful people come from a variety of family structures. Today, the historical increase in the percentage of families headed by a single parent is often argued to influence social problems like crime and delinquency. This discussion explores parenting and the raising of Black children.
Feb. 23 — Black and Bougie: Wealth, Class and the Black Family — The urban, suburban and rural American communities have a combination of the privileged middle class and underprivileged families. This interactive discussion will focus on class and its impact on Black family life.
March 2 — Teaching and Learning While Black: The Role of the Family in Black Education Attainment — This discussion explores the ways a student’s family serves as a support system for student success. Topics that will be explored include: Is college completion an individual achievement or group effort? How do families support those who go away to school?
Kishwaukee will offer several other events for student registration only, including a virtual Paint and Create, a virtual escape room and a virtual Poetry Slam. For more information on all of Kish’s Black History Month events, visit www.kish.edu.
Black History Month is a time to reflect on the great contributions of Black people across the world. Kishwaukee College is excited to continue offering great programming to allow students to learn, reflect and honor those stories.