!!
!
!
!
!
!
!"#$%&'&$()*+,$-./0123$4150"$
6*789/:;.<#$6177.00##$=#8120!
!
To create an environment on NU’s Campus which promotes consciousness
and societal value of individuals of the African Diaspora
!
"#$%&''()!$*!
!
+,-&./!+,0./1!2.%%&''((!23,&-!,/)!
400&0',/'!5&-(6'.-!.7!"'#)(/'!5(8(9.:%(/'!,/)!"#66(00!
;.3/!5<!=>?-*,/'!47-&6,/@4%(-&6,/!A/0'&'#'(!
!
B.!
!
5-<!C&63,-)!D<!=>?-*,/'1!5&-(6'.-!
;.3/!5<!=>?-*,/'!47-&6,/@4%(-&6,/!A/0'&'#'(!
!
C.$(-'!;.0(1!400.6&,'(!5(,/!,/)!5&-(6'.-!
C(0&)(/'&,9!,/)!2#9'#-,9!D&7(!
!
4*2+"$%&'&$
E.-'3(,0'(-/!F/&8(-0&'*!
?.0'./1!+,00,63#0(''0!
!
!!"#$%&'()$*+,-./0$1.2-"$$
3'456,78+9#$3.44+--##$:#5./-!
!
The John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute has come a long way since its early
days amongst the turbulent 1960s. Its history has been one of determination and progress.
Born out of the idea to create an oversight committee for Northeastern’s Black
community, the African-American Institute was established in 1968 to develop and
implement a long-range plan for a genuine, effective and permanent Black presence at
Northeastern University. Throughout the past 40 years, the Institute has developed and
executed Black History Month programs, events and activities. During those years the
initiatives were generally focused inward toward members of the Northeastern and local
African-American community. In addition to focusing on experiences within the African-
American community in 2010, this year, an effort was made to expand and make
available the Black History Month experience for the entire Northeastern community.
All indications are, from attendance and anecdotal feedback, that this year’s Black
History Month expanded program effort was an overwhelming success. This report seeks
to capture not only the process and thinking behind this year’s Black History Month
program, but the expected and unexpected outcomes.
Background
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a
time for recognizing the central role of African- Americans in U.S. and World history.
The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Dr. Carter
G. Woodson and other prominent African-Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president
has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries
around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to
celebrating black history.1
In celebration of Black History Month, Northeastern University’s Cultural and
Residential Life division developed a committee of individuals in concert with the John
D. O’Bryant African-American institute to develop Black History Month programming
for the entire university community. The Black History Month Committee (BHMC) was
comprised of 16 individuals from various departments across the university, primarily
under the division of Student Affairs. Each member of the committee was tasked with
engaging students, co-workers, and community members to become a part of the
university’s Black History Month planning process. The committee’s efforts yielded
well-attended events and broadened university awareness of the local and global
contributions of African-Americans. In order to promote unity among the committee
and to provide direction for future committees the following were developed:
1. Vision Statement (Programming and Committee)
2. Mission Statement (To Be Used each Year)
3. Weekly Themes
4. Types of Events
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"!###$%&'()*+$,)-!!
!!"#$%&'()$*+,-./0$1.2-"$$
3'456,78+9#$3.44+--##$:#5./-!
!
Vision Statement for Black History Month
To celebrate the history, contributions, and global impact of people of the African
Diaspora.!!
Mission Statement for the Black History Month Committee
To create an environment on NU’s Campus which promotes consciousness and societal
value of individuals of the African Diaspora, by providing opportunities to all members
of the campus community by making connections, inspiring, educating, celebrating the
richness of Black History.
Black History Month Themes
The BHMC decided to establish a theme and focus for each week of Black History
Month. The themes were intended concentrate the Black History Month activities of both
the Institute and the students. The themes were as follows:
Week 1 – Connect (2/1 -2/6 ) Connecting the Past with the Present
Week 2 – Educate (2/7 -2/13) Educating our campus and community
Week 3 – Inspire (2/14 -2/20) Inspiring the NU Community
Week 4 – Celebrate (2/22 -2/27) Celebrating the rich history and future
Types of Events (5) – The BHMC categorized five different types of events of varying
scale in order to reach a vast array of individuals
Big Events – 500 – 1000 Individuals
Small Events – 25 – 50 Individuals
Community Events – 15+ Community Members
University Awareness – Publicity around campus
JDOAAI Signature Events – Range from 50 to 200 participants
.(/012('!,1314*5(1!(%1&*!,/3(/*1!!
!!"#$%&'()$*+,-./0$1.2-"$$
3'456,78+9#$3.44+--##$:#5./-!
!
Big Events – Harlem Renaissance Play – The Oscar Micheaux Family Theater Program
at the Blackman Theater performed the Harlem Renaissance with a Gospel Flavor on
February 5th. The play captivated the audience with an artistic interpretation of the
Harlem Renaissance period. The play had an attendance of approximately 500 students,
community members, and university staff and faculty.
Small Events – Guest Speaker – Bakari Kitwana author of “The Hip Hop Culture”
conducted a 90 min lecture and Q&A on the impact of the Hip Hop Culture on society.
The event attracted about 30 students and community members.
Coast-to-Coast Conversations – The Coast to Coast Conversations consisted of three
90min roundtable forums on issues affecting individuals of the African Diaspora. The
discussions focused on connecting cultures in the African and African-American
community, Education in the African American Community, and Inspiration in the
African American Community.
The John D. O’Bryant African American Institute
& Northeastern Black Student Association
&
The play, performed by the Oscar Micheaux Family Theater Program and written by community activist Haywood
Fennell, Sr. is set in the Harlem Renaissance Era. Mr. Fennell is quick to explain that Harlem was not the only location
for this social and artistic phenomenon known as the Harlem Renaissance, it was happening in several cities across the
United States including Boston. The Harlem Renaissance Revisited With a Gospel Flavor captivates audiences through
song, dance and telling a story that you will never forget; it’s a must see.
FEBRUARY 5 , 2010 BLACKMAN AUDITORIUM
7 :00PM
P R E S E N T :
Free Admission
6575*&!8&(#525!500*1''1'!9:!.(/012('!!
!!!!!!!!!!!;5*31-!<125&''52,1!=3+1*!!
.(/012('!'%5*1!>1*')253!1?>1*&12,1'!5(!
@)5'(!()!@)5'(!@)2A1*'5(&)2'!!
!!"#$%&'()$*+,-./0$1.2-"$$
3'456,78+9#$3.44+--##$:#5./-!
!
Celebration (Planned by Ujima Scholars) - Black History Month concluded with a
celebration of the richness of Black History through song, dance, speeches, skits, and
food. The celebration yielded over 150 participants.
Community Events – School Engagement (Program @ Orchard Gardens Pilot School)
(20) – Cancelled – (We were scheduled to talk about the importance of Black History)
Community Program (Black History and Identity) (30) University Awareness – An extra effort was made to reach out across campus to
publicize and advertise the Black History Month events. The promotions include
Next Graphics Promo Pack (Club Cards, Flyers)
Posters (Celebrating Black History Month Around Campus) * Printed by RD’s
Publicity & Flyers (Event Marketing)
Plasma Screens (Event Information)
JDOAAI Signature Events – The John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute
continued its Black History Month signature events that include:
Recognition Ceremonies (2) – The Black History Recognition Luncheons were designed
and developed two years ago by the director to honor those individuals on campus that
don’t normally receive recognition, but have contributed to and support the Institute. The
recognition ceremonies were conducted on Feb.3 & Feb. 10 at the Cabral Center. Each
ceremony honored and celebrated the contributions of NU staff & faculty of African-
American descent. The Recognition Luncheons were well attended by University staff,
faculty, students, and community members. Our honorees with over 142 years of
combined service to Northeastern University included:
Dean Ella Robertson, Retired Associate Director of Special Support Services – 30yrs
Sherman Hart, Head Track Coach – 22yrs
Barry Martinez, Northeastern University Police Department – 40yrs
Allean Beane, Student Activities Business Office – 19yrs
Denise Young Howard, Coordinator for Purchasing Systems – 31yrs
Oratory Competition – On Tuesday February 16, 2010 the JDOAAI hosted the Annual
Dean Roland E. Latham Oratory competition. The competition featured 8 students whose
topics focused on current events questions addressing the following: Health Care Reform,
Death Penalty, Ending Poverty, Hip Hop, Domestic Violence, Education, Haiti, and
Black Student Enrollment at Northeastern. The event drew about 35 students and
community members.
B*$!<&,%5*0!CD6*+52(!520!EF"F!C*5()*+!@)->1(&(&)2!
>5*(&,&>52('$!!!
!!"#$%&'()$*+,-./0$1.2-"$$
3'456,78+9#$3.44+--##$:#5./-!
!
Black Inventors Exhibit – The Annual Black Inventors exhibit showcased the local and
global contributions of African and African American Inventors. The exhibit includes
models and sometimes actually pieces of the inventions.
Institute Display – In order to increase awareness of Black History Month, institute staff
created history displays throughout the Institute. The displays consisted of pictures,
brochures, event flyers, event calendars, and TV monitors with Black History
programming. (Videos were changed on a daily basis).
Learning Outcomes & Goals – The BHMC
Learning Outcomes (Waiting for Survey Distribution & Results)
1. Students, staff, and faculty will be able to apply knowledge learned from Black
History programming to new experiences.
2. Students, staff, and faculty will be able to articulate the local and global
contributions of people of the African Diaspora.
3. Students, staff, and faculty will understand how cultural identity and
differences impact perspectives and relationships with others.
Participation Goals and Actual – The BHMC set attendance goals for each event and in
most cases met or exceeded the attendance goals.
2/3 2/4 2/5 2/9 2/10 2/16 2/17 2/22 2/23 2/24 Total
Goal
Range
50-
100
25-
50
500-
1000
25-
50
50-
100
25-50 25-50 100-
200
25-50 100-
200
925-
1850
Actual 80 30 500+ 40 80 60 20 150 35 150 1145
Table 1.0 – BHMC Participation numbers/Day
Evaluation Tools – For the Black History Month Programming for Northeastern
University we used the following types of evaluation:
1. Goals-Based Evaluation (Mission Statement for Year 1 more specific goals for
each additional)
2. Process-Based Evaluation (How do we plan and execute Black History Month?) –
Committee & Student Groups
3. Outcomes-Based Evaluation (Is the programming effective?) – Participant
Surveys
.(/012('!A&1#!(%1!1?%&4&(!
!!"#$%&'()$*+,-./0$1.2-"$$
3'456,78+9#$3.44+--##$:#5./-!
!
Budget Information – The fiduciary responsibility was shared between Student Affairs,
Residential and Cultural Life, and The John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute.
Below is the budget information for Northeastern’s Black History Month 2010:
Black History Month Overall Budget
Projected
Student Affairs/Res Life
University Awareness & Publicity 5,000
Power Luncheon 2,500
Celebration 2,000
Sub-Total 9,500
Student Groups (NBSA, Minority Grad Students)
Harlem Renaissance w/
Gospel Flavor 7,000
Hip Hop Guest Speaker 6,500
Power Luncheon 1,500
Community Program 0
Sub-Total 15,000
JDOAAI
Recognition Ceremony 2,500
Oratory Competition 4,400
Black Inventors 2,200
School Engagement 0
Sub-Total 9,100
Total Cost $33,600
Black History Month Overall Budget
Actual
Student Affairs/Res Life
University Awareness & Publicity 0
Power Luncheon 0
Celebration 1108.16
Sub-Total 1108.16
Student Groups (NBSA, Minority Grad Students)
Harlem Renaissance w/
Gospel Flavor 7,000
Hip Hop Guest Speaker 6,500
Power Luncheon 0
Community Program 0
Sub-Total 13,500
JDOAAI
Recognition Ceremony 4083.85
Oratory Competition 4215
Black Inventors 1900
School Engagement 0
Sub-Total 10,198.85
Total Cost $24,807.01
General Ideas and Recommendations for Next Year
• Budget confirmed at the beginning of fiscal year
• Committee selected in the spring of prior year
• Identify a point person for each event
• Co-Chairs for the committee
• Add program listing in Huntington News
• Highlight events early in planning process for President to attend
• Develop a planning Calendar * See Below
Events for Next Year
• Power Luncheon (Mentoring)
• Cultural Celebration (Fashion, Food, Fun)
• Art Display in 360 Art Gallery for the Month
• Research Expo
!!"#$%&'()$*+,-./0$1.2-"$$
3'456,78+9#$3.44+--##$:#5./-!
!
Recommended Black History Month Committee Planning Calendar
February – Execution of Black History Month
March – Final Report Submitted
April – Selection of New Committee (Luncheon – Talk about Black
History Month and Get to know Each Other)
May – Committee Watch a Video on Black History Month and Discuss
Dates (Send Dates and Info to Print and to be included in fall
literature.
June – Committee Assignments
July – Contracts for Major Events - Get approval for all flyers
August – Design & Print Flyers and Info for Orientations and Welcome
Weeks
September – Meet with Student Groups and Departments & Develop a
University Wide Calendar.
- Begin Weekly Meetings (Late September)
October – Continue Weekly Meetings
November – Finalize All Literature, Dates, and Info to be printed. Before
Thanksgiving. * Create brief video for Kwanza, MLK
Convocation, and Website *
December – Kwanza – Publicity for Black History Month * Show Video *
January – MLK Convocation – Video and All Black History Month (Is
Black History still Relevant & Why – It’s relevance on the
International Experience
February - 20 Events of Black History