The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.

By the time of Woodson’s death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a central part of African American life and substantial progress had been made in bringing more Americans to appreciate the celebration. At mid–century, mayors of cities nationwide issued proclamations noting Negro History Week. The Black Awakening of the 1960s dramatically expanded the consciousness of African Americans about the importance of black history, and the Civil Rights movement focused Americans of all color on the subject of the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture.

The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” That year, fifty years after the first celebration, the association held the first African American History Month. By this time, the entire nation had come to recognize the importance of Black history in the drama of the American story. Since then each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations. And the association—now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)—continues to promote the study of Black history all year.

(Excerpt from an essay by Daryl Michael Scott, Howard University, for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History)

For more information on The Mosaic's Black Africana centered events, please check out our upcoming newsletter, attached Black History Month calendar or email us at mosaic@umbc.edu.

Applications for the 2018-19 Undergraduate Research Awards (URA) are being accepted now!

Undergraduate Research Awards provide up to $1,500 to undergraduate students to support their research or creative work with a UMBC faculty mentor on an original project. UMBC students of all years and disciplines are invited to apply, as long as they will remain enrolled at UMBC long enough to complete the proposed work.  Eligible students are degree-seeking undergraduates who will conduct mentored-research or creative work, June 2018- May 2019. The URA may be used to support work being done as part of a capstone project, honors thesis, ongoing lab project, scholars program, art exhibit or performance, or an independent project.  

Application deadline: Feb. 16, 2018.

For more info and to apply:

ur.umbc.edu/ura

Workshop this Wednesday, January 31^st from 12-12:50 p.m. Sondheim 103:  How to Apply for a URA

This event is free for UMBC faculty, staff, & students.  

Please click here to register.  

Registrants will have access to conference materials and also enjoy all the meals, including a banquet of African food and dance on 5/9/18 if they choose. 

The McNair Scholars program focuses on the preparation of undergraduate students who qualify as either low-income/first-generation college students or members of groups underrepresented in graduate education to pursue doctoral degrees.

The program offers a number of benefits, such as: summer and academic year research funding, assistance connecting with faculty research mentors, hands-on guidance and navigation through the graduate school application process, first-hand exposure to individuals who have earned PhD’s in their field of study, and the opportunity to attend research conferences (fully funded).

For any interested students, please encourage them to apply as soon as possible, the deadline is Friday, February 9th, 4:59:59 pm.

For additional information, please contact:  mcnairs@umbc.edu.

On January 16th, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) called “on colleges and universities across the country to engage in activities, events, or strategies that promote healing and foster engagement around the issues of racism, bias, inequity, and injustice in our society” for a National Day of Racial Healing.

As a new member of AAC&U’s  Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center network, UMBC students, faculty, and staff will show their commitment to building community and breaking down racial hierarchies through the spirit of service. Did you volunteer at one of the many service sites hosting volunteers on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 15), or by hosting your own service event on Jan. 15th or 16th?  If so, share your work by creating a social media post for twitter, facebook, or instagram, and use the hashtag #Bmore4TRHT and DiversityandInclusion. Feel free to tag the Shriver Center, the Mosaic Center, and the Choice Program. If your post receives the most likes within one week, lunch for you and four other members of your group is on us! If you have a group larger than 5 participating in service, consider creating multiple teams of five to submit multiple posts. The deadline to post was 1/17 at 12pm.  To be considered for the lunch, let us know that you posted on your platform by sending an email to afrank3@umbc.edu so your post can be considered.

UMBC’s Truth, Racial, Healing, and Transformation Campus Center is in its early stage of development, but already students are convening, planning, and doing great work. Student organization representatives from the Charm City Connection, Amnesty International, Hillel, Black Lives Matter, the Black Student Union; as well as representatives from the Choice Program, the Peaceworker Program, Service-Learning, and College JUMP are actively thinking about what Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation means for our campus and for community engagement. This winter, student representatives will attend AAC&U’s “inaugural TRHT Institute in Washington, DC, where TRHT Campus Center teams will come together to discuss and refine their visionary plans to engage and empower campus and community stakeholders to uproot the conscious and unconscious biases and misbeliefs that have exacerbated racial violence and tension in American society.” 

Stay tuned for more updates as the work progresses, and for opportunities to get involved!

The Immigration and Border Community – Research Experience for Undergraduates, is a unique opportunity to learn social science research methods while collaborating with local organizations to conduct in-depth research about the unique challenges faced by border communities in the Paso del Norte region of southern New Mexico, El Paso and Ciudad Juárez.

The U.S. Mexico border is currently at the center of political controversy, one that has threatened to further disrupt border cities that were once closely integrated. Immigration is an important part of the Paso del Norte region and the increase in border enforcement has significant impacts not only on those passing through the border, but those who live here as well. This is a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to learn social science research methods through hands-on collaboration with local organizations about border enforcement and its impacts on immigrants and border communities.

Work will be fully funded by the National Science Foundation and is an excellent opportunity for students interested in pursuing a graduate degree or a variety of career paths. By collaborating closely with organizations already involved in advocacy for civil and human rights, such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Border Network for Human Rights, your work will have a greater impact. Sample topics include:

• The impacts of repealing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
• Alleged abuse and mistreatment of migrants and community members by law enforcement
• Asylum seekers in the borderlands: Access to due process and basic human rights
• “Know Your Rights” campaigns
• The history of community organizing and leadership development in the borderlands

Successful applicants will spend 10 weeks in the El Paso/Las Cruces/Ciudad Juárez region during the summer (May 21-July 28, 2018). Positions are fully funded by the NSF. Students will receive a stipend of $5000 and meal expenses. In addition, students traveling from outside the region will receive accommodation and $500 towards their travel expenses. We will also have several excursions, including a one-week intensive field-trip through the Arizona/Sonora borderlands.

(Please note, because this is federally funded, there are citizenship/immigration limitations—very sorry.)

For more information please contact Neil Harvey, (575) 646-3220, nharvey@nmsu.edu or Jeremy Slack, (915) 747-6530 jmslack@utep.edu

URCAD