Despite the effects of COVID-19, there are a variety of opportunities to celebrate Black History Month with the Cal Poly Pomona community throughout February.
CPP’s Division of Student Affairs is hosting online events throughout the month, headlined by a celebration of Blackness on Feb. 9, a conversation that will explore Blackness as a mosaic, and the experiences that have brought us to today.
Other events include a discussion about Afrofuturism on Feb. 15, which will address the lack of diversity in science fiction. Participants can recommend books by Black authors at a Black book exchange on Feb. 16.
Afrofuturism and the book exchange are part of “Blerd” (Black nerd) week Feb. 15-19 hosted by the CPP African-American Student Center.
Blerd week also includes a trivia event focused on black anime and cosplay on Feb. 17 and “Lovecraft Country” movie night Feb. 18 during which attendees will view an episode of the HBO television series about a Black man traveling the segregated United States in the 1950s in search of his missing father. The African-American Student Center will host a discussion about the TV series’ themes and the parallels to the episode.
View the complete list of CPP Black History Month events on myBAR, where attendees can also RSVP.
Several campus entities, including admissions, financial aid and the educational opportunity program will host Super Sunday Success, a virtual event on Feb. 28 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. For more than a decade, CSU campuses have been partnering with local churches to deliver inspirational messages on Super Sunday – Cal Poly Pomona President Soraya M. Coley will deliver her message virtually on Feb. 28. Super Sunday Success will offer the opportunity for students, prospective students and their families to gather information about how several offices and programs on campus can provide them assistance.
Cal Poly Pomona’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) is promoting a range of virtual Black History Month events via Eventbrite. The events, many of which are free, celebrate the present by focusing on current events and showcasing Black excellence.
There are many other off-campus opportunities to celebrate Black History Month, including virtual events and television programming. PBS SoCal and KCET will be commemorating Black History Month by airing informative programs nightly. The full list of programs is available at PBS SoCal’s website.