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Throughout the month of February, С����Ƶ’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, with the Lawrenceville Black Student Union and Westminster Black Hispanic Alliance, are coming together to present powerful programming with a strong message for the University community. This year’s Black History Month programs are guided by the theme “Reflecting on the Past for Future Progress." 

Director of Multicultural Affairs Pamela Pruitt, believes that "Students should celebrate and appreciate different cultures in order to maximize their experience here." 

Black History Month is a time to take a look at civil rights history for African-Americans, as well as the variety of cultural backgrounds represented in Rider's diverse student body. This year’s programming seeks to encourages reflection on those topics.

“In the year ahead, we want to have the opportunity for meaningful, student-led discussions,” says Pruitt. “We want an environment on our campus that encourages students to think about, and share how they feel when it comes to current issues.”   

This year's keynote speaker, Gregory Lorjuste ’04, deputy assistant to President Obama and director of scheduling, will speak to students about his journey from undergraduate study at Rider to his career at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Cavalla Room. 

Another highlight of this year’s programming is the inclusion of the Westminster campus’ Black Hispanic Alliance. BHA will host “Something to Talk About: An Open Discussion on Race," on the Princeton campus on Wednesday Feb. 17, at 7 p.m., followed by a Q&A session on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. WCC alumni will return to campus to discuss their education at Westminster and their current careers as they relate to Black History Month and current events. 

Furthering a focus on art and music, the campus-wide art contest "Through My Eyes" encourages students to visually express what a significant person or cause relevant to black history represents to them. For further details or to register, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/THT7FTG. Entries will be showcased and the winners will be announced in the BLC Commuter Lounge on Thursday, Feb. 18, from 7 to 8 p.m.  

This year, Black History Month events will also encompass Rider's annual two-day film symposium. The topic of this year's symposium is Spike Lee and African American film. Other events include a celebration of black voices in American musical theatre, the annual “I Have A Dream” speech contest and, finally, Gospel Fest on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. where the Westminster Jubilee singers will round out the month’s festivities with song, dance and spoken word. 

For details on all Black History Month events, visit . For more information, please contact Pamela Pruitt at ppruitt@rider.edu or call 609-895-5781.