United Black World Month begins Jan. 30

'Our 30th Year: The Spirit of a People Will NEVER Die' calendar highlights include presentations by Jefferson/Hemings descendants, authors, journalists

Thirty years ago, students at Ohio State initiated the campus's first Black History Week. Twenty years later, that weeklong celebration evolved into United Black World Month to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of Black people. This year, Ohio State marks its 30th observance of Black history with an expanded calendar of events ranging from an evening with Edward James Olmos to visits by author Elaine Brown and journalist Tony Brown.

United Black World Month 2000, "Our 30th Year: The Spirit of a People will NEVER Die," runs from Jan. 30 through Feb. 29, with a host of other events highlighted by songs, dance and discussion.

"Very few other colleges or universities in the country can say their campuses have celebrated Black people and heritage for that length of time. It really shows Ohio State's commitment to diversity," said Janice Hoffman, director of Ethnic Student Services. "We really need to take this time and pay attention to the contributions of a people who have not been given a lot of credit over the course of history."

File photo

United Black World Month annually includes an opening ceremony. Last year's event took place at King Avenue United Methodist Church. This year, activities kick off with a celebration at the Ohio Union.

Hoffman said events planned for this year's celebration -- including a discussion led by Shay Banks-Young and Julia Jefferson Westerinen, two descendants of Thomas Jefferson and one of his slaves, Sally Hemings -- are geared toward bringing students, faculty, staff and Columbus community members together to gain a better understanding of Blacks and Black culture. The dialogue, "The Affairs of Race in America: A Conversation in Black and White," begins at 6 p.m. on Feb. 2 in the Ohio Union East Grand Ballroom.

Other events include:

Jan. 30: Kickoff Celebration, 5 p.m., Ohio Union Conference Theatre. WVKO's Mike J. Roebuck will guide participants through the kickoff with gospel music, dance and presentations by Columbus and Ohio State talent.

Feb. 1-29: "Black Facts." Look for red, black and green flags on campus that give information about the contributions that Black people have made throughout history.

Feb. 1: "Tobacco: Don't Believe the Hype," noon to 1:15 p.m., Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center. Sponsored in part by the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, this session addresses questions about tobacco use.

Feb. 3: Harambee: "AIDS and HIV in the Black Community," 6 p.m., Hale Center.

Feb. 6: "African American Cultural Open Mic," 9 p.m., Morrison Tower Lounge. Students will express themselves and Black culture through song, poetry, skits and artwork.

Feb. 7: Soup And Substance Series, "Many Voices, Many Strengths," 4 p.m., Ohio Union Buckeye Suites A&B. Part of a dialogue series sponsored by Women's Student Services, this session will highlight the role K-12 education has played in the lives of panelists from the Columbus School Board, a principal from a Columbus high school and a middle school teacher from the Columbus Afrocentric School. Free program; vegetarian soup and bread is $2.

Feb. 7: "Nigger, Please É and Other Such Terms of Endearment," 6:30 p.m., Ohio Union Memorial Room. The session will explore the impact of intra-group communication on the development of inter-group understanding and relationships.

Feb. 7: Sister Series, 7 p.m., Hale Center, a discussion group for African-American women.

Feb. 8: Children's Cultural Hour With Stuart Pimsler Dance And Theater Company, 9:30 a.m. at Beery Middle School; 9:30 a.m. Feb. 10 at Indianola Middle School; and 1 p.m. Feb. 11 at Linmoor Middle School. Children will participate in an interactive dance workout as African American Student Services takes its vision of working with children to the youth of Columbus.

Feb. 10: "An Evening with Edward James Olmos," 6:30 p.m., Rhodes Auditorium. This discussion of the "Americanos Project," a literary and photographic assortment of Latino/a life in the United States, is hosted by actor, activist and journalist Edward James Olmos.

Feb. 12: Freedom Fund Soul Food Dinner, 6 p.m., Hale Center. The Ohio State chapter of the NAACP holds its annual Freedom Fund Dinner. All proceeds go to the Columbus Afrocentric School. Cost is $15 per person.

Feb. 12: Celebration of the Black Diaspora, 6 p.m., Hale Center. Students present the different aspects of African culture.

Feb. 14: "Handling the Effects and Symptoms of Stress, Anxiety And Depression," noon to 1:15 p.m., Hale Center. A brown-bag discussion will be led by Barbara Warren, assistant professor of clinical nursing at the College of Nursing and staff researcher and program evaluator at the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

Feb. 15: Celebrate Your Custodial Worker Day. At 3:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union Stecker Lounge, custodial workers are pampered with free refreshments, massage therapy and soothing music.

Feb. 16: S.H.A.D.E.S. Monthly Meeting, 7 p.m., Ohio Union Buckeye Suite A. Women of Asian, African, Hispanic, Latin, Indian and/or international ethnicity are encouraged to support sisterhood across cultures.

Feb. 17: Diversity: A Panel Discussion, 6 p.m., Stecker Lounge, the Center for Community Dialogue, Ohio Union. Campus leaders and students discuss diversity issues at Ohio State.

Feb. 18: 1st Annual Teen Institute Step Show, 7 p.m., Hitchcock Hall. The Teen Institute Alumni Society brings talent from local high schools onto campus for a step show and competition.

Feb. 21: "A Princess Speaks On Privilege," 6:30 p.m., Ohio Union Memorial Room. This guided dialogue will focus on an inherent flaw associated with current attempts at racial discourse -- the assumption that only whites are privileged and that ethnic minorities can relate only to oppression.

Feb. 21: "Sistah's Choice," 7 p.m., Hale Center. Part of Sister Series, a discussion group for African-American women.

Feb. 22: "Inter Cultural Race Relations," 11 a.m., Linden McKinley High School. Discussion of issues within cultures and how differences affect interactions among people.

Feb. 23: Elaine Brown Presents "New Age Racism," 6 p.m., Ohio Union Conference Theatre. The kickoff of Women's History Month features Elaine Brown, author of A Taste of Power, describing her role as former head of the Black Panther Party.

Feb. 24: "Can I Sing For You Brother?" 6 p.m., Hale Center. The African-American Drama Company presents traditional Negro spirituals depicting the evolution of the Black experience in America.

Feb. 24: Tony Brown, 6:30 p.m., Hale Center. Journalist and the host of "Tony Brown's Journal" will present his most recent viewpoints of race relations in America.

Feb. 25: Film "Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis At 100," 7 p.m., Wexner Center Film/Video Theater. Portrait of a woman recognized as the oldest living African-American lesbian.

Feb. 26: "Diversity Day," 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thomas Worthington High School. Central Ohio high schools celebrate cultures through food, dance and discussion of race, racism and race relations.

Feb. 28: Local elementary, middle and high school students will share in an interactive exposition of Black history, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ohio Union Exposures Gallery.

Feb. 28: Closing Reception of United Black World Month, 5 p.m., Ohio Union Exposures Gallery. Features an artistic display of the contributions Black people have made to the world. Exhibit will continue through March 3.

Feb. 29: Musical "The Spirit of a People Will NEVER Die," 6 p.m., Ohio Union East Ballroom. United Black World Month will end as it began on a dynamic and empowering note. "Nu Family," a group of people who have faced some of life's greatest challenges, will perform.

Throughout the month:

Linden Mckinley High School Mixed Ensemble Black History Month Program, Feb. 3, 1:30 p.m. at Windsor Academy; Feb. 10, 1:30 p.m. at South Mifflin Elementary School; Feb. 15, 1:30 p.m. at Linden Elementary School.

Soul Food Lunches, noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 4, 11, 18 and 25, Hale Center. Cost is $7 per person. Call 688-4988 for reservations. Cash only, please.

WOSU to preview miniseries

WOSU-TV will host an invitation-only preview of the miniseries "Sally Hemings: An American Scandal" on Feb. 5 in the Faw-cett Center Auditorium.

The miniseries, which airs on CBS stations in mid-February, centers on the longtime relationship of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. Hemings was once a slave in the Jefferson household.

Tina Andrews, co-executive producer of the miniseries, has said the two had a 38-year relationship. DNA evidence recently linked Jefferson and Hemings. Many of the descendants of Jefferson and Hemings live in southern Ohio.

About 100 descendants -- both African American and white -- in addition to Andrews and other researchers will attend the Fawcett Center event, according to WOSU-TV Station Manager Ed Clay. He said WOSU plans to interview many of the descendants and researchers while they're in Columbus for a series of interview programs expected to air on the station in March.

"The whole issue centers around a very historic topic of national and local interest," Clay said. "We plan to do three or four specials based on studio interviews. We even have some national interest in picking up the specials."

OSU Medical Center participates in national Parkinson's disease study

Ohio State is participating in the largest singly funded research investigation to better understand the causes of Parkinson's disease. Researchers at the Ohio State Medical Center are looking for genetic and other risk factors that may be important in the development of the disease, which affects more than 50,000 new cases annually in the United States.

The five-year study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, will involve 400 to 600 pairs of brothers and sisters throughout North America who are affected, or possibly affected, with Parkinson's disease. The Madden/National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence at the OSU Medical Center serves as the clinical coordinating core of the study, supervising the activities of 40 participating centers across North America.

Jean Hubble, principal investigator of the study at Ohio State and director of the Parkinson's Center of Excellence at the Medical Center, believes the study has the potential to open significant doors to the understanding of genetics and Parkinson's disease.

"This study also provides a unique opportunity to examine the interaction between environmental and genetic risk factors," Hubble said.

Participants in the study must have one or more living siblings affected with, or suspected of having, Parkinson's disease. Participants will complete questionnaires regarding symptoms of the disease, medical history and family history, and environmental risk factors such as occupations and places of residence.

"The national scope of this study is quite significant," Hubble said. "Even if siblings do not necessarily live close to each other, the chances are good that they live in close proximity to a participating center. This gives us the potential to be in touch with literally hundreds of siblings."

Parkinson's disease, which affects approximately 1 million Americans, is caused by degeneration of nerve cells within the brain that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. Depletion of this chemical results in impaired control of body movement. Medications may temporarily minimize the symptoms of Parkinson's disease but cannot halt the degeneration of the selected brain cells.

The collaborative effort for the study has been formed by a group of neurologists known as the Parkinson's Study Group. Other principal researchers involved in the study are from Indiana University School of Medicine, University of Rochester, Children's Hospital Medical Center at the University of Cincinnati and Emory University.

Ohio State's Medical Center was designated a National Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence in 1994.

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