Photo exhibit part of Black History Month

The heritage of America's black Indians will be celebrated as part of Black History Month at Southeast Missouri State University in February.

"Many African Americans have Indian heritage," said Dr. Carol Morrow, associate professor of anthropology at Southeast. "People just don't think to ask. It is just kind of an invisible thing," she said.

The Seminole Indians in Florida had a large black heritage. "Many slaves escaped and hid out in those swamps. Seminole means renegade," said Morrow.

The university's celebration will include a photography exhibit and lectures by Valena Broussard Dismukes, a black Choctaw photo journalist from Los Angeles.

"Native Americans: The Red-Black Connection," an exhibition of photographs of black Indians, will be displayed from Feb. 4-28 in the University Center Program Lounge. It will be open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Book sale

The University Center will hold its annual book sale throughout the month in the University Center lobby. The book sale will feature historical and contemporary black literature. The sale will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, Feb. . 4-28.

On Feb. 18, Dismukes will lecture and present a slide show on "Native Americans: The Red Black Connection -- 500 Years of Red-Black People." The program will be held at 7 p.m. in the University Center Program Lounge. A reception will follow.

Dismukes will present "Black Indians: An American Story" at a Common Hour presentation at noon on Feb. 20 in the Program Lounge. The event will include the showing of a video on black Indians.

A number of other events also are scheduled for Black History Month.

Students will have the opportunity to discuss a literary and musical works by blacks at the "Spoken Word Coffee House" on Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27 from 7-10 p.m. in the Johnson Faculty Centre. Students also are invited to share their own literary works at the gatherings.

AIDS program

On Feb. 12, "AIDS in the Black Community" will be discussed from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Program Lounge.

A program on how slaves during the Civil War used the constellations to find their way north to freedom will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 15 in the Program Lounge. The program will include a video presentation created by NASA and an indoor inflatable planetarium.

On Feb. 17, the university will hold its annual Michael Davis Lecture at 7 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. The university is in the process of scheduling a speaker for the event, which recognizes the contributions of blacks in the media. The lecture is named for the late Michael Davis, a mass communications student who died from a fraternity hazing incident at Southeast.

The fifth annual Read-A-Thon will be held Feb. 18 through March 8. Southeast students and volunteers will present multicultural readings and activities to children in pre-kindergarten to fourth grade.

On Feb. 19, the university will hold a Knowledge Bowl at 7 p.m. in the University Center Club. The contest will test participants' knowledge of black history and culture. Prizes will be awarded.