Black History Month opening ceremony is Feb. 1
January 26, 2012
By Andrea Hahn
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Black History Month at Southern Illinois University Carbondale traditionally includes a look back into the history of a people as well as a look forward. This year, the opening ceremony asks individuals to look at important role models in their own personal histories -- their mothers, grandmothers, and other elders.
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome at the opening ceremony for Black History Month at SIU Carbondale, where a celebration ritual honoring mothers, grandmothers, elders and ancestors is open to all participants. The event begins at 5 p.m. on Feb. 1 in the Student Center Ballrooms.
The opening ceremony, “Remembering Our Mothers: Celebration Ritual Honoring the Mothers, Grandmothers, Elders and Ancestors,” begins at 5 p.m. on Feb. 1 in the Student Center Ballrooms.
Everyone in the University and surrounding communities is welcome. Those who want to participate should bring a memento of a mother, a grandmother, an elder or an ancestor to pin to the “walls of remembrance” for the ceremony. Mementos can include photographs, letters, a scrap of material, even just a name written down on paper or other material.
The ceremony includes expressions of remembering and a prayer of blessing. A reception follows.