The Jermaine Carter Gospel Band performs musical selections. (USC Photo/Sean Dube)
USC’s Black History Month Family Reunion mixes live music, dancing and food with powerful speakers
The celebration in McCarthy Quad focused on the theme “A Century of Black Commemoration: Preserve, Promote, Protect.”
During Wednesday’s closing celebration of Black History Month, Associate Dean of Community and Culture Anita Dashiell-Sparks of the USC School of Dramatic Arts reminded a crowd of about 1,500 Trojans why they were gathered in McCarthy Quad on USC’s University Park Campus.
They were celebrating the 100-year milestone of when historian, journalist and author Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week, Dashiell-Sparks pointed out. It eventually grew into a monthlong celebration. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized February as Black History Month in the United States.
“For many of us, February is now an eagerly embraced annual celebration of the indelible imprint of Black humanity and Black excellence,” she said.
Speaking on the event’s theme of “A Century of Black Commemoration: Preserve, Promote, Protect,” Dashiell-Sparks said: “Our achievements across the fields of arts, science, medicine, literature, architecture, mathematics, engineering, technology, humanities, and research and scholarship have undeniably helped to build this country and shape our nation to this very day.”
The event’s other main speaker, USC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew T. Guzman, asked the crowd to pause to honor the life and legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights icon who died earlier this month.
Guzman said Jackson’s “unwavering commitment to civil rights, economic justice and human dignity has expanded opportunity for countless communities and has left an enduring imprint on our nation’s history.”
The provost pointed out that while Jackson is a historical figure to younger people, he was a real-time influence while Guzman was in high school and college.
“He was part of the discourse and activity that changed my view of civil rights, discourse around race and justice, and the power of participating in the political process,” he said.
A family vibe
The Jermaine Carter Gospel Band provided live music throughout the event, which led to an impromptu electric slide in the middle of the lawn involving dozens of attendees.
The crowd feasted on food from local businesses Annie’s Soul Delicious and Simply Wholesome, including four flavors of chicken wings, cornbread, black-eyed peas, jerk chicken, Jamaican patties and more.
The annual event was a collaboration of the Office of Human Resources, Ethics and Compliance; USC Student Life; the Office of Cultural Relations and University Events; and students, faculty and staff across the University Park and Health Sciences campuses.
