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DCC SETS AFRICAN AMERICAN                                                                 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HISTORY MONTH EVENTS

            DANVILLE, VA, January 24, 2006 -- Danville Community College has planned a variety of events during February to celebrate African-American History Month. The celebration kicks off on February 1 and continues throughout the month.  Activities include a weekly talent competition; step show performance; poetry readings; and the showing of the “February One” film, which details the lives of four young African-American men whose lunch counter sit-in demonstrations became an important aspect of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. In addition, there will be a discussion of the film “February One” with its producer, a gospel concert, history challenge game, and the annual sickle cell anemia testing and fundraising drive.  

            “This year’s celebration includes something for everybody,” says Andrea Burney, Director of Public Relations and Minority Concerns. “This year’s planning committee included students, faculty, staff, and administrators, and the goal was to offer a variety of events.”

            Burney added that all events are offered free of charge and are open to the public. The schedule is as follows:

February 1, 2006:

“Young, Gifted, and Black: a Christian Dialogue” led by Rev. Jonathan L. Walton, a scholar and preacher from Princeton University Theological Seminary. The program will be held at 7 p.m, in Oliver Hall (Temple Building, Room 110).  Walton received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Morehouse College in 1996 and his Masters of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2002. He also is working to complete his PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. Walton is an appointed Lecturer and Research Specialist for the Program of African American Studies at Princeton University and he dedicates each summer to teaching gifted African American and Latino students from across the country as a professor for the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute on Princeton’s campus. His teaching foci includes: social ethics; religion, media and culture, and African American religious practices.

            He continues to preach and lead workshops for congregations across the country, as well as serve as counsel and a confidant to countless pastors. Walton is married to the former Cecily Cline and they are the proud parents of twin toddlers—Zora Neale and Elijah Mays Walton.

                The entire community, especially local churches which normally have Wednesday night Bible study sessions, are encouraged to attend this Bible teaching session. This event is sponsored by Alliance for Excellence, a partnership between DCC and area churches.

February 2, 2006:

• Talent Competition, featuring the first of four Apollo Theatre-type talent competitions during the month will be held at 11 a.m. in Oliver Hall (Temple Building, Room 110). DCC student performers will compete the first week and the weekly winners advancing to face additional challengers throughout the month. A Grand Prize winner will be selected on February 28.

February 3, 2006:

• Step Show, featuring step teams from area college sororities and fraternities, will provide a lively performance for everyone to enjoy at 7 p.m. in Oliver Hall (Temple Building, Room 110). Mark Gibson, Director of DCC’s Upward Bound Program, will be the emcee for this event.

 February 7, 2006:

• “February One”, a film detailing the lives of the four young African-American men whose lunch counter sit-in demonstrations became an important aspect of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. It is the story of the Greensboro Four-North Carolina A&T State University freshmen Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond. The story is told through photo stills, archival footage, re-enactments and interviews with a variety of people. The film will be shown at 11 a.m. in the Pittsylvania Room (lower level Learning Resources Center). This event is sponsored by DCC’s Afro-American Culture Club.

 February 9, 2006:

• Talent Competition, featuring the second of the four Apollo Theatre-type talent competitions will be held at 11 a.m. in Oliver Hall (Temple Building, Room 110).

• The Poetry Café will offer an evening of poetry readings, including original works by students and local authors. Refreshments will be served in a coffee-house atmosphere. The event will be held at 7 p.m. in Oliver Hall (Temple Building, Room 110).

February 14, 2006:

·        Sickle Cell Anemia Trait Testing will be conducted for students and the community from 10 a.m. until noon, in the Temple Building, Room 106-D. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary blood disorder that affects mostly people of African ancestry, but also occurs in other ethnic groups, including people who are of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent.  Sickle cell anemia occurs when a person inherits two abnormal genes (one from each parent) that cause their red blood cells to change shape. Instead of being round, these cells are curved in the shape of a crescent moon.  About one in 12 African Americans carries the sickle cell trait, but may not have the disease itself. This annual event is jointly sponsored by the African-American Culture Club, the Danville-Pittsylvania County Sickle Cell Anemia Association and local volunteer nurses.

·        Sickle Cell Anemia Fundraising Drive will be conducted throughout the day by members of the DCC African-American Culture Club. All proceeds benefit the Danville-Pittsylvania County Sickle Cell Anemia Association.

 February 16, 2006:

• Film Discussion: February One  by the Producer Rebecca Cerese will be held  at 11 a.m. in Oliver Hall (Temple Building, Room 110). Cerese discusses the making of the film which first aired on PBS in 2003, and premiered nationally in 2005. It was awarded the Human Rights Award at the River Run Film Festival in Winston-Salem, NC, and received the first annual Global Peace Film Festival Award, presented in Orlando, Florida. It was named Best Picture at the 2004 Greensboro, NC Film Festival and was screened at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta. Cerese graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in communications and English. Her new film, Mobilizing the Poor: Launching the War on Poverty continues the work she started in February One, by exploring the second phase of the fight for equality. This event is co-sponsored by DCC’s Division of Arts and Sciences.

 February 17, 2006:

• Gospel Choir Fest, featuring the DCC Gospel Ensemble and praise dancers from area churches, will deliver an uplifting celebration. The concert  begins at 7 p.m. in Oliver Hall (Temple Building, Room 110).

 February 21, 2006:

• Talent Competition, featuring the third of four Apollo Theatre-type talent competitions, will begin at 11 a.m. in Oliver Hall, Temple Building, Room 110.

 February 23, 2006:

• African-American History Challenge, which will include teams from DCC student clubs and organizations competing in a Jeopardy-like contest to see who knows the most about African-American history and culture.  Prizes will be awarded to the clubs and members. The challenge will take place at 11 a.m. in Oliver Hall, Temple Building, Room 110 and is sponsored by the DCC Bookstore and Alliance for Excellence.

February 28, 2006:

Talent Competition - The final Apollo Theatre-type talent competition will held, with the Grand Prize winner announced. This event is set for 11 a.m. in Oliver Hall (Temple Building, Room 110).

            For more information on the African-American History Month Events at DCC, contact Phoebe Bruce, Public Relations & Marketing Specialist, at 434-797-8516, or Russell Scruggs, Assistant Professor of History, at 434-797-8513.