February commemorates Black History Month, and the University is holding nine campus events to celebrate it. Even though Maine is one of the whitest states in the country, organizers want to make the campuses a welcoming atmosphere that celebrates, as well as understands, the diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial experiences of students and the surrounding community.
“In the past years, events were organized by a committee. This year there is no committee,” said Associate of Media and Community Relations Judie O’Malley.
Some of the events include a Hip-Hop workshop, a theatrical performance about African women who emigrated to Portland, and the Law school open house designed to attract minority students to law careers.
“I expect Africa/Portland, the performance about African women emigrants, to sell out for its two performances,” said O’Malley.
All events are open to the University community and public.
The celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, black history itself, is credited to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. He recognized it annually since 1926, first as Negro History Week, and later as Black History month.
Woodson chose the second week in February for Negro History Week, in recognition of two men who impacted the black movement: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, who were both born in that month. In 1976, the week became Black History Month.
Although the state of Maine has a very low black population, the University continues to diversely grow.
USM’s black, non-Hispanic, population has been growing as well. In the fall of 2000, USM’s black population ratio was 0.5 percent having a total of 54 black students.
This fall USM’s black population went up 0.2 percent increasing to a number of 82 black students.
In the past, each department had to give a plan for how their department would support diversity, other than just events, according to O’Malley.
According to the Registrar the University has an Action Plan for Diversity. The first goal of this plan is to increase racial and ethnic student headcount enrollment by 50 percent over the next five years. Its fifth goal is to have USM’s curriculum and academic experience increasingly reflect the backgrounds and heritages of a diverse student body.
“I think it’s wonderful. The more diversity the better for everyone,” said Diane Hoyt, Associate Registrar, in regards to the increasing number of black students enrolled at USM.
Staff Writer Aimee Risteen can be contacted at [email protected]