Theological Seminary to observe Black History Month

Teach-in, museum tour and worship services are on program.

   February is Black History Month and to celebrate, Princeton Theological Seminary’s Association of Black Seminarians will sponsor a series of events that promote awareness of the people who have contributed so much to civil rights in America and human rights around the world. Events during February include a teach-in on Feb. 17, a tour of The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore on Feb. 19, and two worship services that will bookend the month-long celebration.
   In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, "Seminarians’ Multiethnic Exposé of a King," will take place Jan. 28, at 6:30 p.m. in Miller Chapel. Former students from Dr. Peter Paris’s course on King will deliver their own sermons written for the class. This event promises to be a night to remember the legacy of Dr. King. In addition, Dr. Paris will speak on the contributions of African American music and will be accompanied by student vocalist William Heard in "A Special Lecture on The Spirituals" on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. in Miller Chapel.
   The origins of Black History Month are found in the scholarship of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912. Woodson’s work focuses on the history of the Black American population. In 1915, he established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History). A year later, he founded the widely respected Journal of Negro History and in 1926 initiated the celebration of "Negro History Week" as an initiative to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history. He chose the second week of February in order to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
   The Black History Month Opening Worship Service will be held in Miller Chapel on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. with Dr. Calvin O. Butts III preaching a sermon titled "This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song!" Dr. Butts is pastor of the nationally renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City and president of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Old Westbury. His commitment to the enhancement of God’s kingdom on earth has manifested itself in his loyal attention to the daily activities and services of the congregation, as well as to the impact of the church on community development initiatives: homelessness, senior citizen and youth empowerment, cultural awareness, and ecumenical outreach.
   Dr. Butts is also president of the Council of Churches of the City of New York; vice chair of the board of directors of United Way of New York City; a member of the board of the September 11th Fund; and chairman of the National Affiliate Development Initiative of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.
   A Black History Month Teach-In led by Dr. Adrien N. Ngudiankama will look at "The Global Redemptive Role of African Americans: An African Appeal" on Thursday, Feb. 17, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the Gambrell Room of Scheide Hall.
   Dr. Ngudiankama is a visiting fellow at the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. His interests lie in the areas of health promotion, conflict resolution and dialogue within the context of people of African descent. His research on health and the culture of peace is focused on some Sub-Saharan African countries (Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Togo, Ivory Coast, and the Great Lakes region). Through the Baptist Wellness Project for Immigrants and African Health Concerns, Inc., he consults, organizes, and facilitates seminars and lectures on promoting health/wellness/well-being (addressing such issues as HIV/AIDS) and the culture of peace in Africa and the African Diaspora.
   Dr. Ngudiankama argues that the richness of African American spirituality, the power of the slaves to forgive the slave masters and others who engaged in the inhumane trade, as well as blacks’ power to face and disempower the politics of segregation in nonviolent ways, are unique ingredients that are very much needed in thinking today about possibilities for peace.
   There will be a black history tour of remembrance on Saturday, Feb. 19, at The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Md., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Seats are still available and can be reserved by contacting Ronald Hinton at [email protected]. Fees for the museum are as follows: ages 2–11, $5; ages 12–up, $10.
   The Black History Month Closing Worship Service will be on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. in Miller Chapel. The sermon will be delivered by The Reverend Dr. Diane L. Givens Moffett, associate pastor of evangelism, discipleship, and ministry at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church in East Orange, New Jersey. She is the author of "Beyond Greens and Cornbread: Reflections of African American Christian Identity" (2001), and is also one of 20 preachers whose sermons are featured in the book "Outstanding Black Sermons," Volume 4. Her sermon "Mustard Seed Faith" was recently published in "Those Preachin’ Women," Volume 4 (2004).
   All the events at Princeton Theological Seminary in celebration of Black History Month are sponsored by the Seminary’s Association of Black Seminarians and are open to the public.
   For more information, contact Odis Braxton at (609) 720-1567 or [email protected].