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CONTACT: Julie Navejar at 361.593.2590 or kajam03@tamuk.edu

Black Heritage committee plans variety of events for special month

KINGSVILLE (January 27, 2005) — The Black Heritage Awareness Committee at Texas A&M University-Kingsville has planned a wide variety of events to celebrate Black History Month in February. This year’s theme is The Heart and Soul…Commitment, Communication and Compassion.

The month will get started with a kick off reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, in the Ben E. Bailey Art Gallery. The featured artist is Houston-based Charles Criner. He creates from biographical images that are reflections of his childhood memories and cultural heritage.

Criner was born in Athens and attended Texas Southern University learning from painter and printmaker Dr. John Biggers. During his years as a student, Criner supported himself by working as a sign painter, graphic artist, billboard illustrator and art teacher. After college, he worked for nearly 30 years as a staff artist for the Houston Post and then the Houston Chronicle.

He is the resident artist at the Museum of Printing History in Houston where he operates a studio and leads stone lithography workshops using an antique press. His work is included in several private collections and has been exhibited at the University of Arkansas, the Okane Gallery at the University of Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, the King Center in Columbus, Ohio, Southern University at Shreveport, Southern University at Baton Rouge, Texas Southern University and the Tyler Museum of Art.

Later that evening, Alpha Kappa Alpha will host a dance as part of Black Heritage Awareness Month. It will be held from 9 p.m. to midnight in ballroom A of the Memorial Student Union Building.

The first of two Brown Bag Lectures will be held at noon Tuesday, Feb. 8, in room 219A of the Memorial Student Union Building. William R. Dunn, former law enforcement officer, will speak about Showdown at Ole Miss.

In 1962, Dunn was part of a contingent of United States Border Patrol Officers brought in from throughout the country to assist the United States Marshal Service with the enforcement of the court order calling for the University of Mississippi to accept the registration of James Meredith, the first African American to attend the school.

The second Brown Bag Lecture will be at noon Thursday, Feb. 10. It features Rev. Larry D. Mills, pastor of the Friendship Baptist Church. He worked as a security guard for Motown in Los Angeles for 12 years guarding musical stars like Smokey Robinson, Barry White, Billy D. Williams, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. He began his career as a security guard in 1975 as Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas where he guarded Diana Ross.

One of the highlights of the month will be the Black Heritage Awareness Month banquet at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, in the ballrooms of the Memorial Student Union Building. Tickets are $12 for persons 18 and over and $6 for those under 18. They will be available at the information desk in the Memorial Student Union Building and at the University Police Department.

The keynote speaker is Col. Kenneth McKinney who will talk about his experiences during the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon. He is currently Chief, Compensation and Legislation Division, Directorate of Personnel Policy, Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, Headquarters, United States Air Force at the Pentagon.

McKinney is a native of Del Valle and received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Angelo State University along with his commission from the Air Force ROTC program. He received a master’s degree, also in business administration, from Golden Gate University.

He has been assigned to various positions during his career with the Air Force, but has been working in the Pentagon since 2000. He has received the Defense Superior Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster and the National Defense Service Medal.

The next event during Black Heritage Awareness Month is a performance by slam poet E-Baby. He will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, in the Javelina Café in the Memorial Student Union Building.

E-Baby is Eric Smith and he as been performing and competing in slam poetry competitions since 2000. In 2001, he became the Blackwordsonline.com Grand Slam Champion and in 2002 he was the runner up in the Poetology.com contest.

He was a semi-finalist in 2003 in the Nuyorican Café competition in New York. In 2004, he began his 1-Poet Poetical Tour in colleges and universities along the east coast. He has also recorded a CD My Thoughts are in this Ink.

Continuing on with the special month, the committee will host a dominoes and spades tournament Wednesday, Feb. 16, in the game room of the Memorial Student Union Building.

The domino competition will begin at 6 p.m. and the spades contest will begin at 7:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded.

The committee will host an oratory contest at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, in the Javelina Café. Prizes will be awarded.

The final event for Black Heritage Awareness Month is a fashion show at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, in the ballrooms of the Memorial Student Union Building. Members of the university and Kingsville communities will act as models.

For more information on any of the Black Heritage Awareness Month events call 361-593-3606.

This page last updated 28 January, 2005