PBSC hosts Black History Month events
Palm Beach State College is hosting several Black History Month events, including a workshop by popular magician Ran’D Shine, who has performed and lectured throughout the United States and the world.
Shine will perform at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 7 in the Lecture Hall at the Loxahatchee Groves campus. It is free and open to PBSC students, faculty and staff.
A native of Philadelphia, Shine prides himself on being a historian and educator of magic. He has traveled extensively to Africa. In his performances, he shares the history of black magicians in the United States. His unique style and presentation captured the attention of former President Barack Obama who invited him to be a special performer for the “Salute to Heroes” at the 44th Presidential Inauguration Banquet and Ball in 2009.
He later headed across the Atlantic to Capetown, South Africa where he performed his one-man show, “Mysterious Ways,” which was also selected for 20 performances at The South African National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa. He has lectured on campuses throughout the Unites States, as well as military bases in Japan, Guam and Korea.
Black History Month events kicked off at the Lake Worth campus today with Sounds and Tastes of Africa, which included African cuisines and a trivia contest.
The library on the Lake Worth campus will display its new 19 volume Slave Narrative Collection. These autobiographical accounts of former slaves were compiled by WPA Federal Writer’s Project in 17 states during 1936-38. The collection consists of more than two thousand interviews with former slaves.
In addition, a history exhibition, designed by librarian Janet Naughton, will commemorate the Rosenwald Schools of Palm Beach County. These early schoolhouses, funded in part by Sears, Roebuck, Inc. president Julius Rosenwald, supported black students living in rural Palm Beach County and continued to act as community centers for the black community until Palm Beach County achieved integration in the late 1960s.
Student Activities on the Palm Beach Gardens campus will present an African Artifacts Exhibit from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Feb. 6 in the lobby of the Burt Reynolds Student Center. The department also will host Blues & BBQ/Jazz & Jambalaya from Noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Rubenstein Pavilion.
Among several events planned by Student Activities at the Boca Raton campus is the screening of the movie “Marshall” at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in room 103 in the Humanities and Technology building. The film highlights one of the first cases of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice.
To learn more about these and other events, visit the PBSC events calendar or contact Student Activities on each campus.
