Campus & Community

The Sankofa African American Museum on Wheels will make a two-day stop at Palm Beach State College as part of a series of Black History Month events being held across the College.

The Student Activities offices organized the events to celebrate the contributions and achievements of African Americans. Other events include guest speakers, movie screenings and musical performances. They are free and open to PBSC students, faculty and staff.

Founded by Angela Jennings in 1995, Sankofa has been educating the public on African American history for 25 years. It contains 2,000 pictures, inventions and artifacts from 1860 to the present that are showcased on up to 30 tables. The exhibit will be on display at the Palm Beach Gardens campus from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 19 in room SC 127 and at the Lake Worth campus from 11 to 4 p.m. Feb. 20 in room PSD 108 in the Public Safety Training Center.

“It’s going to be a great experience for our students,’’ said Sherry McFadden, student activities specialist at the Palm Beach Gardens campus, who is among the organizers.

As part of the exhibit, Jennings presents stories and dramatization about selected periods and historical features. Sankofa, which is a Ghanaian word meaning “use the wisdom of the past to build the future,” takes visitors on a journey beginning with slavery and highlights the stories of notable figures such as Ida B. Wells, Harriett Tubman and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It also includes a display of inventions by African Americans.

“I do have a passion for our culture and our history. The main reason I do it is to educate our young people. Most of them don’t have a clue about our history and culture, so this is my way of giving back,’’ said Jennings,  who as Sankofa curator has traveled throughout the U.S., the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Africa and Europe to accumulate the collection.  It takes about four hours to set it up.

Other Black History Month events include:

Feb. 6
Poster exhibition “Inspiring Moments” and “A Place for All People”
4-6 p.m., TEC Lobby Area, Belle Glade campus

Movie screening and discussion – “Belle”
Noon, LGA 139, Loxahatchee Groves campus

Movie screening and discussion – “The Butler”
3 p.m., LGA 139, Loxahatchee Groves campus

Feb. 11
Movie on the Lawn – “Harriett”
5-7 p.m., Student Commons, Lake Worth campus

Feb. 12
Black Trivia and Games
Noon to 1:30 p.m., LGA 140, Loxahatchee Groves campus

Feb. 13
Movie screening and discussion – “Blackkklansman”
Noon, LGA 139, Loxahatchee Groves campus

Movie screening and discussion – “Malcolm X”
3 p.m., LGA 139, Loxahatchee Groves campus

Feb. 17
Perfect hues: A Paint and Sip event
Noon – 2 p.m., LGA 140, Loxahatchee Groves campus

Feb. 18
Denied Admission: A Panel Discussion Focused on the Academic, Economic and Cultural Impact of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) in America
12:30 p.m., HT 103, Boca Raton campus

Feb. 19
The Bomb Heard Around the World: The Lives and Deaths of Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore
This includes a short video and a panel discussion with Leonard Bruton, PBSC adjunct history instructor, and Evan Bennett, a history professor at FAU.
11:00 a.m., in HT 103, Boca Raton campus

Feb. 20
Movie screening and discussion – “Moonlight”
Noon, LGA 139, Loxahatchee Groves campus

Movie screening and discussion – “Django Unchained”
3 p.m., LGA 139, Loxahatchee Groves campus

Feb. 25
Black American Music Appreciation
A historical presentation by Erika Locke-Williams, adjunct music instructor
11 a.m. to 1 pm., BB 111, Palm Beach Gardens campus

Feb. 26
Guest Speaker, Dr. Robert Lemon
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 1-2 p.m., SC 127, Belle Glade campus
African Safari Painting
11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Rubenstein Pavilion, Palm Beach Gardens campus

Feb. 27
Black History Open Mic
Noon to 1:20 p.m., LGA 131

Feb. 28
Movie screening and discussion – “Foxy Brown”
Noon, LGA 139, Loxahatchee Groves campus
Movie screening and discussion – “Black Panther”
3 p.m., LGA 139, Loxahatchee Groves campus

For a complete listing of Black History Month events or for more information, visit the PBSC events calendar.