Graphic courtesy of Mount Holyoke Association of Pan-African Unity
By Gillian Petrarca ’23
Staff Writer
“Our goal was to steer away from how people usually present Black History Month. Slavery and segregation are a part of Black history, but we really wanted to focus on Black joy,” Black History Month Co-Coordinator for the Association of Pan-African Unity, Geraldine Louis ’24, said.
Black History Month at Mount Holyoke is coordinated by the Association of Pan African Unity and the Division of Student Life, Office of Community and Belonging.
When choosing the theme for this year, Louis said she was inspired by the Black History Month celebration from last year.
“Last year they chose to have a theme every week. We wanted to do that too. So we chose ‘Black and …’ a new adjective for each week.”
The first week’s theme, “Black and Supreme,” was celebrated with a showing of the film “The Harder They Fall.” The following week’s theme of “Black and Beloved” was celebrated with the film “Photograph.”
“We chose this movie because it was Valentine’s Day and of course we wanted to watch something romantic … I was thrilled we ended up not even watching the entire movie because there was such deep conversation happening,” Louis said.
Also organized during the second week was “Tips for Navigating Skin and Hair for POC,” an interactive workshop led by Dr. Yolanda Lenzy, a board-certified dermatologist specializing in medical, surgical and cosmetic skin and hair care for adults and children.
“Honestly, it was an amazing presentation,” Louis said. “Her presentation was very informative. We had a great turnout and people asked a lot of questions.”
The third week’s theme was “Black and Authentic” during which the film “ Pariah” was shown.
“We chose this movie because we felt like we wanted people to embrace their true selves,” Louis said.
With the end of the month approaching, the final theme will be “Black and Jovial,” along with a showing of the film “Girls Trip.”
“We really just want to wind down, laugh and celebrate black joy,” Louis said.
Other upcoming Black History month events include a watch party for the NAACP Image awards on Feb. 26 and a Black History Month Gala on Feb. 27.