In the midst of a political and social climate described as “depressing, frightening and frustrating,” UW-Madison’s Black History Month has focused on bringing happiness back into the community.
The month’s events kicked off Sunday night with a question-and-answer session with Issa Rae, creator of the web series “Awkward Black Girl” and star of HBO’s “Insecure.” Rae told the audience about the inspirations for her shows and touched on topics ranging from her favorite television shows to her experience attending the Golden Globes.
“I have such a strong relationship with so many black women in my life … and the only depiction of black people’s friendships was the reality shows,” Rae said. “People are so confident they can tell our stories for us … and as long as we’re auteurs and creators of our own content that’s the necessary element that’s been missing for all these years.”
Co-chair of the Black History Month Student Planning Committee Alexis Coleman said Sunday’s event exemplified the theme of this year’s Black History Month—Black Joy—as well as a renewed focus on interactivity.
The month’s events include a yoga session featuring trap music, several arts and craft sessions and a family reunion for black UW-Madison students.
“We wanted to focus on not only the importance of emphasizing self-care, but also leaving people with the tools and the techniques to practice self-care,” Coleman said. “In the past we’ve had maybe one or two interactive events and they’ve been a really big success, so we want to focus on those this year.”
Both Coleman and co-chair Kynala Phillips acknowledged that while Black History Month is an important recognition of black culture, the real value lies in extending the awareness and activism to the rest of the year.
“That’s the beautiful part about doing stuff like this is watching people want to continue to contribute back to the community,” said Phillips. “I hope that the month gets people ready to do this again and help out wherever they can.”
