Muskegon Community College will celebrate Black History Month in February with several events which are all free and open to the public.

On Wednesday, Feb. 14, the documentary, “Agents of Change” will be shown in Stevenson Center Room 1100 from 1-3 p.m. and again from 6-8 p.m. Both presentations will be followed by a discussion of the film, which links the past to the present and the present to the past.

On Thursday afternoon, Feb. 15, and again on Tuesday evening, Feb. 27, the public will have the opportunity to watch a video of the inspirational Oct. 5, 2017 performance “An Evening with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” at the Frauenthal Center, where Rev. Stephon Ferguson captivated the audience by breathing life into the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  The night included great singing, distinguished speakers from the community and sermons and speeches of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The Feb. 15 showing is from 1-3 p.m. in Stevenson Center Room 1100. The Feb. 27 event is from 6-8 p.m. in Overbook Theater.

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, MCC will participate in the NCTE-sponsored National African American Read-In Chain from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Blue and Gold Room. This year’s theme is “It is important FOR ALL OF US to see ourselves in books.”

Interested colleagues, students, and co-workers come together to read aloud from a piece of African American literature which they find moving.  Short pieces or brief excerpts from longer works are optimal, preferably with a reading time of between one or two minutes but not longer than five minutes. Fiction, poetry, song lyrics and expository writing are welcome.

In 1990, when the Black Caucus of the NCTE first began the Read-In, it was featured as a political act, and that intent continues.  Participants gather to raise their voices aloud, promoting literacy, sharing stories that were historically overlooked, and celebrating the beauty of this body of work.  After the Read-In, a report will be submitted to the Caucus with the College’s participation numbers.

For more information on the Read-In, contact Theresa Kanoza, MCC English/Communications instructor, at theresa.kanoza@muskegoncc.edu. For more information on MCC’s other Black History Month activities, contact Trynette Lottie-Harps, Dean of Community Outreach, at (231) 777-0559.