The Diversity Committee at Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC) has assembled a robust schedule of events to celebrate Black History Month this year. All events are open to the public, and the college encourages all to attend. “We are very pleased to present programs throughout February to celebrate Black History Month,” stated Dr. David Campbell, NACC President. “This rich history is a fundamental part of the fabric of America and a key component of the strength of the country.”

“As the Diversity Committee Chair, it is my joy to announce our Black History Month festivities at NACC as we celebrate with students, faculty and staff, and community members, the historical influence and present achievements of the Black community,” said NACC Dean of Student Services Jeff Hawes. “We hope to see you all at NACC during this momentous month!”

The Learning Resources Center on campus is especially excited about this year’s Black History Month exhibit, Looking Back at Gee’s Bend: The Photographs of Gee’s Bend. This traveling exhibition is a photographic record of the rural community of Gee’s Bend, situated in Alabama’s “Black Belt” in a deep bend of the Alabama River. The river and unmaneuverable roads served as a barrier between Gee’s Bend and other more populous sections of the region until the late 1960s when the roads in and out of the community were paved. For this reason, life in Gee’s Bend remained relatively free of modern outside influences until then.

John Reese photographed the residents of Gee’s Bend in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and these poignant images reveal the lives of its people at work, at church, at play, and at home in the agricultural setting of Gee’s Bend as it was in 1980. Most of the families who lived in Gee’s Bend at the time were descendants of slaves who remained in the region as tenant farmers following emancipation. This fact, coupled with the humanist perspective of John Reese’s lens, makes this exhibition both emotionally stirring and historically important.

“Northeast Alabama Community College is honored to be one of the locations selected to host this traveling exhibition,” notes Dr. Julia Everett, Head Librarian. “We believe this exhibition will be of interest to both our students and the community.”

The exhibition will be on display for public viewing from February 1-28, 2023, in the Cecil B. Word Learning Resources Center’s Archives and Special Collections Room (Room 206). The Archives and Special Collections Room is open Monday-Thursday 12:00 noon-5:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon or other times by appointment.

On February 9^th, the Spectrum Art Club will host a movie night for students in the William M. Beck Health & Fine Arts Building Music Auditorium. The event begins at 3:30 p.m. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be shown.

This year, the committee will host classroom discussions again, featuring the topics of Jim Crow Laws and the infamous Scottsboro Boys story and trial. These discussions will be held on campus in room SS 109. The discussion on February 14^th at 9:30 a.m. will be about Jim Crow Laws, and the one on February 15^th at 10:00 a.m. will explain the Scottsboro Boys.

Enjoy an exciting night of music with NACC’s Jazz Band on February 21^st at 6:30 p.m. in the William M. Beck Health & Fine Arts Building Music Auditorium. This fun night will include music by Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, The Jacksons, Alabama natives The Commodores, and more!

Finally, we will conclude the month by hosting Chadijah Williams as this year’s Black History Month keynote speaker. NACC invites the community to attend this presentation on February 23, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in the Tom Bevill Lyceum. This event is free of charge.

As a first-generation graduate, she is now holding a bachelor’s and master's in Music Performance. Chadijah has traveled the country motivating thousands of educators and students on how to identify and live in their P.U.R.P.O.S.E. in and outside the classroom. Chadijah's motto is "Once you identify what your purpose is on Earth, therein lies the keys to the door of EVERYTHING you could ever want or need". She specializes in educational consulting work with educators& students by providing services that are intended to give educators and students quantifiable change for their academic and personal lives.