Virtual conversation with ‘High on the Hog’ author Jessica B. Harris to headline Rutgers-Camden Black History Month celebration : Rutgers-Camden Campus News
A series of free public activities will recognize the contributions and heritage of Black Americans
January 28, 2022
By Tom McLaughlin
Jessica B. Harris. Photo credit: Rog Walker
A virtual conversation with Jessica B. Harris, acclaimed author of the book “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” which is now the basis of the popular Netflix series of the same name, will feature a series of shows free, public activities celebrating Black History Month at Rutgers University Camden throughout February.
Virtual conversation with Jessica B. Harris
Tuesday, February 1
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST
Harris – an internationally renowned food historian, educator and author of dozens of books on the eating habits of the African diaspora – will discuss the complex ways in which food and its history shape darkness in the world.
Register on the event page.
Virtual conference on the history and current affairs of Haiti
Wednesday February 9
11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. EST
The Department of African Studies will host a panel discussion on Haiti’s powerful but overlooked history, as well as the current challenges facing the country. The esteemed panel, led by Eliezer Marcellus, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will feature experts in history, politics and health care.
Register on the event page.
Virtual conference “ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER: Black Germany and Beyond”
From Thursday 17 February to Sunday 20 February
Artwork “Three women” by Maseo
The African Studies Department will collaborate with the Black German Heritage and Research Association to organize a four-day virtual conference, titled “ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER: Black Germany and Beyond. Movie links with passwords will be made available to registrants for viewing prior to the conference.
The conference, which marks the culmination of the year-long “ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER” series of events, aims to bring attention to the overlooked stories of people of African descent in Germany and Europe more broadly. “People imagine that black life and culture only exist in certain parts of the world, like, say, the Caribbean or South America,” says Keith Green, director of African studies at Rutgers University in Camden. “However, Black experiences are global, transatlantic, and challenge man-made boundaries. This lecture expands our appreciation of the diversity of places, identities, languages, and histories that we assume when discussing darkness.
Register on the event page.
Black Atlantic Music Festival (BAM)
Monday February 28
6-8 p.m. EST
Walter K. Gordon Theater on the Rutgers – Camden
The celebration of Black History Month will culminate with the Black Atlantic Musical (BAM) festival on campus. The BAM Festival will showcase musical styles and traditions emerging from the various sites of Black engagement with the Atlantic Ocean. The Rutgers-Camden Gospel Choir and New York-based Sound Noire will perform.
“From West Africa to South America and from the Caribbean to Europe, music has been one of the enduring legacies of black diaspora presence and power,” says Green. “This event is a celebration of those presences.”
