The month of February is celebrated as Black History Month across the United States. To commemorate this month, the Office of Multicultural Affairs has planned a variety of events.

The OMA, working with the Black Male Scholars Initiative, kicked off Black History Month on Feb. 4 with Black Lives Matter. The panel, which included six professional African American males from West Michigan, discussed day-to-day life.

Bobby Springer, associate director of OMA, said the discussion went very well, and they received good feedback from those in attendance.

“The panelists were just talking about their take on life, and the ups and downs that they have to deal with on a day to day basis,” Springer said. “We opened it up for Q&A because people had things on their mind that they wanted to ask these distinguished men.”

Springer explained that although the OMA was coordinating many more events for the month, each event had a different goal.

One of these events is a film showing held on Mondays at 3 p.m. in the OMA office. “Hidden Colors” is a documentary about the real and untold history of people of color around the globe. This event also dedicates 15 minutes to discussion, during which students can talk about how the documentary affected them.

On Feb. 16, the Step Afrika! event will take place.

“We are particularly excited for our Step Afrika! event,” Springer said. “We had them perform for Black History Month in the early 2000s, but it has been a long time since we had them here. The performers mix step dance and African dance, while interacting with the audience about ongoing history. It is a great event.”

Another event Springer recommended, called the Taste of Soul, will be held in the Kirkhof lobby from noon to 1 p.m. on Feb. 20.

“People can come together to share in the African-American traditions of food,” he said. “Many people really enjoy attending this event, and it is something that we do put on annually.”

There are many other diverse events planned for the week. The Positive Black Women organization will host the Tribute to Black Women: Strong, Fierce and Dynamic Divas from noon to 1 p.m. on Feb 13.

From noon to 3 p.m. on Feb. 14, students, faculty and staff can visit God’s Kitchen for a day of service that gives back to West Michigan. Due to space issues, this event is limited to seven people.

The final event coordinated by the OMA is the Inspirational Leadership Talk, which will take place Feb. 26 in the Charles W. Loosemore Forum on the Pew Campus starting at 2:30 p.m. The talk features business leader Linal Harris.

All events have been coordinated by Springer and his planning committee, which is made up of around six or seven members of GVSU’s extensive community.

“This committee is made up of a very diverse group,” Springer said. “There are individuals from African/African-American Studies, School of Education, Seidman College of Business, the Women’s Center and the Black Student Union.

Springer, who has been a part of planning this event since February 2000, said black history is for everybody.

“We all need to know about black history, as well as other significant heritages,” he said. “Every year, I am just trying to reach that one person that has never been interested before, to give them something that they didn’t have.”

The OMA is not the only campus organization involved with Black History Month. Women’s Center Student Assistant Rebecca Noell explained that the Women’s Center is also coordinating an event that parallels with Black History Month.

“The center will put on Women’s Lives as a part of Black Lives Matter,” Noell said. “The event will focus on the role and representation of women of color in the black lives movement. We’re going to be talking about power, privilege and systems of oppression.”

Noell said the event is coordinated with women from housing and the Positive Black Women organization and will occur from noon to 1 p.m. on Feb. 20.

“I’m excited to see what happens when all of these influential women come together,” she said.

Student Senate Vice President of Diversity Affairs Rainesha Williams-Fox said she believes it is important that every student goes to at least one event for Black History month.

“Black History Month should really influence people to take the initiative and learn more about the success, struggles and sacrifices that were made throughout time in the black culture,” she said. “Black history is so much more than what people know from the surface.

“Students should take the time to think about why Black History is so important.”