Gadsden State Community College will celebrate Black History Month with a number of events this February. General community events being offered this month will include two Resume Writing/ Interview Skills Workshops on February 5 and February 19. The workshops, sponsored by the Veterans Upward Bound Program, are free and open to all veterans. The TRIO Programs will host two free Financial Aid Workshops with the Gadsden State Financial Aid Office Thursday, February 13 on the e Wallace Drive Campus. Earthquake 101: An Introduction to Seismology seminar will be held in Browder Hall Auditorium from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on February 13 featuring speaker Steve Jones with AlabamaQuake in Huntsville. Homecoming will also be celebrated February 13 with the crowning of the 2014 queen/favorites and half time activities as the Cardinal basketball teams face Shelton State at Beck Field House beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Realtime Reporting Program will observe National Court Reporting and Captioning Week February 16-22. The Language & Fine Arts Department will host the ACETA Conference February 21-22 with Rick Bragg as the keynote speaker on February 21. The Office of Career Services will host a Health Sciences Employment Opportunity Fair Wednesday, February 26.
Several events will be held on the Valley Street Campus including 3-on-3 intramural basketball games each Wednesday during the month beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Gadsden Job Corps Center gymnasium. Birmingham City Council member and former Gadsden native Steven W. Hoyt will be the featured speaker at a program planned for Thursday, February 6 at noon in the Learning Resource Center Media Room. An American Red Cross blood drive will be held on Tuesday, February 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The annual “Black History Reading Tour” is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12 in the eight elementary schools within the Gadsden City School System. Gadsden State staff members will visit 3rd grade students in each of the schools to share the significance of Black History through selected books. Gadsden City Council District 3 representative Robert Avery will be the featured speaker on February 20 in “A Journey to Washington with Robert Avery” highlighting the film documentary commemorating the 1963 March on Washington in which he participated as a teenager. A first time event for the campus will be “The Flavors of Soul Summit” on Thursday, February 27 beginning at 8:00 a.m. in the Valley Street Campus Student Center Building. This event co-sponsored by Title III/HBCUs and the Office of Legal Affairs will feature a soul food tasting, Central-Carver Legacy Museum exhibit , community services resources, and presentations the impact of the state of Alabama and city of Gadsden on the Civil Rights Movement.
The Gadsden State Cherokee Campus will host the 3rd Annual Traditions: A Black History Celebration Thursday, February 20 at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room. The program will include the MLK Jr. Community Choir (comprised of various churches in the Cherokee County area) singing traditional gospel songs, step routines, and readings from community members. This community event is free and the program is appropriate for any age group. The Campus will also host two free Financial Aid Workshops for all seniors in Cherokee County high schools February 25 at 11:00 a.m. and February 27 at 6:00 p.m. in room 130. For more information on these events, please contact Chad Steed at 256-927-1802 or csteed@gadsdenstate.edu.
The McClellan Bookworms Book Club will meet Friday, February 28, at 10:00 a.m. in the McClellan Center Conference Room in celebration of Black History Month to discuss The House Girl by Tara Conklin, a selection that combines slave doctors, art, and law. To find out more about the book visit http://gadsdenstate.libguides.com/mcclellanbookworms.
For more information about Black History Month events contact Dr. Michele Bradford, director of diversity and compliance at mbradford@gadsdenstate.edu or 256-439-6822. Visit the News & Events section on the Gadsden State homepage at www.gadsdenstate.edu for additional information about other events to be announced later.