Mid-America Christian University is celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events open to the campus community, as well as the public.
Festivities begin at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15, with a chapel service featuring Alicia Hill as the keynote speaker in the University’s JASCO Chapel. Hill is a pastor at Community Church of Norman. Music worship will be provided by a Gospel choir consisting of MACU students, staff and community members.
Immediately following chapel service, MACU’s Café 1412 will serve a special menu featuring soul food. Guests can enjoy an all-you-can-eat lunch for $6.50.
That evening at 6:30 p.m., a spoken word poetry reading will be held in the Student Center.
From 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, MACU will host the Black Youth Conference for local high school students. This leadership conference will feature accomplished leaders in the Oklahoma City community. This conference is a platform for open dialogue and is open to all high school students. High schoolers who attend the conference and apply to MACU will have the chance to win a scholarship to MACU of up to $8,000. The event is free and registration is open at https://mymacu.force.com/s/event.
At 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 17, MACU will welcome Dr. Clarence Hill to JASCO Chapel to deliver a special message. Dr. Clarence Hill is the husband of Alicia Hill and Senior Pastor of Antioch Norman. Notably, he is the founder and lead visionary of Stronger Together, a movement designed to overcome racial and cultural barriers. Worship music will be led by Mars Coleman, a worship leader and recording artist based in Oklahoma City.
At 1:30 p.m., MACU faculty, staff and students will travel to Tulsa’s Greenwood District for a tour of the Greenwood Rising Museum. The Greenwood Rising Museum is dedicated to the history of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.
“Greenwood Rising will educate Oklahomans and Americans about the Race Massacre and its impact on the state and Nation; remember its victims and survivors, and create an environment conducive to fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and heritage tourism within the Greenwood District specifically, and North Tulsa generally,” states the Greenwood Rising website at www.greenwoodrising.org.
The week of festivities will culminate with a Black History Month Block Party, held from noon to 3 p.m. on the MACU campus. The event will feature two food trucks, a Black-Owned Business Expo, free Black History Month t-shirts, children’s inflatables and free admission to MACU’s baseball and basketball games. Admission to the event is free and food is free, while supplies last. Help support local, Black-owned businesses.