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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Black History Month concludes with speakers, poetry, cuisine, music, dance

HOUGHTON -- A host of events is scheduled for this last week of Black History Month at Michigan Tech University.

At noon on Thursday, Feb. 26, Lt. Col. Otha Thornton, a former leader of Tech's Army ROTC program, will speak on the role of African Americans in the military.

Thornton earned a master's degree in rhetoric and technical communication from MTU in 2001. He was commissioned in 1990 and serves as director of human resources at the White House Communications Agency and also as presidential communications officer.

Beginning at 4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27, G. S. Giscombe will read poetry and host a reception in Walker 134. Giscombe, described as a "major figure in contemporary African American letters," is the author of several books of poetry, including his latest, Prairie Style, copies of which will be available for purchase and signing.

Giscombe also wrote a memoir, "Out of Dislocation," and is the editor of Mixed Blood, a poetry journal. He teaches at the University of California at Berkeley.

The concluding event for Black History Month is "African Night," which includes a dinner featuring African cuisine at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28, in the Memorial Union Ballroom. A performance featuring African dance and music will follow at 8 p.m. in the Rozsa Center. It will include guest performers from the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts.

Tickets for "African Night," for both dinner and the performance, are $10 for students and $15 for nonstudents. They are available at the Rozsa Box Office, the Memorial Union and Fisher Hall.

Other presentations this week on the MTU campus include:

Noon, Wednesday, Feb. 25, Memorial Union Ballroom B1 -- "Taking Inventory: Africa's Mineral and Agricultural Resources and Their Impact in Today's Global Economy," by undergraduate Haki Kiema.

6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26, Memorial Union Ballroom B1 and B2 -- "Beats of Africa: African Drumming and Dance Lessons," by undergraduates Nana Manteaw and Kingsley Iduma

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