Skip to main content

Collin College hosts Black History Month events

January 28, 2025

Cougar News

Well-known African Americans including astronaut Mae Jemison, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, and Ella Fitzgerald are featured on a background with AAHM for African American History Month.

Collin College will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events hosted by the Collin College Black American Awareness Committee (BAAC) throughout February. This year’s national theme is “African Americans and Labor.” All listed events are open to the public.

District Black History Month Library Displays 
Visit Collin College campus libraries to see books and artwork associated with Black History Month from Feb. 1-28.

African Americans and Labor on Display
Celebrate the History of African Americans and Labor with a display of posters throughout campus. This campus event will also offer a free lunch to visitors on Monday, Feb. 3 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Food will be available on a first come, first served basis.
Display dates: Feb. 3-28
Location: Celina Campus Atrium, 2505 Kinship Parkway in Celina

20th Century African American Labor History
Join the faculty of the Frisco Campus for several presentations on African American Labor in the Mid-Twentieth Century. Panelists will present on such topics as African American labor and the New Deal and share cropping in the American South.
Time/date: 4-5:30 p.m. on Feb. 5
Location: Frisco Campus, Room F249, 9700 Wade Blvd. in Frisco

Douglass Visions’ African American Campus Museum
Join students, staff, and faculty as they honor Black History Month by bringing the Douglass Visions’ African American Campus Museum to the Collin College campuses. This event is a collaboration with the Collin College Office of Student Engagement, BAAC, the Credit Union of Texas, and the Douglass Visions’ Committee, Inc. The Credit Union of Texas Community Grill food truck will attend, serving complimentary meals. Food will be available on a first come, first served basis.
Date/time and locations: Museum hours – 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Food truck hours: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 10 at Plano Campus, 2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway in Plano
Tuesday, Feb. 11 at Technical Campus, 2550 Bending Branch Way in Allen
Wednesday, Feb. 12 at Wylie Campus, 391 Country Club Road in Wylie
Thursday, Feb.  13 at Farmersville Campus, 501 S. Collin Parkway in Farmersville
Monday, Feb. 17 at Frisco Campus (address listed above)
Tuesday, Feb. 18 at Celina Campus (address listed above)
Thursday, Feb. 20 at McKinney Campus, 2200 W. University Drive in McKinney

“Getting Something to Eat in Jackson: The Labor of Feeding the Family,” presented by Dr. Joseph Ewoodzie
Dr. Joseph Ewoodzie will share stories and insights of his time in family kitchens, grocery stores, soup kitchens, and fine dining restaurants with Mississippians as they feed themselves. He views feeding oneself as labor, and his work explores the socioeconomic circumstances under which differently classed contemporary Black Southerners take on this labor.
Time/date: 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. on Feb. 11
Location: The in-person presentation will be held at the McKinney Campus Conference Center, 2400 Community Ave. in McKinney. Live stream access to the presentation will be offered at: Frisco Campus Conference Center, Room C105NS; the Wylie Campus Conference Center; and Plano Campus, Room C103.
Speaker’s bio: www.ewoodzie.com

“Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: The Birth of Jazz in New Orleans,” presented by Dr. Monica Gallamore
Jazz music emerged in New Orleans from a unique city and a vibrant community of African Americans. The foundations of the music were firmly established in antebellum New Orleans, growing from a complicated mixture of both free and enslaved populations. Making music provided work for musicians but also provided an outlet for those who labored in various sectors of the Southern economy, including both working-class and middle-class populations. Through Jazz, the African American community in a post-Civil War environment found meaning and escape from the tedious and fragile balance of the Jim Crow South.
Time/date: 4-5:30 p.m. on Feb. 25
Location: Frisco Campus Conference Center, Room C105E

Panel Discussion: Journey – Life, Labor, and Perseverance
Join Collin College faculty and administration as panelists reflect on their personal journeys. The national theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and Labor.” Professor Denzel Oliver will moderate a panel consisting of Dr. Marc Azard, Dr. Michelle Buggs, Dr. Jason Snyder, Associate Dean Melinda Tingle, and Dr. Brian White.
Time/date: 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. on Feb. 27
Location: McKinney Campus Welcome Center, Room W105 

Collin College serves more than 60,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity, a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Construction Management, and a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Clinical Operations Management. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government, and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.