Virtual Conversation with “High on the Hog” Author Jessica B. Harris Headlines Rutgers–Camden Black History Month Celebration

Series of free, public activities will recognize contributions and heritage of Black Americans

Jessica B. Harris. Photo credit: Rog Walker

A virtual conversation with Jessica B. Harris, acclaimed author of the book “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” which is now the basis for the popular Netflix series of the same name, will headline a series of free, public activities celebrating Black History Month at Rutgers University–Camden throughout February.

Virtual Conversation with Jessica B. Harris Tuesday, Feb.1 7 to 8:30 p.m. EST Harris – an internationally known culinary historian, educator and author of dozens of books on the foodways of the African diaspora – will discuss the complex ways that food and its history shape Blackness around the globe. Register at the event page.

Virtual Conference on Haiti History and Current Affairs Wednesday, Feb. 9 11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. EST  The Department of Africana Studies will host a panel discussion on the powerful but neglected history of Haiti, as well as current challenges that the country is facing. The esteemed panel, led by Eliezer Marcellus, an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, will feature experts in history, politics and health care. Register at the event page.

Three Women" Artwork by Maseo

Virtual “ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER: Black Germany and Beyond” Conference Thursday, Feb. 17, to Sunday, Feb. 20

The Africana Studies department will collaborate with the Black German Heritage and Research Association to host a four-day virtual conference, titled “ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER: Black Germany and Beyond.” Film links with passwords will be made available to registrants for viewing ahead of the conference. The conference, which marks the culmination of the year-long “ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER” event series, aims to draw attention to the neglected histories of people of African descent in Germany, and in Europe more broadly. “People imagine that Black life and culture only exists in certain parts of the world, such as, for instance, the Caribbean or South America,” says Keith Green, director of Africana Studies at Rutgers University–Camden. “However, Black experiences are global, transatlantic and defy human-made borders. This conference expands our appreciation of the diversity of locations, identities, languages and histories we assume when we discuss Blackness.” Register at the event page.

Black Atlantic Musical (BAM) Festival Monday, Feb. 28 7 to 8:30 p.m. EST Walter K. Gordon Theater on the Rutgers–Camden The Black History Month celebration will conclude with the Black Atlantic Musical (BAM) Festival in the campus. The BAM Festival will showcase musical styles and traditions emerging from the various sites of Black engagement with the Atlantic Ocean. The Rutgers–Camden Gospel Choir and the New York-based Sound Noire will perform. “From West Africa to South America and from the Caribbean to Europe, music has been one of the lasting legacies of Black diasporic presence and power,” says Green. “This event is a celebration of those presences.”