As the second half of February begins, student organizations around campus are hosting events to celebrate Black History Month. 

The Women*s Center at WSU is hosting a movie night from 4-6 p.m. on Feb. 22 in the Compton Union Building Auditorium, said Jackelyn Sedano, Women*s Center program coordinator.

Sedano said they are showing “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” a documentary with interviews from people who were part of the Black Panther Party movement.

The documentary is set in the 60s and focuses on the civil rights movement, the Black Panther Party, the Vietnam War, the sexual liberation movement and the women’s liberation movement, she said. 

Since the documentary is set in the 60s, Sedano said viewers can grasp the revolutionary culture that emerged from these different movements.

“[The showing] is absolutely in commemoration of Black History Month,” she said. “We really encourage folks to … come in, relax and watch this documentary.” 

Sedano said the women in the movie are amazing, and like any social movement, people love to see heroes and wisdom come from people leading social change. 

Human rights activist Ericka Huggins was involved in the Black Panther Party and is interviewed in the documentary. Sedano said Huggins recently came to WSU as a keynote speaker and that it is impactful to have people like Huggins inspire others. 

“That’s what I’m excited about,” she said. “Just to see folks get inspired by all these really powerful leaders providing their insight of what that time was like for them.”

The movie night is open to everyone. Sedano said if someone wants to show up, either with another person or by themselves, they can just walk into the auditorium and find a seat. 

It is a two-hour-long documentary, but it is worth the time, she said.  

The Women*s Center is also hosting a mini art show next week, Sedano said. It is not a formal event, and people can view the pieces at the center at any time. 

“We’re going to be highlighting the work of local artists who are Black and maybe even some classic pieces,” she said. “We’ll just have those hanging around here.”

Alongside the art pieces, the Women*s Center will put up statements from the artist to highlight their work, Sedano said. Artists do have the option to remain anonymous. 

If an artist or a poet wants to submit their work, they can send it to [email protected] or [email protected], she said. 

Sedano said staff at the Women*s Center have already been looking through submissions from local and regional artists in the community.    

“To be able to spotlight local Black poets, regional Black artists, it’s going to be super awesome for all of us to see these wonderful creators that we can support right here at home,” she said. 

Sedano said the Women*s Center is also hoping to put out resources on how to support local artists.

The African American Student Center is in the middle of hosting Black History Month events as well.

Charles Ross, graduate student in AASC, said the organization is hosting a trivia night on Feb. 24. Although the event is still being planned, it will most likely be a Kahoot competition.

Ross said he is looking forward to the trivia night because the game is a great way to bring people together. 

AASC is also doing shout-outs for the peer mentors within the organization on their Instagram, he said. 

Ross said three peer mentors are posted per week, and the posts include where they are from and what they are studying. The posts also include one Black figure the peer mentor finds inspiring and why. 

AASC is also partnering with the WSU Martin Luther King program and is co-sponsoring film events and anti-racism training, which will carry over to the month of March, he said. 

Ross said he is looking forward to seeing Black students come together through these events. 

“Black students [are] often separated, and it’ll just be nice to have Black students in one central location,” he said.