Spreading Awareness with Creativity: Cultural Events
Throughout UCF’s history, numerous events have allowed African American students to express their culture in unique ways. The events have ranged from those such as Black Awareness Week, which was planned by the Black Student Union, King Week, which was planned by a committee of faculty and staff. All events have, in one form or another, allowed black students at UCF bring important individuals in the African American Community to the campus.
Black Awareness Week
An event that has been held every year since the inception of the Black Student Union in 1969, Black Awareness Week has been a staple for black students to enable the entire UCF community to be a part of African American Culture. A new theme is always presented for the week that promotes the idea of diversity on campus.
The Black Awareness Week that was held in 1975 utilized theme of “Awareness and Understanding through Appreciation” as the basis for all of its events. The week was composed of events open to the public which took place both during the day and and at night. That year the Ramsay Lewis Trio performed, as did the Jones High School choir. In addition, the seminal civil rights film "From Montgomery to Memphis" was screened. Individuals who helped with the civil rights movement gave presentations. Father Nelson Pinder, a local clergy who played a prominent role in developing the civil rights movement in Central Florida, spoke, as did Nikki Giovanni, a poet who was at the forefront of the Black Arts Movement.
Black Awareness Week successfully allowed Black students to share their cultural experience with the UCF Community.
King Week
An event that has been planned annually since 1980, King Week has been utilized by black students and staff to bring African American Culture to UCF. The event is week long to recognize the life of Martin Luther King Jr. which culminates in an award ceremony in which one adult and one youth in the African American Community in central Florida received an award for their outstanding service. Once again, King week utilized an annual theme.
The fifth annual commemorative observance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King at the University of Central Florida took place in 1985. Its theme was “Ending the Violence of Povery and World Hunger through Creative Nonviolent Action”. The Black Student Union sponsored a Midday Commemorative Observance of MLK’s birthday in The Student Center Auditorium at UCF which was separate from the award ceremony and other events of the day which took place at the House of Beef.
In understanding that the event utilized local individuals as speakers, speakers at the 1985 event included Dr. Leonard O. Holt who was a pastor the Carter Tabernacle C.M.E. Church at the time, Ms. Nick Sarner who was the director of Community Affairs at WCPX-TV, Mrs. Clarawalters who was principle of Jones High School at the time, and Dr. Thelma Dudley who was a member of UCF’s Minority Advisory Council.
The award, rightly named the Dr. John T. Washington Award, gave recognition to individuals in the African American Community in Central Florida who provided great service and humanitarian concern to the central Florida community at large. There was also a poster recognition ceremony, in which participants had to create a poster that went along with the theme of the given King week.
Overall, the success of the event showed how black students at the University of Central Florida aimed to provide service for their community while simultaneous bringing a piece of their culture to the campus.
Sources:
Black Awareness Week, April 7th-14th, 1975, University of Central Florida Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs: Carroll B. Gambrell, Jr. Records, 1964-1984, Box #14, Folder #6 Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
"Central Florida Future, Vol. 08 No. 24, April 23, 1976."
Fifth annual commemorative observance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, University of Central Florida, Community Program, University of Central Florida Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs: Carroll B. Gambrell, Jr. Records, 1964-1984, Box #14, Folder #6 Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.