Northwestern began its six-week observance of Black History Month on Friday with Harambee, a celebration of African, Caribbean and African-American culture. The event, which was hosted by African American Student Affairs and For Members Only, featured free food, song and dance.

Myrlie Evers-Williams, the former chairwoman of the NAACP, will give the keynote address Monday in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall during NU’s official observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The event will also include performances by jazz and choral student groups.

The Alice Millar Birthday Concert: 50th Anniversary Celebration will feature Joseph Schwantner’s “New Morning for the World,” based on texts by Martin Luther King Jr. The Alice Millar Chapel Choir and University Singers will also be featured in the concert Feb. 9.

The celebration will also include movie screenings of “The Trials of Muhammad Ali” and “Good Hair,” both of which will be followed by discussions. In addition, “Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964” is currently open in the Dittmar Gallery in Norris University Center. The art exhibition explores the Bracero Program, the largest guest worker program in U.S. history.

There will also be a special preview of “New Americans: Our Mutual Elevation and Social Improvement,” an upcoming exhibit by Jason Patterson. The exhibit officially opens on April 4, but the preview will run from Feb. 24-28 on the ground floor of Norris.

The University’s celebration will conclude with the annual Leon Forrest Lecture. Lydia Diamond (Communication ’92), an acclaimed novelist and scholar, will deliver the lecture on March 5 in Harris Hall.

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