By Nicole Gregory, contributing writer

This year’s Black History Month theme, “I’m Rooting for Everybody Black—Uplifting and Celebrating our Community,” inspired a full calendar of events at Cal State Fullerton.

“We are really excited for Black History Month in February,” said Elaina Sidney, coordinator of the African American Resource Center.

There will be a “Beyond the Conversation” event with Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the landmark 1619 Project and a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine. Hosted by Associated Students Inc., it will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 9 in the Titan Student Union.

A Titan Table Talk panel discussion on “Empowering Black Communities” will be held via Zoom at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 22. Titan Table Talk events typically feature distinguished alumni, students and faculty who share their professional and personal experiences related to the topic. Check the Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion website for more information.

A fireside chat followed by a Q& A and book signing will feature sister authors Marika and Maritza Moulite, whose novel, “One of the Good Ones,” has been chosen as the third annual “One Book, One CSUF” selection for 2023. It’s at  3 p.m. Feb. 24 in the Titan Student Union.

Every year the Cal State Fullerton community picks a book that features themes of diversity, inclusion and equity. The entire community is encouraged to read the book and use it as a touchstone for conversations about those themes throughout the year.

And from Feb. 1 through March 26, there will be a Black History Month Art and Book display in the Pollak Library North, featuring a curated selection of pieces that focus on the Black experience, history, thought, and traditions.

Sidney is also coordinating a mixer for Black transfer students and a program with the Career Center on networking and job searching for future young Black professionals.

Designating a period of time each year to highlight the history of Black people in America began in 1926. Scholar and historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History proposed “Negro History Week” to be recognized the second week of every February — a week that includes the birth dates of President Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass (whose birth date is unknown but celebrated on Feb. 14).

The first monthlong celebration of Black History Month was established at Kent State University in 1970, according to that university’s website, before it was later celebrated around the country.

But at the CSUF African American Resource Center, uplifting Black students is a year-round mission. The center “serves as an inclusive space to support and affirm our unapologetically Black Titans on campus,” Sidney said. It helps connect students to each other and the resources they need to fuel their success at Cal State Fullerton.

These resources include student employment opportunities, programs and events related to identity, community, culture and consciousness, mentorship and more. Students can drop in at any time or make an appointment to discuss specific needs. They can also get help accessing support from programs such as Student Life and Leadership, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Academic Advisement Center and the Student Success Team.

Black alumni also play an important role in providing support to students by sharing their experiences on their career paths in the professional world.

The African American Resource Center worked with CSUF Alumni Engagement Office to host a virtual panel called “Navigating Your Black Identity in the Workplace” in Nov. 2019 and in March 2022. “Black alumni from a variety of industries, from business to media and entertainment, explained how they navigate their Black and other intersecting identities in their workplace,” Sidney explained.

Resume workshops and conversations about Black identity take place at the center throughout the year, as well as programs to help boost students’ personal and social experiences.

Sidney has a ringside seat for watching Cal State Fullerton students grow and mature during their college years. “Our students feel comfortable to be their authentic and unapologetically Black selves in the AARC,” she said. “In our center, students will have a casual yet critical dialogue about social issues in the black community one minute and in the next minute a passionate discussion on whether one would eat a churro or funnel cake at a state fair,” Sidney said.

Witnessing a community in which students support each other is gratifying, she noted. “The students give each other kudos, hype and support one another, which boosts morale and confidence and provides a sense of validation of their experiences on and off campus. It truly feels like a home away from home for the students, and even myself.”

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