In honor of Black History Month this year, the Days-Massolo Center (DMC) is providing various resources and events to celebrate and reflect on the “life, future, and legacy of Hamilton and the nation’s Black community.”

Focusing on Black Legacy during the first week of Black History Month, the DMC uploaded various recordings from their archive, and provided resources to learn more about Black History both at Hamilton and in New York State. The DMC has posted a list of links on their website, including various museum websites and anti-racism resources, and are currently welcoming more contributions. Students can email the DMC at [email protected] to add any other resources, articles or historical moments.

Three past Voices of Color Lecture Series (VCLS) recordings have been posted on the DMC’s Youtube channel, hosted by Judith Jamison, Dr. Cornel West and Toure. The lectures include topics like the dangers of mistaking current day America as being a nation that is “post-racial”, one where everyone can afford to live “colorblind.” Several recordings of past DMC events, such as the 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. dinner and lecture, have also been uploaded to Youtube.

For the second week of Black History Month, the DMC is providing more in-person events. Past Black-Latinx Student Union (BLSU) yearbooks are available for viewing at the DMC from Monday, Feb. 7 to Sunday, Feb. 13. A Black History Month poster display has also been set up in Burke Library.

The main event for this week is the “Fillius Jazz Archive Lunch: Choosing the Creative Life” on Friday, Feb. 11 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., which can be attended both in-person at the DMC and on Zoom. It will be hosted by Monk Rowe, a Lecturer in Music (Saxophone) at Hamilton and director of the Jazz Archive. Rowe will lead a video viewing of excerpts from the Fillius Jazz Archive collection and a discussion of jazz as an art form.

The presentation and discussion of this uniquely American music will “offer insights into the contributions and motivations of influential African-American artists” by sharing stories about Black jazz artists’ lives and experiences. Although the event has traditionally been enjoyed by students while eating lunch, the DMC will instead provide to-go dessert boxes instead to observe COVID-19 safety.

Plans for the third and fourth weeks of Black History Month are still in the works. Students can look forward to Cafecito Friday on Feb. 18 to meet the Social Justice Initiative Alumni, the group that advocated and mobilized for the creation of the Days-Massolo Center back in 2011. An official panel discussion and luncheon with the alumni will happen sometime the next day on Saturday, Feb. 19.

A Wellin Museum Art Walk is planned for Monday, Feb. 21, and a second Fillius Jazz Archive Lunch, titled “The Price They Paid”, will happen on Tuesday, Feb. 22. More updates to come as additional events proceed.