DMU is offering some great ways to contemplate and celebrate Black History Month. Today, special guest William Anderson, D.O., FACOS, a 1956 DMU graduate, will talk on campus from noon to 1 p.m. in the Student Education Center (SEC) Auditorium. He became a civil rights leader in his hometown of Albany, GA, at the urging of his late wife, Norma. The couple led the Albany Movement, which fought to end segregation in the city. The organization’s marches were joined by the Andersons’ friends Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy, civil rights heroes and co-founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Dr. Anderson also was an ardent champion for osteopathic medicine. He was the first African-American to be certified by the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons and the first to serve as president of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). He served as a member of the AOA Board of Directors for 20 years as well as on many other boards, including the DMU Board of Trustees.
Best of all, Dr. Anderson is a witty, warm and delightful speaker. Named a DMU Pioneer in Osteopathic Medicine and Public Service in 2009, he’s received numerous other awards, including the Michigan State University’s Excellence in Diversity recognition.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, DMU will host a viewing of “Soul Food Junkies,” a film about family, food and tradition. Attendees are invited to bring their lunch to the event, held from noon to 1 p.m. in SEC 115. Filmmaker Byron Hurt, who grew up eating the grits, gravy-smothered biscuits, deep-fried chicken and other fatty foods of this black southern culinary tradition, talks with cooks, historians, physicians and “everyday people” about soul food’s positive and negative consequences. It’s an important topic for anyone interested in food, health care, sustainability and community.
On Feb. 24 over the noon hour, Professor Blane Harding will give a talk in the SEC Auditorium titled “Trials, Tribulations and Celebrations.” Professor Harding is director of the multicultural affairs office at the University of Kansas who has worked with more than 30 institutions of higher learning and numerous businesses and other organizations across the country. He has published and frequently presents on topics of diversity, multicultural advising and teaching.
Join the DMU community for this provocative and important series of events!
