"It means a lot to students and it makes a difference," said Latoya Booker, M.Ed., Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, of Aquinas College's events exploring racial and cultural minorities on campus. This year, as the Center focused primarily on Black History Month in February, Booker reflected on the special events that celebrated and educated students, faculty and staff about black culture and history.

The Center kicked off the month-long celebration on February 12 with a reading of "The Meeting," an award-winning play that portrays a fictional meeting of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. The piece was performed by the Ebony Road Players, a local theatre troop focused on promoting black theatre and black issues that was founded by alumna Edye Evans Hyde '79.

Hyde, also president of the organization, reached out to the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Jane Hubbard Idema Women's Studies Center last year to hopefully form a connection that would benefit both groups through performances dealing with both diversity and gender issues. The result was a partnership between the Ebony Road Players and the two AQ organizations. Excited about Hyde's increasing performances at her alma matter, Booker commented, "it's been great to help connect alumni to AQ."

The AQ Music Department joined in the celebration with a concert of gospel and spiritual music at the Black History Month Choral Concert on February 15 at St. Jude Parish. The event was titled "A Celebration of Spirituals and Gospel Songs" and featured music by arranger Stacey V. Gibbs and local music educator, performer and recording artist, Debra Perry. Partnering with the third and fourth grade choir from Coit Creative Arts Academy and Perry herself, Aquinas College Chorus performed these gospel and spiritual arrangements.

Also on February 15, the month's third event spoke to the diverse taste buds of the campus on Soul Food Sunday. This hands-on evening was designed to "provide a place for students and staff to celebrate and engage black culture," said Booker. A Signature Series event, this year's Soul Food Sunday theme was celebrating black culture through the arts, with various spoken word pieces and visual art on display. This event also involved alumni, with food from Xav's Catering, owned by Xaviar Jaramillo '00, and music by Serita's Black Rose, a local band founded by alumna Serita Crowley '13.

However, "it can't always be about food," said Booker. Though Soul Food Sunday is an easy, accessible event for those seeking understanding of unfamiliar cultures, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion strives for a balance between celebration and education. Each event of this month was equally vital for its unique opportunity to both expose and inform the AQ community. Most importantly, Booker noted, it's important to ask the question, "how are we really including students in the life of the College?"

With this awareness of inclusion through education and experience, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion strives to design special events, during black history month and throughout the year, that expose the AQ community to diverse cultures. Pairing diverse programming with alumni involvement, these events continue to offer unique and eye-opening experiences for students, staff, alumni and community members.