Med center marks Black History Month

February marks Black History Month, and the med center has a number of events planned to celebrate and educate the campus community about African American culture.

See below for events and activities taking place throughout the month.

Feb 13: A Black History Month trivia challenge will be published in UNMC Today and Nebraska Medicine NOW. The challenge will award prizes, donated by the UNMC Office of Inclusion and the African American Black Alliance employee resource group. Ten people will be chosen at random from among those who answer all the questions correctly.

Feb. 16: Join UNMC’s Precious Davis, EdD, director, community collaborative academy, and Darryl Brown Jr., senior director of programs and advocacy at Black & Pink National, for an educational evening on HIV and AIDS awareness in the Black community. Registration is preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. The 6 p.m. discussion will take place at the UNMC and Nebraska Medicine Community Wellness Collaborative, 2120 N. 29^th Street, Suite 200, in Omaha. Sponsored by the UNMC and Nebraska Medicine Community Wellness Collaborative, UNMC Office of Inclusion and the Nebraska AIDS Project.

Feb. 20: Join performance artist D. Kevin Williams as he depicts the life of William Parker Walker, founder of DeWitty, Nebraska — the largest and longest-lasting Black homestead colony in Nebraska, located in Cherry County. The noon presentation is available in person at the Sorrell Center, Room 1005, or via Zoom. Lunch will be provided to the first 30 in-person attendees. Sponsored by the African American Black Alliance.

Feb. 27: In this panel session, Jasmine Marcelin, MD, associate professor, UNMC Division of Infectious Diseases, will take participants on a brief journey of the evolution of Black hairstyles and complicated relationship to “professionalism” in the workplace. She will explore natural hair discrimination and the impact of legislation to reduce this discrimination for Black people at work. After attending this session, participants will have a better understanding of the diversity of “professional” natural hair and how to support their Black colleagues who may be experiencing the effects of discrimination because of their hair.

Panelists include:

• Omar Ceesay, student, UNMC College of Medicine
• Alberto Marcelin, MD, assistant dean for admission, assistant professor, UNMC College of Medicine; medical director, family medicine Chalco clinic, Nebraska Medicine
• Precious Davis, EdD, director, UNMC Community Collaborative Academy; assistant professor, family medicine, UNMC College of Medicine
• Nada Fadul, MD, professor, UNMC Division of Infectious Diseases
• Armalita Dosseh, IPE/OCE program coordinator, UNMC Office of Community Engagement

Join this noon presentation in-person at the Sorrell Center, Room 4053, or via Zoom. Lunch will be provided to the first 30 in-person attendees. Sponsored by the UNMC Office of Inclusion.

Throughout the month: Black History Month celebration T-shirts are available for purchase in the UNMC Bookstore and Nebraska Medicine Company Store for $20. Designed by Laurel Ybarra, program associate, administration and marketing, iEXCEL, the figures on the shirt represent different expressions of art that correspond with the colors that celebrate Black culture.

Each week this month, watch for an article in UNMC Today that highlights the outstanding accomplishments of med center Black faculty and staff members.