The Rosa Parks Tribute will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, February 6, in the Cook-DeWitt Center at GVSU's Allendale Campus. In addition to remarks by Hardiman, the Voices of GVSU Gospel Choir will perform and a documentary about Parks will air. Hardiman earned a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley in 1977 and later a master's degree from Western Michigan University. He was elected to the Statehouse (representing Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Cascade) in 2002.
Other events are as follows:
- The Niagara Movement: The Legacy of the American Civil Rights 100
Years Later
Thursday, February 2, 11 a.m., Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room
The Niagara Movement was the precursor to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. This small movement led by W.E.B. DuBois became the stepping stone to the NAACP. Learn how and why this movement began. The discussion will be led by Professor Randal Maurice Jelks from Calvin College. Jelks is also author of the upcoming book "African Americans in the Furniture City: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Grand Rapids." - African American Read-In
Tuesday, February 7, all day
Volunteer readers from Grand Valley will read selections from African American authors to students in Ottawa Montessori, Alexander, Buchanan and Potter's House elementary schools. - African American Health Forum
Thursday, February 16, 7 p.m., Loosemoore Auditorium, DeVos Center, 401 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids
Wayne Boatwright, chief diversity officer for Saint Mary's Health Care, Battle Creek Health System and Mercy General Health Partners, will moderate a panel of health professionals from the Grand Rapids community to identify and offer solutions to various health care concerns in the African American community. - "Jazz is a White Man's Word!" Miles Davis and the
Fusion of Jazz and Rock in the 1970s
Friday, February 17, 7 p.m., Loosemoore Auditorium, DeVos Center, 401 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids
Craig Benjamin of Grand Valley's History Department will lead a discussion with local musicians on Miles Davis and the fusion of jazz and rock. A short musical performance will follow the lecture. - Toyia T. Taylor: Taking Back the Hip Hop Generation
Tuesday, February 21, 6 p.m., Cook-DeWitt Center
New York performance artist Toyia T. Taylor will discuss the history of hip hop and bridging the gap between the hip hop generation and other generations. She will talk about the positive and negative effects of the music industry through an interactive lecture. The event is co-sponsored by the National Society of Black Engineers. - The University of Alabama: Integration Then and Now
Tuesday, February 28, noon, Loosemoore Auditorium, DeVos Center, 401 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids
Gary Hoover, associate professor of economics at the University of Alabama, will speak about integration of the University of Alabama from the 1960s to the present. The event is co-sponsored by the Seidman College of Business.
