By Patrice Harris
The Scene staff
Camel Parks knew about the Rev. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and other legends in the Civil Rights Movement.
But an African American history class at Forest Park has taught her about many other “unsung heroes” who struggled through everything from slavery to segregation.
“There was just so much more to it, said Parks, 23 a journalism major. “What I learned in high school didn’t even come close. I didn’t realize how many people gave their lives.”
“I guess it really hit home when I learned children weren’t exempt from this kind of ignorance.”
The college has a Black Studies Program that includes African American History 1 and 2, Major Black Writers and other classes. It also hosts special events each February to celebrate Black History Month.
This year, activities included lectures, an Afro Arts Festival, black trivia games and a screening of the movie “Soul Food.”
Three programs are still to come: A theatrical production called “God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse” on Friday; and African music and dancing by Kreative Pandemonium and a “Bro2Bro” discussion on Feb. 28.
“Though celebrating Black History Month is a tradition here at Forest Park, I’m excited because this is the first time I’ve been involved,” said Gary Forde, a psychology professor.
Associate professor Debra Henry taught the African American History 2 class Parks took last semester. She focuses on “foot soldiers” in the Civil Rights Movement who are sometimes forgotten.
That includes James Chaney, one of three activists murdered in 1964 during “Freedom Summer” in Mississippi. They were registering black people to vote.
Chaney’s murder may have gone unreported if not for Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, the other two activists, who were white. He was black.
“It’s sad,” Henry said. “Like so many before him, Chaney’s death at the time would have meant nothing. So it’s just as important to recognize those who were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to save others.”
The class has inspired Parks to take advantage of opportunities made possible by Chaney and others who fought for civil rights throughout history.
“It’s funny,” she said. “Things that come so natural to us, like drinking from a water fountain, could have resulted in (black people’s) demise. I didn’t realize how much we were taking for granted.”
Henry believes it’s important to study history because the past informs the present and future.
Sociology professor Rodney Wead has first-hand knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement. He got involved in 1955, after learning about the horrific death of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Money, Miss.
“I was so angry,” Wead said. “But I had to find a way to channel that anger. I had to learn to fight back without using violence.”
Wead was beaten and arrested during marches. He was willing to put his life on the line so his children and grandchildren would have the same opportunities as everyone else.
This is a big year in black history. Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president, was inaugurated for a second term.
2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln, and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, where King gave his famous “I have a Dream” speech.
Finally, it’s the 50th anniversary of the assassination of another legend in the Civil Rights Movement: Medgar Evers. He was instrumental in getting blacks the right to vote in Mississippi.
Forest Park’s Black History Month celebration kicked off Feb. 5 in the cafeteria. Students, faculty and staff enjoyed food and music and strolled through an exhibit of prominent black Americans.