BSA to Sponsor Cultural Events In Honor of Black History

The Harvard-Radcliffe Black Students Association (BSA) will sponsor a series of political, cultural and social events throughout February, the first time Harvard has observed National Black History Month, Eugene J. Green '80, BSA president, said yesterday.

Organizers plan a video presentation on violence in Boston; a tribute to Ewart Guinier, professor of Afro-American Studies; a showing of the film, "Malcolm X"; a panel discussion on blacks and foreign affairs; and a lecture series, sponsored by the Afro-American Studies Committee.

Black History Month is a chance to unify black students at Harvard on issues such as the survival of the Afro-American Studies Department, affirmative action, the scarcity of black professors, and racism among white faculty at Harvard, Green said.

The BSA will observe Black History Month jointly with black student groups at Tufts, Northeastern and Simmons, a sign of increased interaction between local black students following the shooting of black athlete Darryl Williams and related racial problems in Boston this fall, Green said.

"Boston is a catalyst to black unity," Green said. "Only when the black student community of the Boston area is unified and aware will we be able to contribute to ending Boston's racial problems," he added.

The city-wide coalition on Black History Month chose "Responsibilities of Black Youth in the '80s: What We Must Do," as the theme for the month's activities. "What we must do is realize that our problems will only be remedied by a unified black community engaged in direct action," Green said.