As local educators and museum officials are in the midst of planning events for Black History Month, the Baltimore Sun published an article reflecting on the events of 2015 and opportunities to expand commemorations in remembrance of recent history.
Kimberly Moffitt, an associate professor of American studies, was interviewed for the article and discussed the importance of connecting the past with the present.
“If you think about it, history is occurring daily, right? So yesterday is history,” said Moffitt. “So even though the Black Lives Matter campaign in particular is seen as recent and current history, it is something that has so much of its foundation in historical movements and events.”
UMBC was mentioned in the article as one of several local institutions that have scheduled events in February that go beyond focusing on slavery and the civil rights struggle of the 1960s including a panel discussion “Black Lives Matter: More Than a Hashtag! It’s a Movement.” Read more about upcoming events on the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences website.
Moffitt also recently appeared on WEAA’s “The Marc Steiner Show for a discussion remembering Sandra Bland, who died last July in the Waller County, TX, jail, after being arrested on a traffic stop. The discussion took place in advance of a January 30 event at Red Emma’s in Baltimore with Sharon Cooper, Sandra Bland’s sister. Listen to the complete segment on the WEAA website.
Image: Kimberly Moffitt in her office. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.
Tags: AmericanStudies, CAHSS
