Black History Month 2021

Black and Abroad Events (@aupblackandabroad)

The mission for Black and Abroad is to create and establish a sense of community for Black students on The American University of Paris campus through education, advocacy, and representation. Our purpose is to provide a safe space solely for Pan-African students, this includes those identifying as African-American, Afro-Latino/a, African, Afro-Caribbean, and biracial. This club will serve as a representative and advocate for these students when addressing on-campus issues.

Black & Abroad on AUP Engage.

• Black and Abroad Club Orientation

Happy Black History Month! We'll be starting our celebration by welcoming in our new Black and Abroad members and re-introducing our current members. We're excited to share what we have in store for this semester. 

• The Blacker the College, The Sweeter the Knowledge: HBCU Impact and Legacy on Higher Education

Black and Abroad will be hosting an event called: The Blacker the College, The Sweeter the Knowledge: HBCU Impact and Legacy on Higher Education. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Nikita Harris, Communications Professor at the University of Alabama. She will be discussing the impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities on higher education.

Dr. Harris asks that all those who wish to attend this event watch "Tell Them We Are Rising" beforehand. 

• Black Behind The Camera featuring Jonathan Harris

Black History Month Speaker Series: We are honored to be hosting Jonathan Harris, a Development Executive at MonkeyPaw Productions, who will speaking with us about how and what Black representation behind the camera translates onto the screen. This an open event and we welcome anyone to join!

• Paint and Sip

To continue of our Black History Month celebration, we're hosting a paint and sip to enjoy music and art. Don't worry if you don't any painting supplies, everyone is welcome to use whatever art supplies you have. We'll be welcoming all to this open event!

• The Future of Fashion: How Black Creatives are Reclaiming Their Influence

Black History Month Speaker Series: We will be hosting two Black creatives in the fashion industry: fashion designer, Nikki Straws, and fashion commentator, Louis Pisano, who will share their perspective on how they are seeing Black creatives make their statements within the industry. 

• Black and Abroad Panel Event with The Advisory Board on Environmental Sustainability

The Advisory Board on Environmental Sustainability and Black & Abroad will be co-hosting a panel event with 4 members from the EPA who work in various ways with the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice for this year's Black History Month. This event will serve as a chance to get some insight into the projects that the EPA Environmental Justice board is working on as well as ask them any questions about their work, the roadblocks they face, etc. during the Q&A portion of the event. 

In honor of Black History Month, join the Advisory Board on Environmental Sustainability and Black & Abroad this evening for a conversation with members of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the topic of environmental justice. We will be joined by a panel of four members that work intimately within the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice in various manners to present their roles, experiences, and challenges within each of their fields. This will be followed by an open and interactive Q&A with the AUP community.

• Commensality and East African Culture

Continuing our Black History Month celebration, our East African Student Committee will be teaching us about the culture, history, and traditions set around food in their respective countries. 

• African Film Festival

Continuing our Black History Month celebration, our Southern African Student Committee will be hosting an African Film Festival to teach us the culture, history, and traditions of Africa through films. 

RESISTERS Events (@resisters_aup)

When our founding sister read Feminists Don’t Wear Pink she immediately reported back to her friends that feminism is awesome. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says, “We Should All Be Feminists” and that is why we wanted to create a space where all people are welcome to share their experiences and explore feminist concepts and resist normative discourses. Intersectional feminism is at the heart of our mission which is why we will be working with AUP’s diverse community to expand our understanding of gender equity.

RESISTERS on AUP Engage.

• #FreeLoujain - Saudi Arabian Women's Rights Movement

On February 16th leaders/family of the #FreeLoujain movement will be speaking at AUP on the Women's Rights Movement in Saudi Arabia.

Loujain al-Hathloul is one of the most prominent leaders of the Saudi Women's Rights Movement. She raised awareness of Saudi guardianship laws such as the driving ban and established a shelter for women fleeing violence. Because of her public criticism of the Saudi government, she was imprisoned in 2014 and 2016. She has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and was named one of TIME's most influential people of 2019. 

Her family continues to fight for her everyday. Her sisters, Lina and Alia, her brother, Walid, and friends/supporters, Uma and Salma are all committed to freeing Loujain and the many other political prisoners of Saudi Arabia. 

Join ReSisters for Transnational Feminist Month in February to learn how you can support the movement!

To learn more check out -->  https://www.loujainalhathloul.org/ 

• Empowering solo travelers with Adriana Smith

Founder and Blogger of Travepreneur, Adriana Smith "empowers solo travelers to see and do good in the world". She is the author of Studying Abroad for Black Women and is committed to diversifying the travel world by including POC and women travelers. 

RESISTERS and Black & Abroad Events

The student clubs RESISTERS and Black & Abroad work together on a feature event entitled "Sippin' Sisters - The Future of Feminism," which will explore themes of intersectional feminism, feminism for Black women, Black identity for women and the influence of the BLM movement.

RESISTERS and Black & Abroad on AUP Engage.

• Sippin' Sisters - The Future of Feminism

For February we will be focusing on transnational feminism. We will be looking at how feminism has taken place in countries and cultures across the world, especially in regards to Black History Month. We are thrilled to be partnering with Black and Abroad to discuss the future of feminism. Grab a drink, whatever you prefer whether that is a cup of tea or a glass of wine and engage with us. This is a welcoming space open to diverse opinions and experiences!

What does it mean to be an intersectional feminist? How can we make feminism more inclusive for Black women? How has the BLM movement shaped Black feminism? How can we protect Black identifying women? 

GenSex Events (@gensex_aup)

The Gender & Sexuality Club was started to address topics pertaining to gender and sexuality, such as sexual orientation and sexual health. The club also provides resources to students who are not members. We hope to give the student body accessible information on the sexual health resources that are at their disposal, with their French Health Care or free resources in Paris. We want to provide LGBT students with a community in their university and in the city, so they know they have places where their voice is heard.

GenSex Club on AUP Engage

• Film Screening

Film screening of Naz and Maalik (2015) which is about “Two closeted Muslim teens living in Brooklyn struggle to come clean about their sexuality.” and we’re going to have a discussion on the intersections of black and LGBTQ+ history. 

• Discussion on Naz and Malik 

On the 18th we want to continue the discussion introduced in the first event with a small presentation and then a following discussion. We are still planning the details but more info is on the way!