Wilkes University students Mmachi Dimoriaku,Tyler Bonadie and Morgan Burton transcribe digitized images of the writings of Anna Julia Cooper to typed text during the the 2020 Transcribe-a-thon. That event was live on campus. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s transcribe-a-thon will be virtual.
Times Leader file photo.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes University has scheduled three virtual events to mark February as Black History Month.
This Wednesday, Feb. 3, the university will present a “Visualizing Equality Lecture” by Salisbury University Associate Professor of History Aston Gonzalez. The focus is on African Americans who produced images that advanced Black rights efforts through much of American history, from before and during the Civil War and beyond.
Gonzalez wrote the book Visualizing Equality: African American Rights and Visual Culture in the nineteenth century. The lecture is at 4 p.m. via Zoom and is free and open to the public. For Zoom access advance registration is required by emailing Debra Archavage at [email protected].
On Friday, Feb. 12, the Wilkes community will again take part in a nationwide Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon they first joined last year. While that event was held in person on campus, this year’s event will be done virtually. From noon to 2 p.m. Participants will access a designated Library of Congress website to view historic documents and type their contents.
This year they will be transcribing the papers of Mary Church Terrell, a Black activist, educator and writer who helped found the National Association of Colored Women and the NAACP. Students, faculty, staff and community members are welcome to transcribe. Participation requires advance registration with Archavage.
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, the university will host “Continuing On the Path to Racial Equity: An event Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.” Students, faculty and staff will reflect on the lasting impact of King, with Wilkes Alumnus Woody M. Augustin providing the keynote address. The event begins 11:30 a.m.
A 2018 graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology, Augustin played football for the Colonels and was two-time captain of the lacrosse team. He earned his master’s in school counseling at the University of Scranton.
As with the other events, advance registration is required. Contact Erica Acosta, associate director of diversity initiatives, at [email protected]. Zoom details will be provided upon registration
The events are sponsored by the University’s Division of Global Cultures, Center for Global Education and Diversity, and the Multicultural Student Coalition.
Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish