Black History Month: Celebrating, Learning, and Sharing
By Josh Golden, Student Intern
Every year in February, Spartanburg Methodist College celebrates Black History Month. This provides students, faculty, and staff the chance to commemorate the strong, leading voices in the Black community. It’s also an opportunity for students to participate in multiple Black History Month events.
SMC hosted several events, including a professional attire event, a Sip n’ Paint, Financial Literacy: SMC Monopoly, and conversations with a Black man (focusing on mental health and racism).
Bow Ties with the Pres, a professional attire lesson, kicked off what would be a great month of events. Aimed at educating young, black men about tying a tie, Brown, Dr. DeAndre Howard, and President Scott Cochran served as a backbone for students who were learning this skill for the very first time. As part of the program, students learned how to tie both traditional and bow ties. They even got to choose a tie to keep.
The Sip n’ Paint event was held on Valentine’s Night in partnership with SCM Dining Services, SMCX, and the SMC Art Department. Despite the holiday, a majority of the students who registered for the event showed up. Held in The Cellar coffee shop, students sipped on some good Starbucks while showing off their art skills. The students honored a prominent figure in the black community: the late, great Kobe Bryant by painting his likeness on a small canvas. Josh Holt, Director of Arts Enrichment at SMC, led the art activity and encouraged and assisted students all night.
Students expanded on their thoughts post-event. In a brief interview, one student said, “It was honestly amazing. I’m so happy to see people of color coming together and celebrating a huge icon in the black community.”
Another student said “It was a great event to honor a prominent figure and also practice our painting skills. Not to mention the free Starbucks.”
The next event, Financial Literacy: SMC Monopoly, focused on highlighting the larger challenge African American students have in paying student loan debt than their white counterparts. Also in attendance was Darby Tippit, a counselor in the financial aid office. She shared a slide show explaining the basics of financial aid, including the differences between subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Most students typically have a hard time telling the two apart. This was followed by a game of Monopoly. Students enjoyed the game and learned how to make sound financial choices and invest in properties.
Livingston Hawkins, a junior, said that he found both the Sip n’ Paint and the Financial Literacy events fun. “The events were fun and a way to commemorate this important month.” He went on to say that he “would love to see more events like this for different celebrations in the future.”