Jan. 30, 2008

CALENDAR FORMAT

WHAT:  Black History Month Events   
WHEN: Feb. 2008
WHERE:  St. Charles Community College campus, 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Dr., Cottleville   
COST:  Most events are free.
CONTACT INFO:  Vicky Herbel, 636-922-8666 or Kelley Pfeiffer, 636-922-8544.

NEWS STORY FORMAT

MULTIMEDIA HUMAN RACE MACHINE AT SCC
WILL INVOKE THOUGHT, CHALLENGE PERCEPTIONS

Have you ever thought about what you would look like as a member of a different race? From Feb. 11-15 at St. Charles Community College, you won’t have to wonder – you can watch the transformation take place before your eyes.

The Human Race Machine, the week-long highlight of Black History Month events and activities at SCC, is a hands-on multimedia display. It will be open to the public from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. in the lobby of the Daniel J. Conoyer Social Sciences Building (SSB).           

The technology of The Human Race Machine maps the user’s facial features to the characteristics of five different races, allowing participants to see how they would look if they were Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indian, or Caucasian. The unique experience is intended to challenge the social perceptions of race and outward appearance.

“It’s interactive,” said Vicky Herbel, faculty advisor for the Social Sciences Society student organization.  “Students can do it at their own leisure.  It is something that will get them thinking about the world, not just themselves, and that will hopefully spark discussions.” 

The Human Race Machine will be on loan to SCC through Wolfgang Productions in Connecticut.  The group uses the same informative technology to create exhibits that show how a person may age, or what two people’s children might look like.

Black History Month Events at SCC

The following list includes all events taking place at SCC in February during Black History Month.  All events are free (with the exception of the African-American Scholarship Event) and open to the public. They will be held in the SSB unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday, Feb. 5
Interracialism Lecture
1 p.m. – Dr. R. Bentley Anderson of St. Louis University will give a lecture on his book "Black, White, and Catholic: New Orleans Interracialism, 1947-1956.”
 
Wednesday, Feb. 6, and Thursday, Feb. 7
“A Class Divided” – Film
7 p.m. – As part of the Documentaries Across the Disciplines program, the Social Science Society will show "A Class Divided." This film documents the discrimination experiment performed in 1968 by Jane Elliott in a third grade classroom.
 
Saturday, Feb. 9
African-American Scholarship Event
7-10 p.m. – Treat yourself to an evening of dance and entertainment featuring the NonStop Classic Rock Band.  The cost is $15 in advance and $20 at the door.  Funds raised from the event support scholarships for African-American students attending SCC.

Monday-Friday, Feb. 11-15
The Human Race Machine
8 a.m.-10 p.m. – Have you ever imagined how you would look if you were of a different race? Now you can see how you might look if you were Asian, African-American, Hispanic, Indian, or Caucasian. The Human Race Machine maps your facial features to the characteristics of five different races. Stop by the SSB lobby and witness fascinating transformations.
 
Wednesday, Feb. 13
“The Power of an Illusion” – Film
1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. – In conjunction with The Human Race Machine and Documentaries Across the Disciplines, the Social Science Society will screen the film "Race – The Power of an Illusion." This film examines the contemporary sciences, including the genetics that challenge our common sense assumptions that human beings can be bundled into three or four fundamentally different groups according to their physical traits.
 
Monday, Feb. 18
Lecture – Terrell Carter
4 p.m. ­­­– In­­ conjunction with an exhibit of his artwork, St. Louis artist Terrell Carter will speak regarding his artwork, his experiences, and how each has been affected by the other.
 
Monday-Friday, Feb. 18-22  [Location to be determined]
Art Exhibit – Terrell Carter
4-7 p.m.  – Carter’s goal as an artist is to incorporate history, both personal and corporate, into his artwork. In his work, he has dealt with issues that he faced as an African-American youth growing up in the city of St. Louis among real and perceived racism. He then transitioned into work that reflected his expectations and accomplishments relating to entering manhood. Following that, his artwork reflected issues relating to his experience as a police officer for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. His current artwork concentrates on issues of manhood, especially as they relate to his position as father and husband.
 
Tuesday, Feb. 26
"The Bicycle Corps: America's Black Army on Wheels" – Film
Noon-1:30 p.m. – The Paul and Helen Schnare Library is sponsoring a screening of this film. It documents the story of Buffalo soldiers of the 25th Infantry who rode bicycles 2,000 miles from Fort Missoula, Mont., to St. Louis in 1897.

St. Charles Community College is located at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville.  For more information regarding Black History Events, contact Kelley Pfeiffer, student activities coordinator, at 636-922-8544.

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