Alrinthea Carter M ’05 will headline Clemson’s Black History Month events slate with a keynote speech on February 7. Carter was raised in Germany as part of a military family. After graduating from Winthrop University, she moved to South Korea for a year, becoming a preschool teacher for Air Force children in Osan. After learning more kids’ songs than she ever expected, Carter moved back to South Carolina to attend graduate school at Clemson University, which set the stage for a career advising Clemson students for 16 years. Her tenure at Clemson ended when she was staffed as a writer on the Emmy-winning comedy-variety series “A Black Lady Sketch Show” on HBO in 2021.
“Every February, individuals from across the nation celebrate Black History Month in a variety of ways. When thinking about Black History Month, we often forget about our community’s history or the present-day history in the making,” says Rebecca Harkless, director of the Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center. “This year at Clemson, we are excited to kick off our celebration with a keynote conversation from Clemson’s very own Alrinthea Carter. As we celebrate Black History this year, I hope we recognize and appreciate the significant impacts that Black people have made on society for centuries and continue to do so today.”
The Sankofa African American Museum on Wheels, the first 3D virtual learning place that showcases rare collections of historical memorabilia from the 1600s to the 2000s focusing on African American history, will be featured in the Brackett Hall first floor atrium on February 27 from noon to 4:30 p.m. “Sankofa” is a word in the Akan Twi and Fante languages of Ghana that translates to “retrieve.” According to the SAAMW website, the exhibition “tells the stories and highlights the culture from the beginning of slavery to the end.”
February 1 will see the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), a collaborative umbrella council composed of nine historically African American fraternities and sororities, commonly called the “Divine Nine,” honored at the Clemson women’s basketball game, with men’s basketball honoring the NPHC at their game against Pittsburgh on February 27.
February 17-25 also marks ACC Winter Unity Week, which encourages all to get involved in activities that promote unity and connect with people and organizations that effect positive change in our communities. Clemson will honor Rhondda Thomas and Jim Bostic as recipients of the 2023 ACC UNITE award during the men’s basketball game against Pittsburgh on February 27.
Other events include the Call My Name 5K race, which takes runners past sites of significance to Black history at Clemson on February 18, Soul Food Sunday at the Reeves Recruiting Room, also on February 18, and tours of the African American burial ground at Woodland Cemetery throughout the month.
A complete list of Black History Month events is available on the Gantt Multicultural Center website.