10:08 a.m., Feb. 4, 2011----The University of Delaware's Center for Black Culture has announced a schedule of activities for Black History Month and Beyond 2011 with the theme “Live Out Loud.”

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Highlights include a lecture by Cornel West on Monday, Feb. 21, a performance by the Kenya Safari Acrobats on Friday, Feb. 25, and a presentation by the hip hop artist Common on Wednesday, March 2.

Activities are scheduled as follows:

Friday, Feb. 18 -- CBC Fellowship Friday, 1:30-5:30 p.m., Center for Black Culture (CBC). Since 1976 the CBC has served as a “home away from home” for black and other ethnic minority students at the University. On this day, the CBC is throwing a mid-day house party for all of its neighbors (near and far) to attend. Come meet the staff, take a tour of the facility, find out about upcoming events, and indulge in some delectable treats. To RSVP, email [amberg@udel.edu] or call 302-831-2991 on or before Feb. 15.

Monday, Feb. 21 -- Reflections in Black: Music Hall of Fame Exhibition, 11a.m.-5 p.m., Food Court of the Trabant University Center.This traveling exhibit will highlight the role black people have played in creating the various genres of music enjoyed today. Sponsored by the Black Student Union.

Monday, Feb. 21 -- Black History Month Extravaganza featuring Cornel West, “Restoring Hope through Living and Loving Out Loud,” 6:30 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m., Mitchell Hall. Admission is free for full-time UD students; $5 for UD faculty and staff; $8 for the general public.

West is one of America's most provocative and admired public intellectuals. He is the Class of 1943 Professor at Princeton University. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his master's and doctorate in philosophy at Princeton. Although West is the author of 19 books, he is best known for his bestseller, Race Matters.

In light of his books, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, Restoring Hope, and Hope on a Tightrope, West will discuss some of the issues impacting black America and what it means to be courageous enough to live and love with purpose and compassion. Tickets are available at all UD box offices and Ticketmaster outlets.

Co-sponsors are the Center for Black Culture, Office of Student Life, Black Student Union, Cultural Programming Advisory Board, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Residence Life, and Student Centers.

Friday, Feb. 25 -- Kenya Safari Acrobats, 7 p.m., Mitchell Hall, with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free with UD identification, and $7 for the general public.

The Kenya Safari Acrobats are devoted to the promotion of the cultural traditions embodied in the art of African acrobatics. Long before humanity had set foot in Europe, African culture was thriving on the traditions embodied in the art of African acrobatics. Many forms of acrobatics derive their origins from Kenya. The troupe members of the Kenya Safari Acrobats learned acrobatics as children on the beaches of Kenya, as a means to break free from an impoverished country. Now they serve as artistic ambassadors for their country as they travel the globe entertaining and inspiring audiences of all ages.

With vibrant costumes and authentic African music, the Kenya Safari Acrobats' performance gives the audience an idea of how they live and love out loud. Tickets will be available beginning Feb. 9 at all UD box offices and Ticketmaster outlets. Co-sponsors are the Cultural Programming Advisory Board and Center for Black Culture.

Wednesday, March 2 -- “Raising Your Consciousness with a Common Sense Lecture,” 7 p.m., Multipurpose Rooms of the Trabant University Center. Once dubbed the “eloquent conscience of hip hop," Common is a Grammy Award-winning artist. His various projects over the years testify to his dedication to empowering young people to realize their full potential and go after their dreams. Today, his Common Ground Foundation supports community centers, summer camps and scholarships for youth throughout the U.S.

As a burgeoning actor, Common's film credits include Date Night, Just Wright, Terminator Salvation, and American Gangster. He has starred opposite other notable actors, such as, Tina Fey, Queen Latifah, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Russell Crowe, and Denzel Washington.

Common will discuss lessons of life, the human spirit and human nature. Tickets will be available to those with a UD ID at all University box offices and Ticketmaster outlets on Feb. 9 and to the general public on Feb. 17. Sponsored by the Cultural Programming Advisory Board.

Tuesday, March 8 -- Annual Louis L. Redding Lecture, “The New Jim Crow,” 3:30 p.m., Gore Recital Hall, Roselle Center for the Arts. To honor the civil rights work of Louis L. Redding -- the first African-American attorney admitted into the Delaware Bar in 1929 -- Prof. Michelle Alexander will present this year's Redding Lecture. A longtime civil rights advocate and litigator, Alexander argues that we have not eradicated the racial caste system in America; rather, we have simply redesigned it.

Her book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness raises issues about how society views race, particularly within the context of the criminal justice system, and how old forms of discrimination can once again be legal or accepted. For more information, visit the website. Co-sponsors are the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the Center for Black Culture.

Other events

Following are other events listed on the Center for Black Culture's annual Black History Month and Beyond calendar.

Jan. 17-Feb. 28 - “The 25th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day,” exhibition, Morris Library. The date Jan. 17, 2011, marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as a national day of celebration. The exhibition displays the artist's book Letter from Birmingham Jail (New York: Limited Editions Club, 2007), with eight serigraphs by the artist Faith Ringgold. Also displayed is the text of President Ronald Reagan's proclamation marking the first observance of the birthday of Dr. King as a national holiday. The display will remain available throughout the month of February in the cases near the information desk. Sponsored by the Special Collections Department of the University of Delaware Library.

Feb. 9-June 15 -- “Bodyscapes,” exhibition, Mechanical Hall Gallery. Drawing from the University Museums collection of African American art, Bodyscapes explores the human figure as expressions of human condition: from aspiration and heritage to stereotype and absence. Sponsored by University Museums

Thursday, Feb. 17 -- Black History Month Dinner, campus dining halls only. This annual feast will include: homemade stewed chicken with flat dumplings, homemade lima bean, corn and potato chowder, vegetarian Hoppin' Johns (black eyed peas with rice), baked macaroni and cheese, baked sweet potatoes, greens with smoked turkey, shrimp po boy sandwich, butter pound cake, red velvet cake, and banana pudding with vanilla wafers. Sponsored by Dining Services.

Saturday, March 5 -- Annual Multi-Ethnic Career Development Conference, with guest speaker Dominique Dawes, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Clayton Hall Auditorium. The conference will provide underrepresented students at the University of Delaware with an excellent opportunity to hear from dynamic speakers, meet alumni, network with employers, and secure internships and summer jobs. Co-sponsors are the Career Services Center, Office of Student Life, NUCLEUS program, RISE program, EXCEL program, Center for Counseling and Student Development, ASPIRE program, College of Arts and Sciences, and Center for Black Culture.

Monday, March 7 -- Paul R. Jones Annual Lecture, “Visual/Verbal Dialogue,” with Melvin Edwards and Jayne Cortez, 6 p.m., Trabant University Center Theatre. The Annual Paul R. Jones Lecture focus for 2011 is interdisciplinary arts and the art of liberation, and features internationally renowned sculptor, Melvin Edwards, together with poet and performance artist Jayne Cortez, in a provocative, collaborative presentation. Sponsored by the Paul R. Jones Initiative.