MTSU

Rapper, actor David Banner to speak at MTSU for Black History Month

MTSU News
David Banner speaks about issues in the African-American community, during a meeting in Patterson Park on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018.

Grammy Award-winning music producer and recording artist David Banner will visit MTSU as part of the university's 2019 Black History Month celebration.

Formerly a member of the rap duo Crooked Lettaz, Banner went solo in 2000. The Mississippi native turned his attention to acting in 2006, landing roles in “Black Snake Moan;” “Stomp the Yard: Homecoming 2;” and “Lee Daniel’s The Butler.”

His address is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Student Union Ballroom.

Banner also founded A Banner Vision, a multimedia company that provides music for television commercials, video games and films.

“The Black Migration” is the theme of this year’s celebration of black contributions to the human experience. The “black migration” describes the time from 1916 to 1970 during which African-Americans left the South and moved to other parts of the country between 1916 and 1970 in search of economic opportunities and freedom from the oppression of Jim Crow laws.

A panel discussion on the subject is slated for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, in Room 220 of the Student Union.

James Meredith, the first African-American to attend the University of Mississippi, will headline the 23rd annual Unity Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, in the Student Union Ballroom.

Tickets are $25 for nonstudents, $15 for students and $350 for a table of 10. Tickets are available only through Feb. 2. A round table discussion with Meredith is slated for 2 to 4 p.m. in Room 224 of the Student Union.

Other highlights include:

  • The official Black History Month kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, in the Student Union Atrium. 
  • The Black Student Union and the student NAACP will sponsor the third annual Color the Runway Fashion Show from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, in the Student Union Ballroom.
  • Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity Inc. will host “The Social Hour,” two hours of socializing with local African-American entrepreneurs, from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, in Cantrell Hall in the Tom Jackson Building. Information on prominent African-American businesses ranging back to the 1900s will be available at this networking opportunity.
  • The John Pleas Faculty Award, which is given each year to an outstanding black faculty member, will be presented to Frank Michello, a professor of economics and finance, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in the Ingram Building, 2269 Middle Tennessee Blvd.
  • More than 100 female high school singers from Rutherford County will perform compositions by Rosephanye Powell of Auburn University under Powell’s direction at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in Hinton Hall in the Wright Music Building.
Frank Michello was recently honored by MTSU for Achievement in Education and has been named winner of the 2019 John Pleas Faculty Award.

A searchable campus map is available at tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap. Off-campus visitors attending the event can obtain a special one-day permit at mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php.

With the exception of the Unity Luncheon, Black History Month events at MTSU are generally free and open to the public. A full, detailed list of events is available at mtsu.edu/aahm/docs/bhm-calendar.pdf.

For more information, contact Daniel Green, director of the Intercultural and Diversity Affairs Center and chair of the Black History Month Committee, at 615-898-5812 or daniel.green@mtsu.edu.