Leonard Pitts Jr. speaks to a full house on the Davenport Campus
during the Black History Month event. |
Leonard Pitts Jr., a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, spoke
to a group of nearly 250 people at the Davenport Campus’
celebration of Black History Month on Feb. 21. Pitts’ presentation
to Palmer and Quad-City community members
focused on the way Americans look at this country’s history.
“Black History Month, it seems to me, is not about
emphasis,” said the nationally syndicated columnist.
“Rather, it seems to encourage a belief that there is
American history over here and black history over there
and that one doesn’t have much to do with the other.
But the greatest war in American history was fought
over the issue of freeing black people from slavery, and
the greatest social movement in American history was
fought to make that freedom mean something.”
The event was sponsored by the Student Services
Department and the Student American Black Chiropractic
Association (SABCA).
“In his presentation, Mr. Pitts shared his remarkable
insights on a variety of topics and reminded us that black
history is American history, and worthy of the same attention
given to all American history,” said Kelan Ritchie,
Admissions Office, who also is the Davenport Campus
SABCA adviser.