SUNY Oneonta is celebrating Black History Month with events designed to uplift Black history, heritage, achievements, and culture.
“Our aim is to bring campus-hosted events that will continue to further our DEI and social justice goals, and deepen our understanding of our shared humanity through in-depth reflections - and open discussions,” said Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Bernadette Tiapo.
On Monday, Jan. 27, Hooked on Tonics, the university’s co-ed student a cappella group, kicked off the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative breakfast in the Hunt Union Ballroom by performing “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone, American musician and civil rights activist.
SUNY Oneonta’s Office of Equity and Inclusion held its annual MLK Jr. Essay contest for Otsego County elementary, middle and high school students, and awarded three division winners at the breakfast event. Entrants were asked to interpret Martin Luther King Jr.’s words “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
“Passing the Torch to a New Generation” was the theme of guest speaker and civil rights icon Bettie Mae Fikes’ morning speech to students, faculty and community members. Born in Selma, Alabama in 1946, Fikes was an active member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee advocating for desegregation, voting rights and social justice and participated in the pivotal 1965 protest known as Bloody Sunday.
That evening, Fikes served as the 2025 Black History Month Distinguished Lecture guest for an evening conversation inside the Alumni Field House. Known as “the Voice of Selma,” Fikes captured the audience’s attention with stories and songs detailing her unique first-hand perspective on the fight for desegregation in her hometown. Her stories gave attendees a glimpse beyond the history books of what it was like to travel alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and be a founding member of the Freedom Singers, the group whose powerful music became the soundtrack to the Civil Rights Movement.
“I am so thankful of the time I came up because the next generation doesn’t have the Martin Luther King Jr or Malcolm X like we did,” Fikes said. “But you still have a voice to challenge the wrongness of this world...You would not believe the things I’ve seen. I still believe the best is yet to come.”
Throughout the month, the university’s Center for Racial Justice & Inclusive Excellence (CRJIE) will host a Black History Film Series featuring educational films and associated discussions inside the CRJIE’s Great Room in Lee Hall. Each film will begin at 7:00 pm:
