A lecture series with topics including African American history and music, mental health and politics is taking place in Springfield this month.
Ayanna Crawford is a host and member of the planning committee for the Lift Every Voice lecture series. The annual series generally occurs during Black History Month.
She said the talks are meant to be inspirational and motivational. This year lecturers include historians, activists, authors, professors, members of the African American Intellectual Historical Society, educators, and national leaders.
"It's really important to look at thematic issues that are so poignant in the Black community to be addressed. So, in terms of the different themes, it's always something that's relevant," she said.
The series is being held at Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ in Springfield. Crawford said there is a significance to hosting the lectures there.
"It's a Black church that has been on the front pages and the the cutting edge in terms of social movements, and so to have the lecture series in a historically Black church is very significant and very important because that's where the work starts," she said.
The Rev. Bishop Talbert W. Swan, II, is the senior pastor at the church.
Swan said this year's lectures are under the theme of "standing on the right side of history."
"With everything that's going on in the nation and the world, people are pressed with decisions to make in terms of where do they stand?" he said. "Where do they stand in terms of Black history in schools? Where do they stand in terms of the conflict in Gaza? Where do they stand in terms of what's happening in the Ukraine and things that are happening here in the US. So, each lecturer ties their talk into the broader theme of the lecture series."
The presentations began today and run through Thursday Feb. 29. They are free and open to the public.
NEPM'S Elizabeth Román contributed to this report.
