Eunique Jones has spent the last four years documenting and celebrating historic black leaders. For this Black History Month, she will deliver the university’s keynote address at 6 p.m. Monday in Fulton Chapel.
Jones is a photographer and uses her art to celebrate men and women of the past who have paved the way for young Americans like herself. In 2013, she launched the campaign that inspired this year’s Black History Month theme, “Because of Them We Can.” Each day that February, Jones posted a picture of a black child dressed and posed like a black historical figure.
This project was meant to remind young people of past activists’ struggles and to inspire them to make their own statements. The message behind her “Because of Them We Can” project caught momentum and spread nationally.
“On the last day of February, with just 28 photographs in my collection, I decided to resign from my job in order to continue the campaign,” Jones wrote on the project’s Facebook page.
Tonight, Jones will discuss the creation and driving principles behind the virally successful movement. Tickets for the event are on sale through the Ford Center box office, and seating is limited.
See thedmonline.com for coverage of this event.
