On Saturday, Feb. 16, the Office of Intercultural Life is presenting the Spiritual and Gospel Festival which will take place at 6:30 pm in the Dahl Chapel.  The event is in celebration of Black History Month, and will display the rich heritage of African-Americans through music.

The Director of Intercultural Life, Ruby Pentsil-Bukari, explains the festival as “a great representation of African-American heritage,” and added that, “the festival is one of many ways Monmouth College celebrates Black History Month.”  To prepare for the event, Pentsil-Bukari and others have been rounding up groups to perform, setting up performance times and promoting the event through the message boards and press releases.

The event will feature two different performances, one being the Umoja community gospel choir from Knox College. Afterwards, the other performance will be Semenya McCord, who is a spiritual jazz artist. They are both spiritual artists, but they also display the great heritage of African-American culture.

Pentsil-Bukari expressed excitement about the event when she stated, “We have two really amazing music performances that are historic to African American’s and their history.” She also noted that it is an event that everyone can appreciate, stating, “Everyone is cordially invited and urged to attend.” By attending, Pentsil-Bukari says that students and the public, “can join in the celebration of Black History month with some soul inspiring music.”

The Spiritual and Gospel Festival looks to be an exciting event and one that everyone can enjoy. During a weekend of winter weather, Pentsil-Bukari hopes that students, faculty, staff and the public can enjoy some culture along with some entertainment.

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