Expertly orchestrated by the Black Heritage Month Committee, chaired by Jessica Blaine Lee '01, the month's activities included scholarly lectures by such noted speakers as Professor of History Manning Marable, director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies; Harvard professor Cornell West; and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist E.R. Shipp, as well as student art exhibits, talent shows, and performances of music, poetry and dance.

At the 14th Annual Black Alumni Reception, held in the Low Library Rotunda on February 22, the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr. '78, a judge in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey, introduced keynote speaker Eric H. Holder '73, '76 Law. Holder, deputy attorney general of the United States, stressed the importance of taking responsibility and having positive role models for African Americans. "A person who can teach a child to read is infinitely more valuable than a person who can make a jump-shot," said Holder, who received the Alumni of Color Outreach Program Heritage Award at the reception.

At the same ceremony, Sonia Reese received the Black Heritage Award for her contributions to the Morningside Heights neighborhood as director of Columbia's Community Impact program.