Kadiatou Diallo, mother of Amadou Diallo, the man shot 41 times by New York City police officers in 1999, will headline Penn State's observance of Black Heritage Month. She will speak about issues of "domestic terrorism" and how it has impacted her family.

David Davis, Black Caucus president, said he hopes Diallo's speech will inspire students to make social change.

"When students recognize the effects that violence has on a family member, they are much more motivated to take action," Davis said. "They need to realize they do have a responsibility in the world."

Commemorative films shown during the month will include Standing in the Shadows of Motown, a documentary about the history of Motown Records and the role that musicians such as Diana Ross played in the civil rights movement.

Also this month, members of Black Caucus and black student athletes will travel to Philadelphia on Feb. 13 to speak with minority high school students. The program's goal is to get students interested in attending college and to motivate them to take on leadership roles, Davis said.

Programming by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied (LGBTA) community will recognize black people with varying sexual orientations. A showing of Tongues Untied, part of the LGBTA Film Series, will highlight the life of performance artist Marlin Riggs. The film is significant because it depicts the homophobia and racism confronting homosexual black men, said Allison Subasic, director of the LGBTA Resource Center.

Although the black and gay civil rights movements are similar, Subasic said she is hesitant to associate them too closely because they were two distinct battles for equal rights.

"Both movements were faced with, and continue to face, many struggles," she said.

Subasic said LGBTA programming is included in the months' activities because it is important to recognize the diversity the community represents.

"Our community consists of many types of people, including those of color," she said.

All students are encouraged to participate in the month's festivities, said Lawrence Young, director of the HUB-Robeson Center.

"One of the elements of being an educated and enlightened person is to experience the new and the different," he said.