Story by Molly Longman
On, Feb. 18 and Feb. 18 the event “Haunted History: Take a Walk on the Black Side” will take place at Drake University in the Upper Olmsted Center.
Haunted History’s goal is to give those who attend an interactive take on black history.
Upper Olmsted will be set up like a haunted house, and every room will represent a different era in black history.
Unlike a haunted house, the actors within will be able to physically touch you, and will drag you through history.
The event will portray the struggles that were overcome by African Americans as a people by simulating slavery, sit-ins, and much more.
Haunted History will start at 6 p.m. and run until 10 p.m. on both nights.
This event is free to Drake students who bring their student ID.
General admission will cost $2 for children, and $5 for adults.
The price will be reduced to $3 for those with a non-Drake student ID or for those who come with a canned good or gently used clothing to donate.
Eris Hawkins, a senior sociology major at Drake, is a coordinator of the event.
Hawkins and Jameson Riddick, a former Drake student, founded the event and hold the copyright.
The Hawkins family and Drake’s Coalition of Black Students helped organize this event.
This year will be the fourth annual Haunted History event.
“This event is important because it’s a learning experience. People may learn about black history in school, but not in this capacity. I personally feel that you don’t truly understand something until you’ve experienced it. We can’t actually go back in time, but this is as close as it gets,” Hawkins said.
Timothy Knepper, a professor at Drake, is offering extra credit to his Philosophy of Religion class for attending this event.
Knepper believes the event will allow participants to, “experience the suffering and pain in ways for which words run short.”
The President of Drake’s chapter of the Coalition of Black Students, Tess Montgomery, said, “This event will give people a deeper understanding,” of black history.
“When you learn about black history in school teachers just talk at you. You can absorb the information and learn it for a test, but you don’t actually see it. This experience should be pretty breathtaking and eye opening for a lot of people,” Montgomery said.
For more information about Haunted History, contact cbs@drake.edu.
