Brookhaven College students, staff, faculty and retired English professor, Hazel Carlos will host the annual African-American Read-In at 10:30 a.m. Wed. Feb. 12 in the Performance Hall. This annual event is one of several that will be held on campus to celebrate Black History Month.

Carlos said this year’s theme is “Stand Up, Wake Up and Stay Woke” and will incorporate this year’s Black History Month theme, “African Americans and the Vote” throughout the performance.

Carlos said the read-in theme draws inspiration from the movie “Harriet” and its portrayals of African American’s struggle for freedom and the determination to free others. “This is significant today: As [we] move up, [we] must give back and reach back,” Carlos said.

“The read-in is an exciting way to connect and learn history in a different way,” Carlos said. Attendees can expect to see a loose chronology from slavery to freedom. The read-in will highlight the struggle of being a citizen and the artistry created by people suffering from cultural atrocities, Carlos said.

New this year will be an on-stage live musical performance as well as a reading from Dr. Joseph Carlos, retired OBGYN and Hazel’s husband. Hazel said that while they used to perform poetry readings together, this will be Joseph’s first year participating in the read-in.

When the read-in first began, the performers were mainly students, Hazel said. Now, she said, the majority of performers at the read-in are staff and faculty, but she would like to see more student performers in the future.