In celebration of Black History Month, the Wayne State College Office for Diversity and Inclusion’s Multicultural group organized a museum exhibit and presentation by Umar Bey.  

On Monday, Feb. 20 in the Kanter Student Center, there was a museum exhibit presented by the Traveling Black Inventions Museum from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The traveling museum educates people all over the world about black inventors and their contributions to society.  

The museum exhibit showcased a variety of inventions that were created by African American inventors that are often overlooked. It featured inventions like the traffic light, golf tee, light switch, horse saddle and bicycle frame. 

Bey’s presentation was focused on the pyramids in America, the ancient mound builders and Indigenous people. He talked about the research he conducted, where he was able to study different empires that were on the continent of North America, specifically in the United States. Most of these empires have crumbled, but certain locations still have pyramids, some of which resemble those found in Egypt. People often are not knowledgeable about the pyramids and mounds in America.  

Peter Mutayoba is the International and Multicultural Programs Coordinator at WSC. Mutayoba found Bey’s presentation very interesting. 

“One of my favorite parts of the presentation, for me personally, was just to see how much research he has done as far as the pyramids in America and Indigenous people,” Mutayoba said.  

To Bey, Black History Month is a celebration of black history, but to him, black history is daily, not just for one month out of the year. One of the key takeaways from both the museum exhibit and the presentation is that black history is not just something that should be celebrated during the month of February, but rather something that should be recognized and appreciated every day. 

Barbara Engebretsen, a professor of exercise science at WSC, emphasized the importance of recognizing innovative and creative African American inventions. Many of which have greatly influenced society.  

“He has a passion for learning the history and sharing it, so people know the stories,” Engebretsen said.  

The museum exhibit and presentation served as powerful examples of the impact that African Americans have had on society, and they highlighted the need for greater recognition and appreciation of black history. Ka