In honor of National Black History Month, the staff of Douglas Hall will hold the third annual Prelude to Black from 5 to 8 p.m. today through Friday in the Douglas Hall TV Room.

“We started this three years ago,” said Nitin Goil, director of Douglas A/B Hall. “We came up with the concept of something easily accessible to students in residence halls, but interesting enough for students to learn something.”

While students may learn something, they can’t expect to learn everything from Prelude to Black, or even from Black History Month, said senior English major Clinetta Pinex.

“This museum isn’t completely informative, just like Black History Month, because you can’t sum up black history in just one month,” Pinex said. “Prelude to Black is just the beginning — for Black History Month and for Douglas Hall.”

The program has grown dramatically since its inception.

Originally put on by four Douglas Hall staff members — including Goil and Pinex — and attracting less than 100 people the entire week, more than 20 people are now involved in the program.

More than 150 people attended last year and it has already attracted more than 50 people this year.

Through the exhibit, students can learn about important figures in black history and the contributions they made to society as well as read extensively about the slave trade in America.

“It’s great they have all the backgrounds on everything,” said Quinton Cager, a freshman physical therapy major. “Sports. Music. Just a ton of information on everything.”

Dana Colantuono, a junior elementary education major, is enthusiastic about this year’s program.

“People actually ask, ‘when is Prelude to Black going on?’ this year,” Colantuono said. “It was such a big thing last year. Also, it’s something that goes on three hours a day for a week, it’s not a one-time deal. It’s something that impacts people, it’s not just thrown together.”

Freshman biology major LaTisha Parks has a very clear idea about what Prelude to Black means to her.

“It’s about showing the real black heritage because all you see in the media are artists and actors,” Parks said. “And when they’re acting, you see what you expect to see. You don’t see the struggle the black people went through to get here. People need the real thing, not just actors and artists.”