The National Association of Colored Women’s club will present the many African-American women throughout U.S. history who have overcome oppression and have influenced and contributed to society today. “The Evolution of a Black Woman” will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Lumpkin Hall Auditorium.

This will be a tribute to African-American women and will give the audience information on these women from the past and present, president of NACWC Kayla Slusher said.

Janae Houser, member of NACWC and the coordinator of the event, said the African Student Association will perform a traditional African dance to traditional African music.

Dalano Martin, a communication studies major, will perform a spoken piece on the appreciation of African-American women, Houser said.

Eastern’s Couture Models will dress up as women like Harriet Tubman, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama as a narrator explains their stories of hardship and success, Slusher said.

She said the models will exhibit appropriate clothing from the time periods of women who have been recognized for their contributions and success.

Houser said these successful black women have paved the way for young African-Americans today.

The TV show “A Different World” inspired Yakela Hall, a junior public relations major, to display the evolution of black women in American history and how they have overcome oppression, Slusher said.

The event embodies the purpose of NACWC, she said.

Slusher said she hopes people will learn more about African-American culture, especially the women who have evolved.

She said she hopes to overcome stereotypes about African-American women. “We will show them more than the initial aspect of the African-American woman,” she said.

Houser said she hopes students and audience members will become educated on how African-American women have changed history.

Kennedy Nolen can be reached at 581-2812 or kdnolen@eiu.edu.