Wichita State students who wish to learn about historically important African Americans will have a unique opportunity to do so at the Great Blacks in Wax event starting at 11 a.m. Thursday in room 208 of the Rhatigan Student Center.

The event, which is being coordinated by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Black Student Union, actually has a slightly misleading name. Instead of wax figures of each historical figure, WSU students will depict them in costume to help tell their stories.

ODI program coordinator Danielle Johnson said the misnomer is merely a matter of marketing.

“It’s a very catchy name,” Johnson said. “We won’t have any real wax figures, because that’s a lot.”

This is the second year ODI has helped put on this event, and Johnson said the group sees it as a more interesting way to educate people about important African Americans.

“We just thought it was a way to recognize African Americans and Black History Month in a different way,” Johnson said. “We thought it’d be interesting to have people in these roles.”

Black Student Union president Clinton Liddell was in costume as civil rights activist and NAACP co-founder W.E.B. Du Bois last year, but he will only serve as a guide this year. Liddell said he was happy to see how interested people were in the exhibit’s subjects.

“It was really cool to see how many people were excited to hear about the person,” Liddell said.

Though Johnson does not have a complete list of figures who will be featured by the exhibit, she said ODI and the Black Student Union hope to feature some lesser-known people, as well as the heavy hitters like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

Johnson also said that, even today, it is important to educate people about the history of different cultures because it often goes overlooked in school.

“Whether it’s Women’s History Month, Black History Month or LGBT History Month, it’s important to celebrate these things because it’s not something that’s taught in your core curriculum,” Johnson said. “You don’t really get a chance to brush over all the vast pieces of history that make up other cultures.”

Liddell said it was humbling to help educate fellow students about important African American figures and said their accomplishments in the face of adversity are still inspiring today.

“I think that’s something we can all take from it,” Liddell said. “We have the ability to impact our world, we just have to make the choice.”

Students who want to know more about Great Blacks in Wax and other Black History Month events can contact ODI at 978-3034.