LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2011) - In honor of Black History Month, Florida Southern College's Multicultural Student Council will present a pair of events open to the public.

The first will be an Open Mic Night on Friday, Feb 18, at 6 p.m. in the Eleanor Searle Drawing Room on the FSC campus. The event will feature Tampa poet and university lecturer Reggie Eldridge as the guest poet. For information on performing, contact Brenda Lewis, director of FSC's Life & Cultural Center, at 863.680.6285 or blewis@flsouthern.edu.

Also open to the public will be "Gospel Explosion" on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. at Annie Pfeiffer Chapel on the FSC campus.

General admission to this event is $5. Refreshments will be provided.

"Gospel Explosion" will feature Apostle J.L. Cash & Praise Team. The group originated in the 1980s as a revival crusade team and has since produced multiple recordings and appeared in numerous concerts, including events at the Pentagon and in remote Central American villages.

Their music has been described as "R&B gospel with a contemporary flair, but traditionally anchored," according to record label MCG Records.

The group was featured in Tyler Perry's first stage play, "I Know I've Been Changed," and it is regularly scheduled at The House of Blues in Downtown Disney as part of the weekly Sunday Gospel Brunch.

Brenda Lewis, director of FSC's Life & Cultural Center, said music is an appropriate and necessary component to a Black History Month celebration.

"A lot of black history is rooted in gospel music. 'Gospel Explosion' will be an event that will inspire and uplift and remind us to celebrate our history with music. Apostle J.L. Cash & Praise Team is very spirited and engaging," she said.

For more information on either of these events, contact Brenda Lewis at 863.680.6285 or blewis@flsouthern.edu.