As we enter into what is hopefully the final month of winter, we have plenty to celebrate at Indiana University. But as the days get longer and the snow begins to melt, our excitement is not limited to the arrival of spring. Each year, we join the country in marking February as Black History Month — a time to celebrate the culture and accomplishments of Black Americans throughout our history. With events taking place across all of our campuses, there are many ways to mark this important holiday with the IU community.
By celebrating Black History Month across Indiana University, we pay tribute to a celebratory movement that began on America’s college campuses. In 1969, students and faculty at Kent State University proposed the first Black History Month as a way to celebrate the accomplishments, culture and history of African-Americans. By 1975, Kent State’s celebration had spread across the country, leading President Gerald Ford to officially designate February as Black History Month nationwide. Today, IU is proud to carry on this tradition with programming that celebrates the many ways Black communities have contributed to our university, our state and our country.
Of course, celebrating Black History Month also allows the IU community to reflect on the long history of African-Americans finding success at our university. During this month in particular, we remember the first African-American man and woman to attend IU, Harvey Young and Carrie Parker Taylor. So too do we remember the legacies of the first African-American male and female graduates, Marcellus Neal and Frances Marshall. From the founding of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity in 1911 to the creation of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center in 1969, the legacy of African-American achievement at IU is a long one — a fact that we honor by celebrating Black History Month each year.
On the IU Bloomington campus, celebrating this legacy will focus on a key aspect of Black History Month: a recognition of Black art and music. Whether through musical performance, dance or visual arts, Black Americans have pioneered new forms of creative expression that have empowered communities and inspired audiences for generations. This year’s theme, “Lift Every Voice: A Celebration of Black Music and Art,” will pay tribute to this groundbreaking legacy. Some of the events taking place on the Bloomington campus include:
- A long-standing Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center tradition, this year’s Black Knowledge Bowl will focus on an interactive exploration of Black music and pop culture with the theme of “Please Don’t Stop the Music.” Planned in conjunction with the Black Student Union and the African Student Association, the event will take place at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center’s Bridgwaters’ Lounge.
The events taking place at IU Bloomington are just one part of the greater celebration happening across Indiana University. Some of the events taking place on our campuses throughout the state include:
- At IUPUI, join students and Young, Gifted and Black for “Love Being Woke: A Conversation About Black Love,” a lunchtime discussion of black love and relationships. Refreshments will be provided. The event takes place at 11 a.m. Feb. 5 at Taylor Hall 101.
- At IU Kokomo, visitors can drop by KC 130 AC from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 12 to experience a mobile museum dedicated to chronicling and celebrating black history.
- At IU Northwest, attendees can join the campus in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Black Studies Program, featuring a keynote lecture by Professor Emeritus Abdul Alkalimat, one of the program’s founders. The event takes place at 6 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium.
- At IU South Bend, join the community for a presentation by historian Jeff Wiltse, who will share stories from his book, Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America. The discussion will take place at the IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center’s historic Engman Public Natatorium, a former indoor swimming pool that was a site of exclusion and segregation until 1950. The presentation will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 8 After attending the talk, make sure to attend the center’s “Streets Family Photos” exhibition, which features photograms from Bernard and Odie May Streets, educators and activists who worked with the South Bend community to desegregate the city’s public spaces. The exhibition runs throughout the month.
- At IU East, the Multicultural Affairs Club and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee will host a screening and discussion of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman. The screening will take place in Whitewater Hall at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 19.
- At IU Southeast, join Justin Jones-Fosu for a presentation titled, “WHY Matters NOW: How Purpose and Passion Inspire Meaningful Success.” Jones-Fosu will equip attendees with the tools to become more successful leaders and engaged citizens in their communities. The events take place at 10 a.m. Feb. 15 in the Hoosier Room of the IU Southeast Conference Center.
This is but a sampling of the many celebrations happening across our campuses and throughout the community. Taken in sum, they make one thing clear: throughout Black History Month and beyond, we have plenty to celebrate. I encourage all of our community to visit the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs’ website for more information on getting involved and celebrating this important month.
James Wimbush is vice president for diversity, equity and multicultural affairs at Indiana University.
James Wimbush
