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����ɬ���� will mark the 55th anniversary of Black History Month in February and celebrate its founding by the student organization Black United Students (BUS).

The theme for the 55th-anniversary celebration, “The Black Experience: Resiliency, Reclamation, Recovery” was created to reflect the strength of Black communities, the power of reclaiming history and identity and the importance of holistic well-being.

Together, these elements honor the journey of Black people in America and pay tribute to ����ɬ����’s legacy as the birthplace of Black History Month.

Reflecting on the anniversary’s significance, Professor Mwatabu Okantah, chair of the Department of Africana Studies and faculty advisor to BUS, told ����ɬ���� Today he often emphasizes to students how they are the living embodiment of the dreams of those who founded the month. Okantah served as vice president of BUS when he was a ����ɬ���� student in the early 1970s.
 

“I frequently try to get the current students to understand and to appreciate that their presence in Oscar Ritchie Hall today represents the vision of the future for those students who walked off campus in protest in 1968 and then extended Negro History Week into Black History Month in February 1970,” Okantah said.

Oscar Ritchie Hall, named for Oscar W. Ritchie, late professor of sociology and the first Black faculty member at a state university in Ohio, is home to ����ɬ����’s Department of Africana Studies.

Black History Month traces its roots to 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life, established Negro History Week, celebrated during the second week of February. 

BUS Led Effort

By 1969, BUS, with support from campus educators, began to advocate for the commemoration to extend for the entire month of February. After a year of planning, the first observance of Black History Month as a monthlong celebration took place at ����ɬ���� in 1970.

It would be another six years before February received a formal national designation as Black History Month by President Gerald Ford in 1976, when he urged Americans “to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Julian Grimes, current president of BUS, said celebrating Black History Month is perhaps even more important now than in 1970.

“I feel like Black History Month this year is more important than ever,” Grimes said, noting how diversity, equity and inclusion programs are under attack nationally. “I feel like Black History Month [and] enriching the Black community by knowing what our history is, is more critical than ever.”

Grimes, a senior visual media production major from Akron, Ohio, said it is easy for today’s students to take for granted the struggles of their predecessors just a generation or two before them.

“It is a fight that our ancestors fought tooth and nail for, some lost their lives for it,” he said.

He added that BUS is planning various activities throughout February to mark the 55th anniversary.

“Black History Month is very important so we can stay resilient, stay strong and stay mindful,” he said. “How can we stay strong? By knowing where we come from, by knowing who we are.”

Anniversary Celebration

Kicking off the month will be the 55th Anniversary Celebration, from 6-9 p.m. on Feb. 1, at the Kent Student Center Ballroom.

LaTesha Dukes, associate director of Chapter and Volunteer Engagement for the Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, said the event will celebrate Black History Month’s origins at ����ɬ���� and the pivotal role the university played in advocating for its national recognition.

In partnership with the ����ɬ���� Black Alumni Chapter, the E. Timothy Moore Student Multicultural Center and BUS, the event aims to raise awareness about ����ɬ����’s groundbreaking contributions, commemorate the legacy of those who championed this cause and inspire continued engagement with the history, culture and progress of Black communities.

The event will include a reenactment of how the month came to be and a candle-lighting ceremony to recognize the five decades since Black History Month’s founding, Dukes said.

The evening will include dinner, drinks, featured speakers, interactive displays and recognition of the founders of Black History Month. A portion of ticket proceeds will support the Black Alumni Chapter Scholarship Fund.

Tickets are $25, and students are admitted for free.

Filmmaker Talk

On Feb. 13, the E. Timothy Moore Student Multicultural Center will host False Positive: An Evening with Harry ‘Butch’ Reynolds and Ismail Al-Amin, as part of the Oscar Ritchie Endowed Lecture Series. The evening will begin with a screening of the ESPN 30 for 30 film “False Positive,” a documentary about the life and career of Olympic gold medalist and former 400-meter world record holder, Butch Reynolds.

A discussion with filmmaker/director Al-Amin and Reynolds will follow. The event, which takes place from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in Room 230 of Oscar Ritchie Hall, is free and open to the public.

See a full listing of ����ɬ����’s Black History Month events.