Wake Forest will host events throughout the month of February to celebrate Black communities and commemorate Black History Month.
“With so much going on in the world, bringing the morale of students down, we want to emphasize the parts of Black culture that can uplift those who participate in our events,” Black Student Alliance historian Esrom Ghirmay said. “We want our events during the month to serve as an escape from the constant flooding of negativity we see from the news, social media and other outlets of what is going on across the nation and the world.”
In 1915, author and historian Carter G. Woodson founded what is today known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The group organized the first “Negro History Week” in February 1926. They selected the week to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two figures closely associated with Black Americans’ fight for freedom.
In 1976, 50 years after the first celebration, Black History Week expanded to become Black History Month. The same year, President Ford issued a message urging Americans to honor the accomplishments of African Americans.
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100 years after its founding, campus organizations at Wake Forest are hosting programs designed to educate, celebrate and engage the community.
“I think it is so important throughout the month this year to really take in the message and be able to educate yourself and find a new initiative you might be able to contribute to,” senior Kiera Blunt said.
The Intercultural Center, the African and Caribbean Student Association (AfriCasa) and the Black Student Alliance (BSA) have organized collaborative events such as the Celebrating Black Muslim Leaders Display on Feb. 2 and the Black Professionals Forum on Feb. 21.
Chase Clark, president of the Black Student Alliance, said she sees the organization’s work as contributing to a broader historical tradition.
“The Black Student Alliance follows a lineage of Black community members who acknowledge that our present is very much tied to our history; one simply cannot exist without the other,” Clark said in a statement. “Through our programming and our very existence on this campus, we hope that all students on Wake Forest’s campus can learn, grow and engage both the present impact of Black lives and the Black community on our campus and beyond, while joining us in honoring all that has come before.”
The BSA is offering programs highlighting Black joy, contribution and presence, including a Self Love Club yoga night on Feb. 12 and an event at Hanes Gallery titled “The Soul Sessions: Art as Liberation” on Feb. 26. They will conclude the month with the second annual BSA formal on Feb. 28.
“Building on the legacy of the first gathering, this annual formal honors the talent, resilience, heritage and leadership of Black students at Wake Forest,” Clark said.
Members of the historically Black National Pan-Hellenic Council Greek organizations are also taking an active role in Black History Month celebrations. Blunt, a member of Zeta Phi Beta, said it is important to be involved in events honoring Black history on campus.
“Black History Month is a representation of Black individuals, and Greek letter organizations do immense work in the community,” Blunt said. “This month is a chance for all of us to see the work we do both inside and outside of campus and understand what we do each day has a purpose, and the work we do is important.”
What began as a single week created by Woodson became a worldwide movement that shapes education and social change. Campus organizations are centering programming around this year’s official Black History Month theme, “A Century of Black History Commemorations.”
“I really hope students are able to learn from activities they participate in and how they can implement them in their everyday lives,” Ghirmay said. “Whether that is yoga poses they learn from our Self Love Club event to relieve stress, how to advance their career goals from our Black Professionals Forum or even learn a line dance or two at our Formal at the end of the month, all of our events are for students to be able to grow, learn and find joy.”
Throughout the month, students and campus organizations hope to create spaces where Black students feel seen, celebrated and connected.
“There is often discourse around what is needed amongst different communities, but I think there is always an opportunity for coming together and making an impact,” Jalen Shell, associate director of the Intercultural Center, said. “Being able to learn from each other, teach each other, celebrate each other and embrace each other is important.”
Shell emphasizes that students should feel a strong sense of belonging on campus, where they develop life skills and build meaningful connections and relationships. “Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts benefit everyone when it is understood as a method of help and not harm.”
