Black History Month
Feb. 2, 2026
Dear Brandeis Community,
We are delighted to honor the heritage, resilience, contributions and scholarship of Black people during Black History Month, taking place throughout the month of February. This month is designated to inspire us to pause and reflect on how communities of color are constantly striving to build an inclusive community based on mutual understanding and respect. Notably, the achievements of the African Diaspora remind us of the global nature of humanity and the vast diversity of Black communities and populations.
In 1926, Historian Carter G. Woodson created ‘Negro History Week’ to acknowledge the myriad of Black peoples’ contributions to our country’s history and culture. In 1970, students and educators at Kent State University expanded the recognition for a month which spread to college campuses nationwide. Subsequently, Black History Month was first nationally recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976 during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial.
Brandeis was founded on the premise of inclusion and justice, and the University contributes an important piece in our nation's history of the Civil Rights Movement. The Brandeis University Archives holds a number of collections related to African and African American Studies that document Black experiences, including an online exhibit entitled Remembering Ford & Sydeman Halls, a collection of African-American Portraits by Carl Van Vechten, and a number of rare editions of works by such authors as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Wallace Thurman. We invite you to explore these materials in the University Archives and Special Collections which are open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday - Friday.
Everyone is welcome to attend the following campus programs that elevate Black student voices celebrating their communities:
Intercultural Center Events
Monday, February 2
ICC Lobby
9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Monday, February 4
ICC Swig Lounge
5 - 7 p.m.
Co-sponsors: Bridge to Wellness, Brandeis Black Student Organization and Brandeis African Student Organization
Monday, February 23
ICC Swig Lounge
4:30 - 6 p.m.
Brandeis Black Student Organization Events
SCC Theater
Wednesday, February 25
8 – 10 p.m.
Thursday, February 27
ICC Swig Lounge
10 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Friday, February 28
Sherman Function Hall
6 - 10 p.m.
Saturday, March 1
Levin Ballroom
6 - 10 p.m.
Gender and Sexuality Center
In collaboration with the Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation
Monday, Feb. 23
SCC Theater
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
In addition, everyone is invited to attend the following events with Brandeis alumna Patricia Hill-Collins ’69, PhD ’84. Dr. Hill-Collins is a Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland and a prominent Black Feminist theorist who authored the book "Black Feminist Thought."
- Annual WGS Roosevelt Lecture featuring Patricia Hill Collins ’69, PhD ’84
Black Women’s Intellectual Activism, Social Justice and Radical Hope
Tuesday, February 24th at 5:30 pm in Rappaport Treasure Hall
Sponsors: Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Department of African and African American Studies, Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences and Social Policy - Community Conversation with Patricia Hill Collins ’69, PhD ’84
Wednesday, February 25, 2025
11:15 a.m. - 1 p.m. in International Lounge, Usdan Student Center
Sponsors: Department of African and African American Studies, Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences and Social Policy
We hope you will join us in our commemoration and celebration of our diverse Black communities and populations at Brandeis and beyond.
In community,
Monique Gnanaratnam
Dean of Students
Lee Bitsóí
Vice Provost for Access and Excellence