Celebrating Legacy: USU's Black History Month Events Promote Understanding, Inclusion

Utah State University is celebrating Black History Month with events spearheaded by the Division of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion to both educate the public and celebrate the richness of Black history.

“What I love about Black History Month is that it reminds us all that Black American history is also the history of the United States,“ said Isaiah Jones, senior director for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. “We cannot tell our story without Black history — even at Utah State, where we celebrate fascinating alumni, like Mignon Barker Richmond, the first Black woman to graduate from college in the State of Utah.”

Chris Babits, the director of education and professional learning, said events celebrating the month have been a key part of modern history, from historian Carter Woodson formally starting Negro History Week in 1926 to Congress designating February National Black (Afro-American) History Month and President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 proclamation stating, “Black history is a book rich with the American experience, but with many pages yet unexplored.”

“In celebrating Black and African American cultures past — and present — throughout February, we can seek to foster greater understanding of each other,” Babits added.

USU’s Black History Month will kick off with the Black Student Union’s Soul Food event, with the theme of Tiana’s Place — a reference to Disney’s first Black princess — on Friday.

More information about events during Black History Month are below.

USU Black History Month Events

Soul Food

• Feb. 2 | 6-8:30 p.m. | Taggart Student Center Ballroom
• The Black Student Union will host its annual Soul Food Night-themed Tiana's Place. With food, games and entertainment, all community is welcome. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. in the TSC Ballroom. Tickets ($10/ person) can be purchased at the Card Office, TSC Room 212, or by calling 435-797-3852.

Business, Race & Society Forum

• Feb. 9 |10:30 a.m. to noon | Perry Pavilion, 4th Floor, Huntsman Hall
• Don't miss this important conversation on business, race and society featuring Doug Fiefia, Shontinese Huey, Oscar Marquina and Trudy Reese. Sharad Jones will moderate the conversation.
• Sponsored by Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.

My Beautiful Black Hair

• Feb. 9 | 3 p.m. | Distance Education Room 013
• Artist St. Clair Detrick-Jules talks about her work, My Beautiful Black Hair, and what she learned through an almost four-year-long journey photographing and interviewing 100 Black women with natural hair. Kirkus Reviews calls Detrick-Jules’ work “compelling and inspirational … a powerful celebration of self-acceptance and sisterhood.”
• Sponsored by Caine College of the Arts, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research, Department of Biology, Department of Communication Studies and Philosophy, Department of English, Department of History, Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, Department of Psychology, and Department of Social Work.

I Am Not Your Negro

• Feb. 15 | 6:30 p.m. | Huntsman Hall 130
• Join us for a screening of the Emmy-nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro.”
• Sponsored by Caine College of the Arts, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research, Department of Biology, Department of Communication Studies and Philosophy, Department of English, Department of History, Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, Department of Psychology, Department of Social Work.

Fanmi Imen: A Celebration of Black Artistry

• Feb. 17 | 5:30 p.m. | Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
• Join Flute Professor Jeiran Hasan and pianist Amy Glenn for a celebration of Black History Month. In partnership with the Nora Eccles Harrison Art Museum, the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Black Student Union, this recital will feature a repertoire by Black living female composers and pairings of NEHMA pieces made by Black artists. Curator Danielle Stewart will talk about the art pieces. A light reception will follow the event.
• Sponsored by Caine College of the Arts

Why Slavery Still Matters in America: Learning from the Past

• Feb. 22 | noon | Merrill-Cazier Library 101
• Join Kyle T. Bulthuis from the Department of History for a talk on slavery’s history and legacy. Sponsored by the USU Libraries, the Department of History, and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, this event focuses on learning from the nation's past. The event will also spotlight the Living While Black ArcGIS StoryMap Digital Exhibit by Rebecca Y. Bayeck from Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences.
• Sponsored by USU Libraries; Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Colorblind University: A History of Racial Inequality in Higher Education

• Feb. 29 | 4 p.m. | Old Main 340

• In June 2023, the United States Supreme Court eliminated race-based affirmative action at colleges and universities — a decades-long battle and an extension of the debate over diversity, equity and inclusion on campuses across the country.

  So where does the relationship between race and higher education go from here? In "Colorblind Universities and the Future of Higher Education," Brandon James Render provides historical context for the recent Supreme Court decision and the deeper implications it has for colleges and universities beyond admissions.

• Sponsored by Caine College of the Arts, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research, Department of Biology, Department of Communication Studies and Philosophy, Department of English, Department of History, Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, Department of Psychology, and Department of Social Work.