BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025
African Americans and Labor
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History presents....
The 2025 Black History Month theme, African Americans and Labor, focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds – free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary – intersect with the collective experiences of Black people. Indeed, work is at the very center of much of Black history and culture. To learn more about the National theme visit their website here.
Calendar of Events
Event | Date & Time | Location | Host(s) | Link (if applicable) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lunar New Year & Black History Month Celebration | Feb. 1st 10-11am | Meeting Room B, Chapel Hill Public Library | Chapel Hill Public Library | N/A |
Black History Month Vintage Bazaar | Feb. 3rd 1-4pm | Bryan Center Plaza | Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. | Register Here |
Workshop on Constructive Engagement with Dr. Candis Watts Smith & Dr. Deondra Rose | Feb. 5th 9-10am | Zoom (Registration Required) | Dr. Candis Watts Smith & Dr. Deondra Rose | Register Here |
Pepsi Coding | Feb. 5th 6-8pm | McClendon Towers | Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. | Register Here |
Black Grad Pro Series | Feb. 6th 5:30pm | MLWC Programming Space | Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture | Register Here |
Latin Dance Class | Feb. 6th 7:08pm | McClendon Towers | Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., LTA & Duke Sabrosura | N/A |
Black History Month with DUU | Feb. 6th 8-9pm | Devil's Kraft House | Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. | Register Here |
First Friday Breakfast | Feb. 7th 9am-12pm | CMA | Center for Multicultural Affairs | Register Here |
First Friday | Feb. 7th 1-3pm | MLWC Programming Space | Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture | Register Here |
Mary Ann Black Distinguished Health Equity Symposium: Senator Natalie Murdock | Feb. 7th 4-6:30pm | JR Ballroom ABC, Durham Convention Center | Duke Cancer Institute COEE | Purchase Tickets Here |
Black Love, Black Joy Laser Tag | Feb. 7th 7pm | Duke East Campus | Black Student Alliance (BSA) | N/A |
Wildin' Out | Feb. 7th 7pm | Keohane Atrium | Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. | Register Here |
Movie Month - Black History Mont | Feb. 7th 7pm - Are we there yet? 10pm - The Last Black Man in San Francisco | Griffith Film Theater | DUU Freewater Presentations & Black Student Alliance | |
BHM Spotlight: Black Women of Jazz with DJ Azza | Feb. 8th 5-8pm | TBD | DJ Azza | N/A |
Movie Month - Black History Month | Feb. 8th 7pm - The Last Black Man in San Francisco 10pm - Are we there yet? | Griffith Film Theater | DUU Freewater Presentations & Black Student Alliance | |
Annual Superbowl Party | Feb. 9th 5-10pm | Hollows B, 3rd Floor Common Room | Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. & Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. | Register Here |
Charter Day | Feb. 10th All day | N/A | Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. | N/A |
Stay Woke: A People's Guide to Making All Black Lives Matter - Kick off Panel | Feb. 11th 12-12:45pm | Zoom (Registration Required) | Anti-Racism ERG | More Information |
MLWC Black History Month Lecture | Feb. 12th 5pm | Penn Pavillion | Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture | Register Here |
Remarkable Stories of American Black Surgeons in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries | Feb. 13th 5-7pm | Rubenstein Library Holsti Anderson Family Assembly room 153 | Trent History of Medicine Lecture Series | Register Here |
Samuel Dubois Cook Awards Dinner | Feb. 13th 6pm | Washington Duke Inn | Samuel Dubois Cook Society | Register Here |
Climate Cafes | Feb. 14th 10-11am | Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity | Duke Climate Commitment, Black Student Alliance (BSA), & NAACP | Register Here |
Kandy Gramz | Feb. 14th 10am-12pm | MLWC Programming Space | Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. & Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. | Register Here |
Kupid Ball | Feb. 14th 7pm | President Suite, Blue Devil Tower | Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. | Register Here |
Minorities in Medicine | Feb. 15th 12pm | Penn Pavillion, Garden Room | Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. | Register Here |
Coffee Connected | Feb. 15th 2:30pm | TBD | Sanford School of Public Policy | N/A |
Movie Month - Black History Month | Feb. 15th 7pm - If Beale Street Could Talk 10pm - Poetic Justice | Griffith Film Theater | DUU Freewater Presentations & Black Student Alliance | |
Sundae Study Hall | Feb. 16th 2-3pm | Keohane Atrium | Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. | Register Here |
uBm Duke v UVA MBB Watch Party | Feb. 17th 8-10pm | MLWC Programming Space | Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture | Register Here |
Trap Yoga | Feb. 17th 6:30-7:45pm | CSGD | NPHC & Black Student Alliance (BSA) | N/A |
Stay Woke: A People's Guide to Making All Black Lives Matter | Feb. 18th 12-12:45pm | Zoom (Registration Required) | Anti-Racism ERG | More information |
Zetaversity II | Feb. 18th 6-9pm | Friedl 126 | Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. | N/A |
Black Week: BSA X MLWC: Line Dancing(Country) | Feb. 18th 7-9pm | MLWC Programming Space | Black Student Alliance (BSA) | Register Here |
2025 McGovern Lecture: Kimberly D. Manning, MD | Feb. 19th 5:30pm | Great Hall, Trent Semans Center | Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine | Register Here |
Black History Month Dinner | Feb. 19th 5-9pm | Wall Center - East Campus | Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture & Duke Dining | Register Here |
Black Week: Jazz @ | Feb. 19th 6-8pm | MLWC Programming Space | Jazz @ - DUU | Register Here |
Black Love Movie Marathon | Feb. 20th All Day | CSGD | Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity | N/A |
Duke @ 100: A Critical Lens | Feb. 20th 9am-4pm | Franklin Humanities Institute Smith Warehouse, Bay 4 | Duke African and African American Studies Department | N/A |
The Jerome M. Culp, Jr. Critical Theory Lecture | Feb. 20th 12:30pm | Room 3041, Duke Law School | Duke Law Center on Law, Race & Policy | Register Here |
Relax with The Lou | Feb. 20th 5-6pm | MLWC Programming Space | Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture | TBA |
Black Week: BWU X C100 (R&B Trivia) | Feb.20th 7-8:30pm | Devil's Kraft House | Black Student Alliance(BSA), Black Women's Union (BWU), & C100 | N/A |
IM a Natural | Feb. 20th 7:08pm | McClendon Towers | Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. | N/A |
Heritage & Harmony Tea | Feb. 21st 2-4pm | TBD | Women's Center & Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture | N/A |
Book Talk with Author Davarian L. Baldwin | Feb. 21st. 2-3pm | Sanford School | Policy for the People, Sanford School of Public Policy | N/A |
Michelle Cann | Feb. 21st 7:30pm | Baldwin Auditorium | Duke Arts | Register Here |
Movie Month - Black History Month | Feb. 21st 7pm - Set It Off 10pm - Spiderman Across the Spiderverse | Griffith Film Theater | DUU Freewater Presentations & Black Student Alliance | |
Black History Month Speakeazy | Feb. 21st 9pm-11am | MLWC Programming Space | Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. | N/A |
Black Week: SOCA X Duke Africa - AfroSoca Party | Feb. 21st 9pm-1am | Gothic Grill | Black Student Alliance (BSA), SOCA, & Duke Africa | N/A |
Black Policy Conference | Feb. 22nd 9am-4pm | Sanford School | Sanford School of Public Policy | Register Here |
Faith in Films | Feb. 22nd 4pm | Goodson Chapel | United in Praise | N/A |
Movie Month - Black History Month | Feb. 22nd 7pm - Spiderman Across the Spiderverse 10pm - Set It Off | Griffith Film Theater | DUU Freewater Presentations & Black Student Alliance | |
Chef's Demo w/ James Beard Award-Winning Chef, Ricky Moore | Feb. 24th 5-7pm | The Chef's Kitchen | Duke Dining | Register Here |
Stay Woke: A People's Guide to Making All Black Lives Matter | Feb. 25th 12-12:45pm | Zoom (Registration Required) | Anti-Racism ERG | More Information |
Ramadan 101 | Feb. 25th 5pm | MLWC Programming Space | Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture | Register Here |
LQcked In: Study Sessions | Feb. 25th 6-8pm | Bolton Family Room | Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. | N/A |
IM Black History Month Event | Feb. 25th 6-8pm | McClendon Towers 5 | Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. | |
The Thesis Lab | Feb. 27th 5-7pm | MLWC Programming Space | Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture | N/A |
Royal Blue Crew | Feb. 27th 7-9pm | Cameron Indoor | Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. & Blue Crew | Register Here |
Art and African Diaspora | Feb. 28th 7:08pm | McClendon Towers | Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. | N/A |
Movie Month - Black History Month | Feb. 28th 5pm - Soul w/ Jazz @ | Outdoor Screening, BC Plaza | DUU Freewater Presentations & Black Student Alliance | |
Movie Month - Black History Month | March 1st 7pm - Sing Sing 10pm - All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt | Griffith Film Theater | DUU Freewater Presentations & Black Student Alliance |
Most of the events listed will be able to be found on DukeGroups! Some of these events may also have a "Black History Month" tag on the platform. For more on Black History Month, email marylou@duke.edu.
More
Black History Month is a celebration of all aspects of Black culture and the diaspora during the month of February. Originally founded as Negro History Week in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson and his organization the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), the second week of February was chosen because of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The celebration was later expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. That year, fifty years after the first celebration, the association held the first African American History Month. A theme is chosen every year by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History as a guiding principle for the month's celebrations. The theme for 2024 is African Americans and the Arts. The Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture centralizes the efforts of student Black affinity organizations during the month of February for celebrating the history and culture of Black people in America. Throughout the month, discussions will be held addressing relevant issues of the day.
- Submitted resources
- Qwest TV EDU- a video streaming channel created by Quincy Jones and showcasing Black music and global sounds. Features a wide range of musical genres and styles, including jazz, the blues, soul, funk, world music, electronic music, classical music, and much more.
- HistoryMakers Digital Archive View- features oral history video interviews with thousands of historically significant African Americans. Discover Black painters, musicians, actors, dancers, playwrights, filmmakers, sculptors, and others in the arts.
- The Nasher Museum presents 'María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold,' a monographic exhibition of a visionary voice in photography, immersive installation, painting and performance. The first multimedia survey of the artist’s work since 2007, 'Behold' highlights the artist’s dedication to creating new modes of understanding, as well as her engagement with interconnected historical and present-day challenges. These themes are examined through Campos-Pons’s performance-based practice and centering of Yoruba-derived Santería symbolism, as well as her work with communities in Boston, Cuba, Italy and Nashville (her current residence). The exhibition will be on view, February 15 – June 09, 2024.
- Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture
- Black Student Affinity Space
- The Center for Multicultural Affairs & the Identity and Cultural Centers
- Duke Black Alumni (DBA)
- 100 Collegiate Black Men/ @duke100bm
- Black Law Student Association/ @dukelawblsa
- Black Pre-Law Society/ @dukepbls
- Black Student Alliance/ @dukebsa
- Black Women's Union/ @duke_bwu
- Duke Africa/ @duke.africa
- Duke Ethiopian/Eritrean Student Transnational Association(DESTA)/ @dukedesta
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP)/ @dukenaacp
- Minority Association of Premedical Students/ @dukemaps
- Nakisai African Dance Ensemble/ @dukenakisaiade
- National PanHellenic Council(NPHC)/ @dukenphc
- National Society of Black Engineers(NSBE)/ @dukensbe
- Students of the Caribbean Association(SOCA)/ @dukesoca
- United Black Athletes/ @duke.uba
- United in Praise/ @duke_unitedinpraise
The organizations listed here aren't the only Black diasporic-identified/affiliated organizations! Find these organizations on Duke Groups or Instagram! Want your organization to be added to this list or need to make an edit? Please email mikala.king@duke.edu .
- Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture
- Center for Multicultural Affairs
Plaza Banner Facts
Source: Duke Chronicle article from January 21, 2022
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Durham’s Black Wall Street housed a vibrant and successful variety of Black-owned businesses. A set of four blocks on Parrish Street, Black Wall Street served as a hub for Black Americans and was a thriving commercial area with tailors, barbers, drugstores and more. It put Durham on the map as the capital of the Black middle class in America, and the Bull City became nationally renowned for fostering Black entrepreneurship.
“Durham was known as the ‘mecca of the Black South’ because so much attention was paid to Durham’s economy,” said Paul Scott, founder of the Durham-based Black Messiah Movement and an activist who has worked to raise awareness about Black history in Durham.
Black Wall Street flourished during the Reconstruction era, at a time of racial tension and systematic discrimination against Black Americans.
The success of Black Wall Street was fueled by the efforts of two businesses that remain today: NC Mutual Life Insurance Company and Mechanics & Farmers Bank.
Today, NC Mutual Life Insurance Company is the largest Black-owned insurance business in the world. M&F Bank is the second oldest minority-owned bank in the United States and was also the first Black-owned bank in Durham.
Dr. Samuel Cook - First Black tenured faculty member joined Duke in 1966
Cook is Duke’s first black tenured professor, joining the faculty in 1966, three years after the university’s student body desegregated. He is also the first African American to hold a regular faculty appointment at any predominantly white college or university in the South. A graduate of Morehouse College, he was classmates with Martin Luther King, Jr. He later became the president of Dillard University, a historically black university in New Orleans. Now retired, Duke honors his legacy annually with an awards banquet.
BSA, Black Student Alliance was established in 1967 and promotes academic achievement and intellectual pursuit, cultivates dynamic leadership, and strives to eliminate social barriers for all.
Learn more about BSA
Source: Duke Libraries
On February 13, 1969, between 50 and 75 Duke University students (many of whom were members of the Afro-American Society) occupied the Allen Building (Duke's main administration building) to bring attention to the needs of African-American students. These needs included an African-American studies department, a black student union, protection from police harassment, and increased enrollment and financial support for black students.
The students remained barricaded in the Allen Building for most of the day, leaving sometime after 5:00 PM after an ultimatum from the Duke administration. Although their exit was peaceful, a large crowd of mostly white students had gathered outside the building during the day, and this crowd and the police became entangled. The police fired tear gas on the students, prompting further campus protests.
In March, after discussions between the Afro-American Society and the administration over the development of the African-American Studies program ended in disagreement, Duke students and their supporters marched in downtown Durham. Dozens of Duke's African-American students threatened to leave campus to attend the Malcolm X Liberation University, a newly-developed school led by community activist Howard Fuller. On March 19, 1969, a University Hearing Committee found the students who had occupied the Allen Building guilty of violating university regulations. All defendants were sentenced to one year of probation.
This powerful demonstration became known as the Allen Building Takeover.
Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke becomes the first Black woman to have a campus building named after her on September 24, 2020.