Black History Month Celebration

Black History Month (BHM), or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by Black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S history. Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life, which initiated the first variation of Black History month, titled, Negro History Week in 1926 during the second week of February. It was not until 1976 that every president designated the month of February as Black History Month.

BHM programs and events at Sonoma State University is a collaborative effort between students, staff, faculty, and members of the local community. For more information regarding Black History Month, visit the Association for the Study of African American Life & History (ASALH) website.

"If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated."

- Carter G. Woodson

Black History Month Event: Honoring MLK

Tuesday, February 7 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Holocaust & Genocide Memorial @ SSU Lakes 

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Through his commitment to non-violent social justice activism, and from the well of his deep faith, Dr. King helped secure legal equality for Black Americans, and civil rights for people of color across the country. Join the HUB Cultural Center as we kickoff Black History Month and walk to the MLK Memorial at the SSU Lakes. Those interested in walking together should meet the HUB staff in front of the Student Center at 12pm. If not, we hope you will meet us there! For more information about this event email austindi@sonoma.edu. 

Black History Month Event: BSU Fundraiser 

Wednesday, February 8 | 5:00pm - 9:00pm | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 6325 Commerce Blvd, Rohnert Park, CA 94928

The BSU is hosting a fundraiser at Chipotle! Purchase food from 5-9pm and a percentage of the proceeds go to the BSU. 

Black History Month Event: BSU & VIBES Block Party

Friday, February 10 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm | Sauvignon Village Grass & Quad 

Join the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Visionaries. Inspiring. Black. Educated. Students (VIBES) to celebrate the kickoff to Black History Month with food, live music, and beautiful Black fellowship! Food will be provided. For more information about this event email austindi@sonoma.edu.

Black History Month Event: BSU Super Bowl Party

Sunday, February 12 | 3:30pm - 6:00pm | HUB Cultural Center

Join the BSU as they watch this year's Super Bowl! Students, staff, and faculty are all welcome to attend. Food will be provided. 

Black History Month Event: Black Student Voices Project 

Wednesday, February 15 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Student Center Ballroom B 

The HUB Cultural Center and the SSU Common Read committee will host a reception to honor and uplift the voices of our Black students. We will feature 10 Black student responses to the question “What has been your experience being Black at SSU? Feel free to give voice to your experience in any way that works for you: personal narrative, creative writing, spoken word, or even poetry! With your permission, submissions will be respectfully curated, commemorated, and displayed at the event. Students are encouraged to submit your responses here by Friday, February 10, 2023 at Noon. Light refreshments and appetizers will be provided. For more information about this event email austindi@sonoma.edu.

Black History Month Event: Black Student Union General Body Meeting

Wednesday, February 15 | 7:00pm - 8:00pm | HUB Cultural Center

Join the Black Student Union (BSU) for a general body meeting! The BSU aims to create a welcoming and supportive environment, promote student leadership, involvement and academic excellence, and provide opportunities for positive change within the community. All are welcome to attend! For more information about this event email bsu@sonoma.edu.

Black History Month Event: Community Town Hall: Amplifying Black Voices in Sonoma County

Saturday, February 18 | 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Stevenson Hall 1400

This Town Hall will provide a welcoming space for discussion among Black students, staff, faculty, and community members of the Black diaspora in Sonoma County. Attendees will be able to listen, learn, as well as air their experiences, sentiments, grievances, and thoughts about how they navigate their Black experience in Sonoma County. Light refreshments and appetizers will be provided immediately following the Town Hall. For more information about this event email austindi@sonoma.edu.

Black History Month Event: Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance

Tuesday, February 21 | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Darwin 102 

The HUB Cultural Center and the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance's Dance program will co-host a screening of the documentary Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance. The documentary explores the roots and branches of jazz dance, celebrates its history, lineage and future and interrogates and reveals who has been made visible and invisible in the study of this form. The film addresses such topics as appropriation, racism, socialism and sexism, Jazz, dance history and lineage, liberation, sociopolitical and sociocultural implications of the form. 

Black History Month Event: So You Want to Talk About Jazz Dance

Wednesday, February 22 | 12:00-1:00pm | Campus Recreation Center - Niagara Studio

SSU is honored to host guest artist, dancer, educator Laura Ann Smyth. She will lead a lecture discussion on the film Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance to the campus community! For more information about this event email cali@sonoma.edu and daleyk@sonoma.edu.

Black History Month Event: Umoja Queens Mixer

Monday, February 27 | 6:15pm - 7:15pm | HUB Cultural Center 

Umoja Queens is SSU's mentorship group for students that identify as Black womxn within the Pan African Diaspora, to connect with staff/faculty that also identify as Black womxn. Since its inception in 2018, Umoja Queens has been an official SSU program in The HUB Cultural Center. Umoja Queens support, encourage, and empower Black womxn as they explore their personal values, beliefs and ideas during their matriculation at SSU. Food will be provided. For more information about this event email coleni@sonoma.edu

Black History Month Event: Black Joy Fest

Tuesday, February 15 | 12:00-1:30pm | Seawolf Plaza

Resilience, resistance, and perseverance have been focal points of Black liberation, but there’s a more positive side, too: Black liberation is about Black folks experiencing joy. As influential “joymakers” put it, Black people have always experienced joy, even long before a more recent visible movement started highlighting joy online and in real life. The first annual Black Joy Fest aims to promote unity on campus, celebrate the journey and progression of Black history, as well as engage in cross-cultural exchange. For more information about this event email thehub@sonoma.edu.

Tentative Agenda

  • Lift Every Voice and Sing
  • Welcome from HUB Cultural Center
  • What is Black Joy?
  • Mingling and Networking, Food, Tables
  • Remarks from BFSA & BSU Representatives
  • Mingling and Networking, Food, Tables
  • Group Dance
  • Closing Performance 
  • SSU Black Joy Painting

Black History Month Event: Black Student Union General Body Meeting

Every Other Tuesday | 7:00pm - 9:00pm | HUB Cultural Center

Join the Black Student Union (BSU) for a general body meeting! The BSU aims to create a welcoming and supportive environment, promote student leadership, involvement and academic excellence, and provide opportunities for positive change within the community. All are welcome to attend! For more information about this event email bsu@sonoma.edu.