NC State is celebrating Black History Month across campus this February to honor the legacies, histories and contributions of African Americans throughout history. The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and the African American Cultural Center (AACC) will host programs to celebrate black history throughout the month for students to learn and reflect.

The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs chose this year’s theme, “The Future is Bright Black,” with the intent of capturing the optimism and hope for the progress of the black community that February is centered around.

“It’s really important that we have these programs on campus because the African American and black population is only 6% on campus, so the fact that we have a month dedicated to our history is important to gain representation for minorities on campus,” said Jailyn Gales, a third-year in international studies.

One of the events that are taking place this month is African American History Quiz Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 3-4 p.m. at Witherspoon Student Center. The event will feature jeopardy-style trivia centered on local and national African American History.

University Dining will celebrate the cuisine and flavors of east Africa with “Taste of East Africa” menu at Fountain Dining Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 19 from 10:30 a.m.-1:35 p.m. Students can enjoy the traditional flavors of East African culture with this exciting menu.  

NC State’s men’s basketball team will honor iconic athletes from the NC State community during its Black History Month Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 22 at PNC Arena against Florida State.

Gales said that we can also look forward to other events from student organizations she is involved in: the Society of Afrikan American Culture (SAAC), the political voice of the African American community on campus, and DanceVisions, a minority dance group. Both organizations will host events later in the spring to showcase black culture through dance and film.

For the long term, she has bigger plans.

“I think it is great that we have all of these events that take place and that we are being highlighted online,” Gailes said. “But that should become a constant over the year, Black History Month is one month, and it’s February so it’s only 29 days. If we can extend that through the entire year, even if it’s just one or two events that pertain to African American students, I feel like that will make an even bigger impact and make us feel like we are more seen and heard on campus.”

The AACC is also hosting events this month that celebrate black culture and offer resources to the community.

On Feb. 22, the AACC will present the 2020 Blacks in Wax Live Museum in partnership with its AYA Ambassadors student group and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. This event will provide an opportunity for history to come to life and provide education, according to John Robinson-Miller IV, program coordinator at the AACC. 

“It’s an opportunity for education and celebration,” Robinson-Miller said. “You’re not going to be bored, it’s not going to take your whole morning and yet you will get some good out of it which will be beyond something in a book or watching something in a movie.”

The different rooms in Witherspoon will be converted into a live wax museum that will feature notable people from science, education and athletics in black history. The process is two-fold, learning and processing the history that has happened. Following the exhibit, visitors will go to the debrief room that is partnered with the counseling center to process everything.

Other programs through the AACC this month include a dance and mental health workshop in partnership with the NC State Dance Program. This program will focus on how dance and mental health interact, how dance can lead to emotional processing and more. 

Every week, the AACC hosts a program called What’s on the Table, which is an open discussion for students and faculty in a power neutral environment to give people the opportunity to have difficult conversations in a safe and supporting space. 

Robinson-Miller said that the Multicultural Student Affair’s theme “The Future is Bright Black” aligns well with the cultural center’s theme for this year, “Stories of Home: Telling and Retelling Narratives of Blackness Locally and Globally.”

“It’s important to talk about how the future is still so hopeful, especially in times when the conversation around blackness is oftentimes about oppression,” Robinson-Miller said. “But what does it look like to have hope? What does it look like to have optimism? What does it look like to imagine a future where black is bright, in which black continues to be something that contributes to this larger humanity? We can still live in and acknowledge the history, but just live in the optimism that we still have so much to do and so many places to go.”