Campus organizations host events throughout Black History Month

Daily file photo by Joanne Haner

The Black House, located at 1914 Sheridan Rd., is hosting many of the campus events throughout Black History Month.

Kaavya Butaney, Assistant Campus Editor

For this year’s Black History Month, various organizations across campus are hosting events, including workshops, reading series and game nights. Here’s a look at what’s going on.

Feb. 1 — Seeing the Vision: Vision Board Creation

5:30–6:30 p.m.

The Black House

Participants can create vision boards with supplies and snacks provided. 

Feb. 3 (and every other Friday in February) — Spirituality Reading Series: Rest is Resistance

3–4 p.m.

The Black House

Multicultural Student Affairs is collaborating with the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life for a weekly reading series: Rest & Renew. For the first week, Rev. D’ana Downing and third-year MSA graduate assistant Gerpha Gerlin will discuss “Rest is Resistance” by Tricia Hersey.

Feb. 7 — Black Imagination is Liberation: Dream and Doodle Session

5:30–7 p.m.

The Black House, Room 201

Dream and Doodle is an event dedicated to the spirit of dreaming as liberation with art supplies and puzzles. 

Feb. 8 — Trans + Queer Resistance to Policing: A Workshop with Benji Hart

3:30–5:30 p.m.

Searle Hall 3-220

As a part of the Women’s Center’s quarterly trans-focused programming, author and artist Benji Hart is collaborating with MSA, the Department of African American Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies, the Out Network and Center for Awareness, Response and Education.

The workshop centers on queer and trans resistance to policing as a lens for police and prison abolition. According to MSA, participants will break down how the policing system targets specific communities and learn a timeline of queer and trans history. Hart will end the workshop by discussing action steps for a world without police and prisons.

Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 — Throwback Thursday 

12–1 p.m.

The Black House

These two Thursdays will host showings of hit Black sitcoms, which are unconfirmed but have hints on the MSA website.

Feb. 12 — On Sundays We Brunch: Rest, Recipes and Remedies

12–2 p.m.

The Black House, Quibbler’s Family Room

Brunch event with African and Caribbean music, where attendees are invited to “rep (their) country.”  

Feb. 14 — Sistas, Succulents and Sweets

4–5 p.m.

The Black House

This event centers on Black womxn’s experiences at Northwestern around topics such as Blackness, gender and sexual identity.   

Feb. 16 — Association of Black Leaders Bingo Family Night

5:30–7 p.m.

The Black House

The Association of Black Leaders, an organization aiming to “cultivate excellence” within NU’s Black student organizations, is holding an executive board meeting with dinner and bingo. 

Feb. 17 — Garifuna in the African Diaspora: A Listening Podcast Session

1–2 p.m.

The Black House

The Black House will listen to a “Dialogues in Afrolatinidad” podcast, which features Smith College Africana studies Prof. Paul Joseph Lopez Oro, Ph.D., interviewed by University of Pittsburgh Africana studies Prof. Michele Reid-Vazquez, Ph.D., on topics such as Indigenous Blackness, Garifuna migration and diaspora.

Feb. 21 — What’s Poppin?; A professional development programming series

3–4 p.m.

The Black House

What’s Poppin? is a bimonthly series spotlighting the experiences of Black staff, faculty and graduate students at the University. According to MSA, this program is a “cornerstone” for relationships within the Black NU community.

The Feb. 21 event is the inaugural program and will host Buffett Institute for Global Affairs program manager Norvell Watts, who will discuss study abroad opportunities and navigating social identities in foreign countries.

Feb. 26 — Family Feud: Undergraduate vs Graduate Students

2–4 p.m.

Harris Hall L107

Black student association For Members Only is hosting a competition in the style of “Family Feud” between undergraduate and graduate students.

Feb. 28 — Season Finale: Black History Month Trivia

5:30–7 p.m.

The Black House

The Black House is hosting Trivia Night to celebrate Black culture. MSA said that “the learning and unlearning of Black history does not stop here.”

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @kaavya_butaney

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