USF Celebrates Black History Month 2024

Leadership and Legacy: An Evening with Dr. Clarence B. Jones and Sterling K. Brown, Feb. 6, 7 to 8 p.m., Sobrato Center. The Silk Speaker Series, in partnership with the USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, presents Brown, an Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning actor, and Jones, former lawyer, political adviser, and draft speechwriter for Martin Luther King Jr., to discuss Jones’ book, Last of the Lions: An African American Journey in Memoir. Jones, co-founder and director emeritus of USF’s Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, and Brown will talk about their journeys in social justice advocacy. More information

Finding BLK Intersections: Mixed Meet-Up, Feb. 8, 5 to 6 p.m., Intercultural Center (UC 411/412). Join this celebration of diversity and unity with other students seeking to bond and make connections within USF’s multiracial and multiethnic community.      

Engineered Conflict: School Closings, Public Housing, Law Enforcement, and the Future of Black Life, David Stovall in Conversation with David Philoxene, Feb. 8, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Fromm Hall125 and Zoom. The USF School of Education's Center for Humanizing Education & Research (C-HER) presents Stovall, a professor in the Departments of Black Studies and Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Philoxene, Gerardo Marín dissertation fellow at USF, as they discuss education, housing, law enforcement, and the Black experience. Register

Finding BLK Voices: Lyricist Lounge, Feb. 9, 7 to 9 p.m., UC Fourth Floor Lounge. This month's student Lyricist Lounge is dedicated to Black voices. Contact Ann Le for more information.

Finding BLK Community: Field Day, Feb. 10, 3 to 7 p.m., James P. Lang Athletic Fields, Gough St. and Golden Gate Ave. This student event, produced in collaboration with the Nigerian Student Association at UC Berkeley, builds a bridge to Black American and African students across the bay. Play games and build community.

Finding BLK Love: Speed Dating, Feb. 13, 6 to 9 p.m., Koret Lodge. Join a student discussion on the idea of Black love at a PWI (predominantly white institution). Attendees are invited to stay after the discussion for a speed dating event.

Finding BLK Sisterhood: Shades of Sisterhood, Feb. 14, 6 to 8 p.m., Lone Mountain 100. Celebrate Black sisterhood at this student-led event featuring conversation, collaboration, and shared experiences. Register

Pop-Up Art Exhibition: Being Black at USF, Feb. 15, 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Thacher Gallery, Gleeson Library. Black-identified USF students, faculty, and staff are invited to share all art mediums (visual, digital, 2D, 3D, poetry, photography) for this exhibit.

Finding BLK Culture: Cultural Cuisine Night, Feb. 20, 7 to 9 p.m., UC Fourth Floor Lounge. Cook a dish rooted in African heritage and talk with other students about the role that food plays in cultural upbringing.

Finding BLK Dialogue: Barbershop Talk, Feb. 21, 6 to 8 p.m., UC Fourth Floor Lounge. Get chopped and chop it up with other students. This event recreates the safe space for Black men that is the barbershop, with services provided by our on-campus barbers.

Film Screening: The Forgotten Occupation, Feb. 22, 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., McLaren 250. The screening of The Forgotten Occupation will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Alain Martin. Sponsored by the African American Studies department.

Finding BLK Joy, Feb. 23, 6 to 8 p.m., McLaren 250. All students from the Black diaspora are invited to the third annual Black Joy event. Performances, a talent show, a fashion show, and games unite students in celebration of what Blackness means to them.

Spill Tea with BE, Feb. 24, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., School of Education. The producers of the USF Black Educology Mixtape educational journal are hosting a mixer and invite all who are interested to join them for a sneak peak of Vol. 2 of the journal, which will feature guest editor Dr. Bettina Love, New York Times bestselling author of Punished for Dreaming. Learn how you can play a role in future volumes, as a contributor or part of the production team.

Black Joy Parade, USF Black Alumni Society, Feb. 25, 12 to 7:30 p.m. (parade 12:30 to 2 p.m.), downtown Oakland near the 12th Street BART stop. The USF Black Alumni Society will have a booth at the parade this year. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends are invited to stop by and connect with BAS for games, swag, and celebration. If you'd like to volunteer with BAS at the booth, email alumni@usfca.edu.

Melanated Mental Health Mondays: Continuing the Rebellion, Feb. 26, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Toler 122. Melanated Mental Health Mondays is a workshop series on topics affecting the mental health of Black-identified students at USF. Discussions will be led by Jevon Rice, USF staff psychologist, on the final Monday of each month. Series supported by CAPS and BASE.

Alumni Night: Celebrating the Legacy of Black Graduate Students at USF, March 8, 5 to 8 p.m., McLaren Conference Center. To celebrate Black history 365 days a year and Women's History Month in March, the Black Graduate Student Association is honoring Black women’s history at USF with a panel of Black women who are alumni from across multiple colleges and decades. Join them in recognizing the contributions, resilience, and excellence of Black graduate students at USF. Following the panel discussion, there will be a reception with refreshments for alumni, staff, faculty, and current graduate students to network. RSVP by March 1.

More information about Black History Month at USF