February is Black History Month in the United States, giving everyone an opportunity for celebration and education.
Black History Month has been officially recognized since 1976, although Americans have been celebrating Black history in February since 1925, according to Black History Month. According to the Association for the Study of African American Life and history, Black History Month highlights achievements, contributions and history of Black people each year by following a different theme. The theme for 2025 is African Americans and Labor, which reflects on Black people’s work throughout history and gives people an opportunity to learn and appreciate their contributions and struggles.
Throughout this month the University of Indianapolis’ Office of Inclusive Excellence and Retention Strategy hosted four events to celebrate Black history. According to an email sent by Student Affairs, OIE hosted Barbershop Talk, Anthony Davis’ Concert Series, Mad Love Poetry Slam and the Black Excellence Dinner. These events, according to OIE’s Instagram, aimed to uplift and amplify Black voices during Black History Month.
People can also use this month to honor the impact of African Americans across the nation, according to History.com. According to Visit Indy, many of these contributions come from people in Indianapolis such as Murvin S. Enders, a civic leader and UIndy alumni, who the university’s Student Engagement Space is named after, according to UIndy’s website. The Student Engagement Space, among many other places on campus, is set to provide support for belonging and inclusion, according to UIndy’s website.
Black History Month can be celebrated in many different ways from art and music to education. Sophomore criminal justice major Lavita Johnson has grown up learning about Black History through celebration with her family.
“Black History, specifically for my family, is a month of celebration for not only just us now, but our ancestors and our rich history and culture,” Johnson said. “My family takes Black History very seriously. I’ve been raised on a lot of books and my sister’s really interested in all the hidden history that we don’t learn in college or in school and stuff, so Black History to us is something that’s really deep. I mean, it’s us, literally.”
Sophomore political science major Clint Simmons believes Black History Month is a time for opening your eyes to Black History outside of the United States. For Simmons, it is a time for learning about all different Black cultures and beating societal norms.
“We’re showing that there’s more to it, the complex history that Black people have in America and even in other places,” Simmons said.
Black History Month is a time for celebration, awareness and reflection. Student Experience Designer at OIE Selena Jackson-King said one of her favorite ways to engage in Black culture in February is through arts and theatre.
“Black History Month is really this time that I get to indulge in my history buff side and I dive into all things Black and it’s just a celebration of culture,” Jackson-King said. “I love it. It’s my favorite month of the year.”
Though February is over soon, there are still ways to engage and educate yourself about Black history. According to Johnson, it is extremely important to celebrate history at all times of the year.
“I always say indulge in and immerse yourself into the community,” Jackson-King said. “Our office is a very open space, a very open forum. We’ll have students come in and like, come and talk with us … our office has a really unique position as being kind of like a resource center, so we’ll like connect them with other resources in and around Indianapolis and they can have a nice opportunity to get connected with Black people that way.”
According to the National Black Cultural Information Trust, there are many different ways to celebrate Black History. From storytelling to museum visits, you can find history in the smallest of things.
“It’s important to know where you came from and who you are and what shaped us and the way we are today,” Johnson said.
