February is Black History Month and UWM is proud to celebrate it. UWM has participated in Black activism for many years; in 1965, at the UWM’s Union Ballroom, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech regarding social and economic segregation. Victoria Pryor, Student Services Program Manager for the Black Student Cultural Center, shared her thoughts with us. “Black History Month is just one month where we highlight the past, present, and the future. Black History is celebrated every day.”
This week’s article will be a retrospective of some of the events that were celebrated on campus. The Black History Month programming is a joint effort among Black Student Cultural Center (BSCC), Sociocultural Programming, Black Student Union (BSU), and many other UWM organizations.
The first of these events was Lyrical Sanctuary’s 20th anniversary. Sponsored by Sociocultural Programming, this semester marked the twentieth year that the open mic night has been held. Each month, a spoken word artist or live musician leads a creative writing workshop before performing their art. This celebration featured Derrick Harriell and Mikey Cody Apollo. Derrick is the Otillie Schillig Associate Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of Mississippi as well as an award winning poet. Mikey is a Black queer writer, filmmaker, educator, and feminist whose poetry collection featured in classrooms, workshops, and book clubs nationwide.
Another highlight of the month was an event with Brush Box: Self Love is the Best Love, sponsored by the BSCC and BSU, aimed to cultivate self-esteem and self-love
through creative arts & crafts. Founded by Amber Thomas and cofounded by Kadijiha Jones, Brush Box curates superhero themed art kit boxes to foster creativity and promote art therapy practices. Event organizer Monique Alcantar, Multicultural Student Success Coordinator, recalled: “I loved having the Brush Box event. It was like being a child again, but this time as an adult with experiencing challenges due to my skin color, I was able to reconnect and creatively celebrate my skin in new ways. Its like I was able to recreate myself in the image that I wanted.” Active LEC community members may remember Brush Box, a startup previously featured at one of our Social Good Morning talks.
Stars, Stories, and Rhythms of Africa, sponsored by the Manfred Olson Planetarium, Sociocultural Programming, the BSCC, and the BSU, was held at the UWM Planetarium. This annual event celebrates not just the science of the cosmos but also the human connections and traditions that take place within it. From young children to elders, all generations joined in dancing and musical celebration. Planetarium Director Jean Creighton showed audiences the night sky from different parts of the diverse African continent, which is so long that the night sky in Morocco looks very different than the night sky in South Africa. Dr. Creighton shared with us: “At the end of the program, a young Black man approached me. He looked moved, at the brink of tears. He said that he is a UWM student from Tanzania; indeed his grandmother lives in Mochi, where we had pictures from and where we replicated the sky for. He thanked me for giving him his stars. This interaction really makes me love what I do. What the planetarium does. Brings people together in meaningful ways.”
LEC home programs Well Entrepreneur and Social Good Morning teamed up for an event focused on exploring equity in wellbeing. Their guest speaker, Alesia Miller is 
the CEO of Soul Brew Kombucha, Wisconsin’s first Black woman owned kombucha tea company. Miller brought samples of her flavors and shared her experiences being a music teacher and eventually starting this company. Miller shared, “There are so many parallels between teaching and entrepreneurship: time management, being able to pivot—that’s key, organization, being able to know when to turn it on.” Participants were able to ask Miller questions and engage in a meaningful conversation about diversity, equity, and accessibility. Miller shared her voice at the end of the event with an original song.
Throughout the month, the African American Film Series was held, showing five Black-focused films. Movies featured included Respect, When Claude Got Shot, Bush Mama, and King Richard, all held by Sociocultural Programming and the Union Cinema. Sociocultural Programming and Black Lens also showed the film Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America.
Rounding out the month was the Black History Month Closing Celebration, sponsored by the BSCC, Sociocultural Programming, and The Inclusive Excellence Center. The ceremony featured live music and a performance by Ko-Thi Dance Company. Many student organizations and departments were showcased, each honoring a historical person, place, or movement that shaped or is shaping Black history to raise cultural awareness and celebrate the many accomplishments of the Black community.
2022’s Black History Month was one to remember not just for the fun events and celebrations but also for its effect on the UWM community. The Lubar Entrepreneurship Center values programming like this because it provides the community a platform to share stories, see from different perspectives, and create shared empathy. Thank you to all University organizers for coordinating February’s Black History Month events.