Black History Month at UWM is coordinated by a committee of campus stakeholders who plan a variety of programs throughout February in order to recognize and celebrate the history, culture and contributions of people of African descent in the United States.
This publication is sponsored by UWM Union Sociocultural Programming. Contributors include:
- African Student Association
- Black Cultural Center
- Planetarium Club at UWM
- Campus Activities Board
- Black Lens MKE
- Diverse and Resilient
- Department of African & African Diaspora Studies
- Black & Pink Milwaukee
- Inclusive Excellence Center
- Sociocultural Programming
- UWM Career Planning & Resource Center
- UWM Multi-Cultural Centers
- UWM Manfred Olson Planetarium
- Woman’s Resource Center
- Ubuntu Research and Evaluation
- Union Cinema
Identity Coffee Hour Presents Black Diaspora Identities
4 Feb | Networking
2:30-3:30pm | Inclusive Excellence Center
Identity Coffee Hour is an event designed for students to network and meet new people, as well as an opportunity to have conversations related to identity and share their own experiences. Students are welcome to have a steaming cup of joe (or tea) along with some treats and have stimulating conversations with their peers. Join us to learn all about Black Diaspora with the African Student Association!
For more information contact Kiara L. Rosado, Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Inclusive Excellence Center, African Student Association & Sociocultural Programming
Stars, Stories, and Rhythms of Africa
5 Feb | Stargazing & Performance |6–8:30pm | UWM Manfred Olson Planetarium, Physics Building 139
Celebrate Black History Month under the stars of the Manfred Olson Planetarium. Groove to the beat of African drums as we explore African cultures from the continent’s expansive latitudes. This free, lively event features storytelling, music, and live dancers along with indoor stargazing from different parts of Africa.
Planetarium shows at 6pm and 7:30pm with a live dance performance in the physics building at 7 pm.
For more information contact Jean Creighton, UWM Manfred Olson Planetarium: planetarium@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Planetarium Club at UWM & Sociocultural Programming
Blackness and Place
5 Feb | Panel Discussion
5–6:30pm | Fireside Lounge
Scholars from UWMilwaukee, UW Playteville, and UW Osh Kosh will discuss blackness and place in their research.
For more information contact Gladys L Mitchell-Walthour, Dept. of African and African Diaspora Studies: mitchelg@uwm.edu
Sponsored by African and African Diaspora Studies
African American Film Series: Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror
6 Feb | Film Screening
6-10pm | Union Cinema
This documentary aims to take a closer look into the history of Black horror films and the role of African Americans in the film genre from its beginning.
For more information contact Kiara L. Rosado, Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Union Cinema & Sociocultural Programming
How Black Is Black Enough?
12 Feb | Panel Discussion
5:30–8pm | Wisconsin Room Lounge
Join us for an in-depth conversation discussing important issues in the Black community such as colorism, the need for Black unity, Black love, the usage of the N-word, toxic masculinity, and more. Our conversation aims to establish a deeper understanding of these topics while strengthening the bond among members of the Black community.
For more information contact Zeynab Ali, African Student Association: zeynab@uwm.edu
Sponsored by African Student Association
Lyrical Sanctuary Presents Britteney Black Rose Kapri
12 Feb | Workshop, Open Mic & Feature Performance
7-7:45pm | Writing Workshop | Inclusive Excellence Center
8-10pm |Open Mic and Feature Performance | Fireside Lounge
Lyrical Sanctuary is UWM’s monthly open mic night, featuring standout spoken word artists, music, art, and YOU!
We’re kicking off this new semester with Britteney Black Rose Kapri, a poet, teaching artist, and Slytherin from Chicago. Author of “Winona and Winthrop” and “Black Queer Hoe” and the 2015 Rona Jaffe Writers Award Recipient. Join us for a fun night of poetry, workshops and music by DJ Bizzon!
For more information contact Kiara L. Rosado, Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Sociocultural Programming & the Black Student Cultural Center
African American Film Series: Pier Kids: The Life
13 Feb | Film Screening
6-10pm | Union Cinema
This documentary follows homeless queer and trans youth Casper, Desean and Krystal who take to Christopher Street in NYC’s West Village to find stable housing, create new families while navigating estranged family and the welfare system.
For more information contact Kiara L. Rosado, Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Union Cinema & Sociocultural Programming
2020 Diversity Career Fair
20 Feb ǀ Career Fair
10am-2pm ǀ Union Wisconsin Room
For more information contact Victoria Pryor, Black Student Cultural Center: pryor@uwm.edu
Sponsored by UWM Career Planning & Resource Center and UWM Multi-Cultural Centers
The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion
20 Thur | Film Screening and post film discussion
6:30pm | Oriental Theatre (2230 N Farwell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202)
It’s sometimes easy to forget that hip-hop isn’t merely a music style, but also a fashion aesthetic. Of course, these looks don’t create themselves. Meet Misa Hylton and April Walker, two women who have had an incalculable impact in the male-dominated world of hip-hop style since the 1980s. Working with rap luminaries like Missy Elliot and Mary J. Blige, these women have helped chart the course of hip-hop’s journey, from its New York origins to its global impact.
Screening sponsored by Black Lens MKE and Union Sociocultural Programming.
Free for the first 100 students! Transportation provided.
Black Student Union’s Ebony Gala
22 Feb | Ball
7-10pm | Union Ballroom
A showcase celebrating African and African American culture.
$10
For more information contact Tanasia Golden Shaw, Black Student Union: tgshaw@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Black Student Union
GRRRL Justice
24 Feb | Film Screening and Discussion
7-8:30pm | Union Cinema
Grrrl Justice is a short narrative film exploring the pathways of girls and queer youth of color into the juvenile justice system. It uses gender and sexuality as a framework for understanding their rising rates of incarceration. The screening will be followed by a discussion.
For more information contact Ida Lucchesi, UWM LGBTQ+ Resource Center: peerout@uwm.edu
Sponsored by UWM LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Diverse & Resilient, Black & Pink Milwaukee, UWM Women’s Resource Center, and Ubuntu Research & Evaluation
Sisters Like Me
26 Feb | Small-Group Discussion
5-7pm | Fireside Lounge
Sisters Like Me is an annual program that offers a brave space for Black Womxn-identified students to share their unique cultural experiences with other members of the community at UWM. Black Womxn who are leaders in the campus and community will facilitate a cooperative learning experience for attendees through small discussion/”sister” circles of healing. This program aims to help build relationships, share communal narratives, and develop tools for support, success, and self-care.
This year’s theme is Radical Self Care. Sisters Like Me will provide attendees an opportunity to reflect on self-care as a radical act and movement while connecting to attendees and facilitators on a deeper level to illuminate the beauty, diversities, and complexities of identifying as a Black Womxn.
For more information contact Melissa Monier, Women’s Resource Center: mmonier@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center & the Black Student Cultural Center
Black History Month Closing Celebration
27 Feb | Performance
11:30am-1:30pm | Union Concourse
Come celebrate Black History Month with live music and performances in the concourse!
African American Film Series: Queen & Slim
27 Feb | Film Screening
6-10pm | Union Cinema
This romantic thriller follows the story of a couple whose first date takes an unexpected turn when a policeman pulls. As the situation escalates, Slim shoots the officer. Now labeled cop killers in the media, Slim and Queen feel that they have no choice but to go on the run and evade the law.
For more information contact Kiara L. Rosado, Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Union Cinema & Sociocultural Programming
Black Feminist Symposium
29 Feb | Conference
9am-5pm | Lubar Entrepreneurship Center
The annual Black Feminist Symposium is organized by the UW-Milwaukee Women’s Resource Center. Our goal is to present the UWM campus and community with resources, workshops, and engaging discussions that center the praxis (theory and practice) of Black Feminism in an accessible way. Whether you are well-versed in feminist theory, or are looking for an entry point to black feminism, the Black Feminist Symposium offers something for everyone. Let’s learn, bond, and grow together!
For more information contact Melissa Monier, Women’s Resource Center: mmonier@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center & the Black Student Cultural Center