Black History Month is a time to pay respects to those that have come before us. They have paved the way for Black liberation, love, and excellence. They have empowered the present. We pull strength from the successes and lessons of our ancestors and continue to move forward as we envision our future. It is the youth and our future children who will build a better, Blacker tomorrow. They will carry the torch but with their own flame as they blaze the next trail.
Black History Month at UWM is coordinated by a team of campus stakeholders offering a variety of programs that recognize and celebrate the history, culture and contributions of Black people who’ve paved the way for those to come. Black History Month has been observed during the month of February. First being celebrated as Black History Week in 1926. Dr. Woodson G. Carter, scholar known as the Father of Black History Month, initially chose the birth week of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass before being expanded to a month-long celebration in 1970.
Contributors to Black History at UWM 2023 include:
- AfricologyNOW
- Black Student Cultural Center
- Black Student Union
- Black Lens MKE
- Campus Activities Board
- Department of African & African Diaspora Studies
- Inclusive Excellence Center
- LGBTQ+ Resource Center
- Lubar Entrepreneurship Center
- Student Association
- Student Involvement
- Sociocultural Programming
- Union Cinema
- UWM Manfred Olson Planetarium
- UWM Multicultural Student Success Centers
- Women’s Resource Center
For the most complete and up-to-date listing of events, please visit: uwm.edu/blackhistorymonth
This publication is sponsored by UWM Union Sociocultural Programming.
African American Film Series: Messwood
Thursday, February 2 | Film Screening and Discussion
6 pm-8 pm | Union Cinema
Declining participation leads Milwaukee’s own Messmer (predominantly Black) and Shorewood (predominantly white) high schools to combine their football programs. After a successful season in 2018, quite a few starters graduate and in 2019 the team is forced to rebuild. At the center of this familiar and thrilling sports season drama, these teenage athletes attempt to make sense of their adolescence and of the perceived and tangible racial fissures in southeast Wisconsin.
Followed by a post-film discussion with the directors. For more information or to request accommodations contact Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Sociocultural Programming, Union Cinema
Black History Month Kickoff
Tuesday, February 7 | Celebration
11 am-1 pm | Union Concourse
Music, food, crafts, spoken word poetry, a vendor fair featuring Milwaukee’s Black-owned businesses, and more will celebrate the start of Black History Month at UW-Milwaukee.
For more information contact Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Sociocultural Programming, Student Involvement, Black Student Cultural Center, Inclusive Excellence Center & Military and Veterans Resource Center
Sisters Like Me
Wednesday, February 8 | Conference
4:00 pm-5:30 pm | Union Fireside Lounge
Sisters Like Me is an annual program that offers a brave space for Black women-identified students to share their unique cultural experiences with other members of the community at UWM. Black Women 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.
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Women’s Resource Center: wmncntr@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center and Black Student Cultural Center
Under African Skies
Wednesday, February 8, February 15, & February 22 | Performance
7 pm-8 pm | UWM Planetarium
Experience stars, stories, and cultural perspectives across the expansive African continent. Each Wednesday from Feb 8 – 22 features a different guest speaker who will talk about their country, culture, and connections to the night sky.
Schedule of Guest Speakers February 8: Ermitte Saint Jacques, Senegal
February 15: Mrina Eliseus Mtenga, Tanzania
February 22: Mohamed Maache, Algeria
The program will include indoor stargazing sessions of the night sky followed by the opportunity to ask questions. Not recommended for children under 4. For questions about this event, please email planetarium@uwm.edu.
For more information or to request accommodations contact UWM Planetarium: planetarium@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the UWM Planetarium
Sociocultural Lounge Giveaway
Thursday, February 9 | Discussion
12 pm-2 pm | Union Sociocultural Lounge
Come celebrate Black History Month in the new Sociocultural Lounge! We’ve got America’s Black Holocaust Museum tickets to giveaway as we show off our new space! Limited tickets available!
For more information or to request accommodations contact Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Sociocultural Programming
Stars, Stories, & Rhythms of Africa
Thursday, February 9 | Performance
6 pm-8 pm | UWM Planetarium
Celebrate Black History Month under the stars! Join us for a night of music, dancing, storytelling, and stargazing. This free event is co-sponsored by the Black Student Cultural Center and Sociocultural Programming at UWM. Schedule of Events Planetarium show: 6:10 pm Performance: 6:40 – 7:15 pm Planetarium show: 7:20 pm
For more information or to request accommodations contact UWM Planetarium: planetarium@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the UWM Planetarium and Sociocultural Programming
African/African American Welcome Reception
Friday, February 10 | Celebration
3:30 pm-5:30 pm | Union Fireside Lounge
Come meet and network with African Diaspora faculty, staff, undergraduates and graduate students. It is a great opportunity to meet campus individuals that you can build a relationship with. Your network is your net worth. Light appetizers provided
For more information contact Black Student Cultural Center bcc-staff@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Black Student Cultural Center, and co-sponsored by the African Student Association, Black Student Union, Black Graduate Student Association, National Society of Black Engineers, and Black Greek Letter Organizations of UWM (Fraternities & Sororities)
Sip N Paint
Tuesday, February 14 | Celebration
5 pm-7 pm | Chanel Lounge in Sandburg Hall
Black History Month showcases our culture and who we are. This month gives us time to share and make our voices heard to bring all cultures together. This Sip N Paint is to showcase your culture and your roots to let the world see you as you are.
For more information or to request accommodations contact Black Student Union at geogheg4@uwm.edu or lee698@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Black Student Union
Black History Month Coffee Hour
Thursday, February 16 | Discussion
9:30 am-11 am | Inclusive Excellence Center
Come join us in celebrating Black History Month and gain cultural knowledge. Participants will be greeted with a steaming cup of coffee or tea along with traditional treats.
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Inclusive Excellence Center: iecenter@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Inclusive Excellence Center
First Annual Black History Month Alumni Mixer
Thursday, February 16 | Celebration
5 pm-7 pm | Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W. Fond Du Lac Ave
Join the UWM Alumni Association and the Black Student Cultural Center for our first annual UWMAA Black History Month Alumni mixer. Connect with old friends and make new ones. Registration Link: www.give.uwm.edu/BHM_Mixer
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Black Student Cultural Center at bscc-staff@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the UWM Alumni Association & UWM Black Student Cultural Center
African American Film Series: Nope
Thursday, February 16 | Film Screening and Discussion
6 pm-8 pm | Union Cinema
The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. Directed by Jordan Peele, who wrote and directed the film, reunites with Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya, who stars alongside Keke Palmer as two siblings who inherit their father’s ranch after he is killed by an object falling from the sky. You won’t want to miss what happens next!
Followed by a post-film discussion. For more information or to request accommodations contact Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Sociocultural Programming, Union Cinema
Ebony Gala
Friday, February 17| Discussion
5 pm-8 pm | TBD
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Black Student Union: Lee698@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Black Student Union
Feliz Cumpleaños Riri
Monday, February 20 | Discussion
9:30 am-11 am | Women’s Resource Center
Join the Women’s Resource Center for an intersectional feminist discussion on Rihanna’s cultural impact in advance of her highly anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. Celebrate her contributions during Black History Month with cupcakes, her music, and friends.
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Women’s Resource Center: wmncntr@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center
Divine 9 X UWM
Tuesday, February 21 | Celebration
6 pm-8 pm | Union Fireside Lounge
Come learn about the rich history, long-term benefits, and lifetime brotherly and sisterly bonds of fraternities and sororities in the Divine 9. The event will feature a panel discussion and opportunities to connect. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Fraternity and Sorority Life at kbzpresident21@gmail.com
Sponsored by the Fraternity and Sorority Life
Film Screening & Conversation with Visiting Assistant Professor Marquise Mays
Wednesday, February 22 | Film Screening & Discussion
5 pm-7 pm | Union Fireside Lounge
Join Marquise Mays Visiting Assistant Professor, Film, Video, Animation and New Genres for an evening of conversation after screening his films Black Strings and The Heartland.
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Black Student Cultural Center:bcc-staff@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the UWM Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the Black Student Cultural Center
(Re) Imagining Black Futures in the Age of Wakanda
Friday, February 24 | Discussion
3 pm-5 pm | Union Fireside Lounge
Join Africology NOW in discussing the impact of Marvel’s Black Panther franchise on representations of transnational Blackness. Along with the films, we will present and discuss examples of music, film, television, and literature that incorporate themes of Afro/African futurism, Pan-Africanism, Black and African feminisms, and queer studies. A central question of this discussion is how media and culture play into how Black identity, memory, and tradition are (re)defined and (re)imagined through storytelling.
For more information or to request accommodations contact AfricologyNOW: jamee@uwm.edu or sbolu@uwm.edu
Sponsored by AfricologyNOW
Black Feminist Symposium
Saturday, February 25 | Conference
9:00 am-5 pm | TBD
Join UWM Libraries, Black Student Cultural Center, Student Association, and the ACLU at the Black Feminist Symposium to connect with black women scholars. For location updates, please follow @uwmwrc on Instagram.
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Women’s Resource Center: wmncntr@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center and Black Student Cultural Center
Black History Month Art Auction
Saturday, February 25 | Conference
6 pm-10 pm | N.O. Studios – 1037 W. MckinleyMcKinley, Milwaukee, WI 53205
The Black History Month Art Auction will bring together area creatives, the campus community and AADS Department alum to celebrate Milwaukee’s vibrant Black arts community. Donated art will be auctioned to benefit AADS programming. A live DJ will accompany host Kwabena Nixon and art works by many of Milwaukee’s most respected and up-and-coming artists. Please contact Dr. Robert Baker if you are interested in having your art featured. Digital and other nontraditional art pieces (such as NFTs) will be considered.
For more information or to request accommodations contact African and African Diaspora Studies: bakerre@uwm.edu
Sponsored by the African and African Diaspora Studies
Black History Month Closing Celebration
Monday, February 27 | Celebration
11 am-1 pm | Union Concourse
Come celebrate Black History Month with music and performances in the concourse! Also, campus resources will be available!
For more information or to request accommodations contact Sociocultural Programming: sociocul@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Sociocultural Programming, Black Student Cultural Center and the Inclusive Excellence Center
Black History Month Exploring Students’ Art & Poetry
Monday, February 27 | Celebration
3 pm-4:30 pm | Union Fireside Lounge
For more information or to request accommodations contact the Student Association: njgeluk@uwm.edu
Sponsored by Student Association & Sociocultural Programming