About
SCU is proud to celebrate Black Joy Month during the month of February. Each year, Black History Month takes place to honor and celebrate the achievements by African Americans. This period is a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.
The origins of Black History month date back to 1926 when Carter G. Woods created “Negro History Week”, and students at Kent State University organized the first Black History Month celebration in 1970. President Ford officially proclaimed February as Black History Month in 1976 and it has been celebrated ever since.
This distinction of Black Joy Month was made following direct student feedback to highlight lightness, optimism and the beauty of the Black/Pan-African experience at SCU and throughout America. Thank you to partners in Igwebuike, Black/Pan-African ERG, Inclusive Excellence and UMC for your partnership.
2025 Calendar of Events
Current calendar of events as of February 5, 2025. Please check back for additional events and updates.
Visit the Black Joy Month Book Display in the University Library/Learning Commons throughout February. This hand selected book list, chosen by SCU's Black/Pan-African ERG and SCU Library staff, illuminates the diversity that exists within the Black experience.
| DATE | EVENT INFORMATION | TIME & LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| February 1 |
Black Joy Men's Basketball Game SCU vs. Pacific Sponsored by the Black Employee Resource Group (ERG) and SCU Athletics |
4:00pm Leavey Event Center |
| February 2 |
Legacy & Luminescence: Celebrating Black Creatives Featuring Tyler Gordan, Brandon Leake, & Kuumba Co-sponsored Santa Clara University and San Jose Jack & Jill |
2:00-5:00pm Locatelli Student Activity Center |
| February 3 |
OML Book Club Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
Sponsored by the Office for Multicultural Learning (OML) |
The OML Book Club is open to students, staff and faculty. Once confirmed, books will be available at the OML (832 Market Street - across from Swig). |
| February 3 and 10 |
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) General Meetings |
7:15pm Graham 164 |
| February 5, 12, 19 and 26 |
Igwebuike General Meetings |
6:05-7:05pm Benson 1 |
| February 6 |
Classics Winter Speaker Event Christopher Gipson from Loyola Marymount University will give a talk on mirrored scenes in Euripides’ fragmentary play Hypsipyle. |
4:00pm O'Connor Hall 206 |
| February 10 |
Black History 101 Mobile Museum Class Sessions Dr. Khalid el-Hakim will engage and inform on the Black History 101 Mobile Museum |
Class presentations to be held in Benson Faculty - if you are interested in bringing your classes, contact rplaza@scu.edu |
| February 11 |
Black History 101 Mobile Museum Established by the educator and scholar Dr. Khalid el-Hakim, the Black History 101 Mobile Museum stands as a renowned repository comprising over 10,000 original artifacts, spanning from the painful era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the vibrant culture of hip hop. Sponsored by Inclusive Excellence |
10am-3pm: Open to public 12:30-1:30pm: Presentation by Dr. Khalid el-Hakim St. Clare Room, Library (3rd Floor) |
| February 11 |
Holler Music: The Poetics of Appalachia Joy Priest in Conversation with Miah Jeffra |
12:00-1:00pm Library Commons LC129 Taping Rm A |
| February 11 |
A Reading and Conversation with Poet Joy Priest Sponsored by the Santa Clara Review, Center for Arts and Humanities, SCU English Department and OML |
6:00-7:30pm St. Clare Room, Library (3rd Floor) |
| February 11-13 |
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Yard Sale |
12:00-5:00pm Lawn between Benson and Kenna |
| February 12 |
Difficult Dialogue Sponsored by OML and Ethnic Studies Department |
11:45am-12:45pm Library Commons LC129 Taping Rm A |
| February 12 |
Diversity Works Expo Hosted by the SCU Career Center. Sponsored by Enterprise Mobility and ServiceNow. |
3:00-6:00pm Locatelli Student Activity Center |
| February 13 |
TJ Stewart Event for Faculty Pedagogies of Dissent: What’s Next for Faculty, Racial Justice, and Decolonization Sponsored by Educational Assessment, The Provost’s Office, Inclusive Excellence, and the SCU Library |
9:30-11:00am Varsi 222 |
|
TJ Stewart Keynote The “Doing” of Racial Justice and Decolonization in Higher Education Sponsored by Educational Assessment, The Provost’s Office, Inclusive Excellence, and the SCU Library |
12:00-1:00pm Benson Parlors B/C |
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|
TJ Stewart Event for Staff Equity and Justice in Co-Curricular Contexts Sponsored by Educational Assessment, The Provost’s Office, Inclusive Excellence, and the SCU Library |
2:00-3:30pm Varsi 222 |
|
| February 13 |
'Voices of Change' w/ Tyson Amir Hosted by the Multicultural Center (MCC) |
5:30-7:30pm SCDI North Lobby |
| February 25 |
Civic Indifference & Black Suffering: A Fireside Chat with Prof. Frank Wilderson III Sponsored by Center for Arts and Humanities |
6:30-8:00pm Music Recital Hall |
| February 27 |
Power of Presence: Black Leadership in Corporate Spaces Sponsored by the Black ERG and Leavey School of Business |
6:00-8:00pm Music Recital Hall |
| February 28 |
Night of Soul: SoulTrain x2 Hosted by Residence Life |
7:00-9:00pm California Mission Room |
If you have any questions about any of the listed events or would like to add an event to be featured, please reach out to Ray Plaza (rplaza@scu.edu) and/or Chris Harris (charris2@scu.edu).
A special thank you to our campus partners:
- Educational Assessment
- The Provost’s Office
- Inclusive Excellence
- SCU Library
- Office for Multicultural Learning
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- Department of Ethnic Studies
- SCU Athletics
- Black/Pan-African Employee Resource Group (ERG)
- University Marketing and Communications (UMC)
- Center for Arts and Humanities (CAH)