BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The Courage We Carry: Stories of Black Brilliance & Resilience
This year’s Black History Month theme celebrates the stories that reveal the strength, creativity, and enduring resilience of Black communities. “The Courage We Carry” highlights how storytelling has preserved history, sparked change, and showcased Black brilliance across generations. We invite our community to reflect on these narratives, uplift voices past and present, and create space for new stories of courage to emerge.
This Black History Month, celebrate "The Courage We Carry" with these special events:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Invisibility and Influence: A Literary History of AfroLatinidades
5-6:30 p.m., Falvey Speaker's Corner
Co-hosted by TAS: Office of Community Engagement and Falvey Library
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8
OBI Black History Month Coffee Hour
10:30-11:30 a.m., SUITE Kitchen (Corr Hall)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11
The Real Reels: Concrete Cowboy
6 p.m., Connelly Center Cinema
Hosted by BSU and VSB UNITAS/ Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Council (DUSAC)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12
Spotlight Speaker Series featuring Angela Val, CEO of Visit Philly
4 p.m., PwC Auditorium, Bartley Hall
Hosted by VSB UNITAS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Lunch with Lepage: The Return of the Black Knight
Featuring Dr. Maghan Keita
Noon-1 p.m., Falvey Speaker's Corner
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21
Majorette Workshop with Villanova’s “The Blueprint,” featuring Ajale' Olaséni
4-5:30 p.m., Mullen Center Dance Studio, Room 307
Hosted by The Blueprint
100 YEARS OF BLACK HISTORY
2026 marks 100 years of official “Black History Month” celebrations. Back in 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson started ‘Negro History Week’ in February, with the hopes that this week could begin dedicated celebrations of Black history in American culture. Continued by him and his colleagues in the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), this single week grew to become a nationally recognized heritage month. While it can be hard to believe that such a well-known celebration only started 100 years ago, we must celebrate how far the Black identity has come; from Barak Obama, the first Black President of the United States, to Beyoncé, the most-awarded Grammy winner in history, African-Americans have continued to shine, overcome, and innovate. Every victory has been hard-earned, and every battle has been hard-fought. In an increasingly polarized and divided world, let us join together as Villanovans this Black History Month to celebrate the courage and brilliance of Black trailblazers, past and present, who proudly represented their culture.
Be sure to keep an eye out for our campus events and celebrations! If you would like to learn more about the 100th year of Black History Month, we encourage you to visit these websites:
- A Brief History of Black History Month (Forbes, January 5, 2026)
- BlackHistory100.org
- Black History Themes