Each year, Black History Month serves as a call to communities across the nation to reflect and celebrate the rich history of Black resilience, creativity, and leadership. At CSUDH, where diversity is integrated into the fabric of campus life, Black History Month becomes more than a national celebration. It becomes a living, breathing experience shaped by students’ voices.
This year, CSUDH celebrated Black History Month with a series of events that combined art, academia, and community storytelling, giving students a chance to reflect on the past while looking towards the future. Whether it was a panel discussion on representation or a performance celebrating Black joy, the campus hosted a month’s worth of events that put Black voices front and center.
In February, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Black Student Union, and various academic departments collaborated to host events that showcased the richness and diversity that CSUDH has to offer.
Maya Colens, a junior majoring in Communications, said this year’s events felt more engaging than expected. “I think what I liked this year is that the university actually gave us things we could enjoy and show up for, not just the usual announcements,” Colen said in an interview with The Bulletin.
Colens also noted that having designated spaces for Black students made the month more meaningful and helped her feel more connected to the university. For her, these spaces were not just physical spaces; they were spaces that reminded her that the university was creating spaces for Black students to congregate, be themselves, and feel seen. Belonging is a significant factor in how the month was experienced by many students and further solidified the notion that Black History Month at CSUDH was not just about the events, but the spaces created for the students to be themselves.
The variety of events throughout the month not only resonated with those who were there, but it also reflected the efforts of student leaders and cultural organizations who helped make these events happen. For those who were part of the Black Resource Center, seeing students attend these events and feel represented was a reminder of how important it is to create a space where Black students feel supported and celebrated.
The first Haram-based Summit was initiated by the Black Resource Center in the form of presentations on education, health, and organization. A haram-based summit is simply a meeting of the community in which the core concept is that everyone comes together and learns from one another. It was initiated in conjunction with the Africana Studies Department and attracted over 95 participants, including 17 presenters from various institutions of learning. Student workers and the former program director, Aaron Jones, of the Black Resource Center, played a vital part in the organization of the summit, which proved to be quite significant for the participants.
The summit was also able to leverage strong relationships with the university, including promotional support from the College of Arts and Humanities and the College of Education, with some professors even offering extra credit to students who came to the summit. The positive feedback from attendees has already led to discussions about bringing the summit back next year, which would be a promising start to what could become a new CSUDH tradition. Leading the efforts to make this happen was Tremaine Davis, the Program Director at the Black Resource Center.
“We’ve had a lot of students come back and ask if we’re going to do the event again next year,” said Davis. “The survey feedback we received shows that students would really love to see the program return. It was a great way for us to not only add to what the campus already had going on, but also to collaborate with Africana Studies and create a space where all that energy around celebrating Black culture could come together.”
Beyond the summit, Black History Month programming continued across campus in ways that highlighted creativity and cultural expression.
“For me, the month was more about learning than anything else. I liked seeing events that highlighted parts of Black history I didn’t know much about, especially the workshops and discussions,” said Jasmine Reed, a sophomore majoring in Sociology. “It wasn’t really about feeling celebrated, but more about getting exposed to things I probably wouldn’t have explored on my own.”
As programming concluded, organizers reminded everyone that Black History Month is not the end of CSUDH’s efforts to support Black students and continue the dialogue on issues of equity on campus.