Event Series

Black History Month

In 1926, Carter G. Woodson laid the groundwork for Black History Month by establishing the first Negro History Week, an event dedicated to celebrating the history, politics, and culture of Black people.

Our theme for Black History Month 2025 is “Art, History, and Resistance.” This year’s theme is a powerful exploration of how Black creativity and resilience have shaped history and continue to inspire movements for justice and equality. Through a series of engaging events, we’ll honor the legacy of Black artists, activists, and innovators who have used their voices, talents, and actions to resist oppression and reimagine a better world. Join us throughout the month to honor the past, celebrate the present, and imagine the future. This year is more than a celebration—it’s a call to continue the legacy of resistance through art, history, and action. Along with thought-provoking programming, our Black History Month events will include celebrations such as concerts, ’Sco nights, Soul Session, and the Annual Ball. Regardless of your background and interests, there will be many opportunities to commemorate this special time of the year!

Check back here for updates throughout the month.

View the full event schedule

Art, History, and Resistance: Black History Month at Oberlin 2025.

Past Events

Michael Boyd Roman's Artist Talk and Reception

Saturday, February 1, 2025

11:00 am to 2:00 pm EST

Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA)

This event is the start of Professor Michael Boyd Roman's month long Winter Artist Residency and Exhibition at FAVA Art Gallery. Professor Roman is an artist who is dual appointed in both the...

Anthony McGill and Emanuel Ax

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

7:30 pm EST

Finney Chapel

Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures and principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic. Emanuel Ax has amassed eight Grammy Awards...

"Awakening To Justice" Film Screening & Discussion

Saturday, February 8, 2025

2:00 pm EST

Oberlin Public Library

The Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society is sponsoring a community showing of the film “Awakening to Justice” with conversation to follow. The film is a timely intervention,...

The History of Transmisogynoir

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

5:00 pm to 6:30 pm EST

Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies

As a part of Black History Month: Join Gender, Sexuality, and Attraction Initiatives for an exploration of the intersectional discrimination faced by Black trans women and femmes, highlighting its...

Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon

Friday, February 14, 2025

12:00 pm to 3:00 pm EST

Mudd Center, Seeley G.

Oberlin College Libraries will celebrate Frederick Douglass’ birthday by participating in the Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon event. You can drop in for as long (or as little) as you'd like...

Litm(us) L(i)te: Liberation Starts At Home

Saturday, February 15, 2025

11:00 am to 12:30 pm EST

Afrikan Heritage House (Lord-Saunders)

How does embodiment connect to success? Join us for a community conversation on Afro haircare as the ritual foundation of Afrikan embodiment and decolonizing the Black body as global capital...

Genealogy Workshop

Monday, February 17, 2025

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm EST

Mudd Center, Seeley G.

Join Residence Life in collaboration with Afrikan Heritage House for a genealogy workshop! We will be helping students work to create family trees and learn more about their family's history...

Guest Recital: "Linking Legacies"

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

7:30 pm EST

David H. Stull Recital Hall

A guest chamber music concert in Stull Recital Hall. This recital features Cornelius Johnson , tenor, John McLaughlin Williams , violin, Khari Joyner , cello , and Diana White-Gould '84, piano ...

Black Women Lead!

Thursday, February 20, 2025

7:00 pm EST

Nancy Schrom Dye Lecture Hall

Community engagement lies at the heart of Oberlin College's commitment to learning and labor. Black women have long been pivotal to the political, cultural, and economic life of Oberlin and...

Cooking Diasporic Foods with Africana Studies Faculty

Friday, February 21, 2025

5:00 pm EST

Lord-Saunders Dining at Afrikan Heritage House

Cook different dishes from across the Diaspora with Africana Studies Faculty members Charles Peterson, Meredith Gadsby, and Thomas Talawa Prestø. We will learn from these faculty members about...

Holistic Hair Care Workshop

Sunday, February 23, 2025

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm EST

Afrikan Heritage House (Lord-Saunders)

The MRC is collaborating with CSS, SOY and Brotherhood to provide a hair care workshop for students. The workshop will be led by a professional guest cosmetologist. This will be a hands-on workshop...

Guest Lecture: Nicole Cherry, violin & Chamber Music

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

7:00 pm to 8:15 pm EST

David H. Stull Recital Hall

Dr. Cherry will present a lecture on the compositions of George Bridgetower, a 19th-century Afro-European violin virtuoso and composer. This talk will include a performance of Bridgetower's...

Building Sisterhood: A Forum of Black Women and Femme of Oberlin

Saturday, March 1, 2025

7:00 pm to 10:00 pm EST

Hotel at Oberlin

Sisters of the Yam is an affinity space for Black women and femme-identifying individuals on Oberlin's campus. This coming spring, we are excited to host a forum designed to celebrate our...

Faculty Recital: Michael Frazier, composition

Saturday, March 8, 2025

12:30 pm EST

David H. Stull Recital Hall

Webcast Available

Watch the webcast – streamed live at concert time. Oberlin Conservatory composition faculty member Michael Frazier presents a composition recital : el jardín del colibrí (The...

Awakening to Justice Film Screening and Discussion

Saturday, March 8, 2025

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm EST

Nancy Schrom Dye Lecture Hall

Come join us for an afternoon of education and conversation about a group of scholars whose discovery of a forgotten abolitionist manuscript from 1839 led to a line of groundbreaking work that sheds...