2026 Black History Month events will be posted when they are available.
2025 Black History Month Events
Monday, February 3. 2025
Virtual event
The John Carter Brown Library presents Tara A. Bynum (University of Iowa) who will discuss her book, Reading Pleasures: Everyday Black Living in Early America (University of Illinois Press, 2023).
The John Carter Brown Library presents Tara A. Bynum (University of Iowa) who will discuss her book, Reading Pleasures: Everyday Black Living in Early America (University of Illinois Press, 2023).
Wednesday February 5
Nightingale-Brown House
In The Darkened Light of Faith, Melvin Rogers provides a bold new account of African American political thought through the works and lives of individuals who built this vital tradition—figures as diverse as David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, Billie Holiday, and James Baldwin—a tradition that is urgently needed today.
In The Darkened Light of Faith, Melvin Rogers provides a bold new account of African American political thought through the works and lives of individuals who built this vital tradition—figures as diverse as David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, Billie Holiday, and James Baldwin—a tradition that is urgently needed today.
Thursday February 6
Annenberg Institute
The Annenberg Education Policy Seminar presents Marissa Thompson, assistant professor of Sociology at Columbia University, a scholar of the causes and consequences of racial and socioeconomic inequality, with a focus on understanding the role of education in shaping disparate outcomes over the life course.
The Annenberg Education Policy Seminar presents Marissa Thompson, assistant professor of Sociology at Columbia University, a scholar of the causes and consequences of racial and socioeconomic inequality, with a focus on understanding the role of education in shaping disparate outcomes over the life course.
Granoff Center for the Creative Arts
Join the Black Music Lab and the Department of Music for an informal mixer that brings together the vibrant BIPOC music community at Brown and beyond.
Join the Black Music Lab and the Department of Music for an informal mixer that brings together the vibrant BIPOC music community at Brown and beyond.
Salomon Center 101
The Lemley Family Leadership Lecture Series presents Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor, Institute for Advanced Study and former deputy assistant to President Joseph Biden and acting director, White House, Office of Science and Technology Policy, in conversation with Prudence Carter of Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America and Suresh Venkatasubramanian of Data Science Institute.
The Lemley Family Leadership Lecture Series presents Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor, Institute for Advanced Study and former deputy assistant to President Joseph Biden and acting director, White House, Office of Science and Technology Policy, in conversation with Prudence Carter of Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America and Suresh Venkatasubramanian of Data Science Institute.
Friday February 7
Virtual event
This expert panel presentation will prepare health researchers at all stages of career development to establish and maintain effective collaborations with community partners by exploring approaches to community engagement and providing tools and resources for initiating new projects.
This expert panel presentation will prepare health researchers at all stages of career development to establish and maintain effective collaborations with community partners by exploring approaches to community engagement and providing tools and resources for initiating new projects.
Monday February 10
Brown Bookstore
For fans of "Aftershocks" and "How to Slowly Kill Yourself" and "Others in America," a gripping and deeply honest memoir in essays, Theresa Okokon discusses her debut memoir "Who I Always Was" with Grace Talusan, Lecturer, Nonfiction Writing Program, English Department.
For fans of "Aftershocks" and "How to Slowly Kill Yourself" and "Others in America," a gripping and deeply honest memoir in essays, Theresa Okokon discusses her debut memoir "Who I Always Was" with Grace Talusan, Lecturer, Nonfiction Writing Program, English Department.
Tuesday February 11
The Lindemann Performing Arts Center
Bringing together award winning writers Claudia Rankine and Bernardine Evaristo in conversation with Kwame Dawes, this event will feature a reading from Rankine and Evaristo and a conversation guided by Dawes that will explore each of their works as well as their engagements with the nuances and emergences of contemporary African and African diasporic literatures.
Bringing together award winning writers Claudia Rankine and Bernardine Evaristo in conversation with Kwame Dawes, this event will feature a reading from Rankine and Evaristo and a conversation guided by Dawes that will explore each of their works as well as their engagements with the nuances and emergences of contemporary African and African diasporic literatures.
Wednesday February 12
Stephen Robert Hall
The Watson Institute presents multi-talented artists Chachi Carvalho and Othannah Tomasina for a night of spoken word and open mic.
The Watson Institute presents multi-talented artists Chachi Carvalho and Othannah Tomasina for a night of spoken word and open mic.
Thursday February 13
Virtual event
Join Erik Willis of the People, Place & Health Collective and the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose for a series on racial equity and methods. Learn about rigorous methods for evaluating and addressing racial equity with respect to the nation’s overdose crisis.
Join Erik Willis of the People, Place & Health Collective and the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose for a series on racial equity and methods. Learn about rigorous methods for evaluating and addressing racial equity with respect to the nation’s overdose crisis.
Grant Recital Hall
Among his generation of concert artists, pianist Awadagin Pratt is acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances in recital and with symphony orchestras. Pratt’s masterclass with Brown University musicians is free and open to the public.
Among his generation of concert artists, pianist Awadagin Pratt is acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances in recital and with symphony orchestras. Pratt’s masterclass with Brown University musicians is free and open to the public.
Thursday February 20
Alumnae Hall
Join Dean Ashish K. Jha and guest Congressman Gabe Amo, who represents Rhode Island’s First District in the U.S. House of Representatives, for lunch and a conversation about the intersections of public health, public policy and politics.
Join Dean Ashish K. Jha and guest Congressman Gabe Amo, who represents Rhode Island’s First District in the U.S. House of Representatives, for lunch and a conversation about the intersections of public health, public policy and politics.
McCormack Family Theater
Author of "Book of the Little Axe," a 2020 finalist for the Hurston/Wright Award in Fiction, Francis-Sharma’s critically acclaimed first novel, "’Til the Well Runs Dry" was awarded the Honor Fiction Prize by the Black Caucus of the ALA. Her third novel, "Casualties of Truth," is inspired by her time at South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Amnesty Hearings.
Author of "Book of the Little Axe," a 2020 finalist for the Hurston/Wright Award in Fiction, Francis-Sharma’s critically acclaimed first novel, "’Til the Well Runs Dry" was awarded the Honor Fiction Prize by the Black Caucus of the ALA. Her third novel, "Casualties of Truth," is inspired by her time at South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Amnesty Hearings.
Andrews House
Bradley L. Craig's current book project, "Oathbound: Sovereignty and Belonging in the Revolutionary Atlantic World," tells the story of Jamaica’s Trelawny Maroons and their forced migration to Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone following the Anglo-Maroon War of 1795-96.
Bradley L. Craig's current book project, "Oathbound: Sovereignty and Belonging in the Revolutionary Atlantic World," tells the story of Jamaica’s Trelawny Maroons and their forced migration to Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone following the Anglo-Maroon War of 1795-96.
The League of United Black Women and the BCSC Black Heritage Series host an evening celebrating the vibrancy and resilience of the Black community at Brown. Featuring dazzling student performances and a tribute to the graduating Class of 2025. This year’s theme, Ubuntu: Blackness in Bloom, embraces the power of collective growth, highlighting how Blackness blooms through unity, culture, and shared experiences.
Friday February 21
Join the Students for Latinos/Latinx in Public Health, Graduate Student Council and DEI Office for a celebration of Afro-Latino culture at Sabor y Ritmo! This event highlights the traditions, music, and flavors of Afro-Latino heritage. Experience a fusion of Zumba dancing and savor authentic cuisine from Afro-Latino communities.
Monday February 24
Granoff Center
The 2025 MLK Jr. Lecture presents Rev. William J. Barber II of the Poor People’s Campaign, one of the most gifted moral fusion organizers, strategists and orators in the country. As an indispensable figure in the public policy and public theology landscape, he believes it’s time for everyone who cares about the state of our nation to heed the call and join forces to redeem the soul of America.
The 2025 MLK Jr. Lecture presents Rev. William J. Barber II of the Poor People’s Campaign, one of the most gifted moral fusion organizers, strategists and orators in the country. As an indispensable figure in the public policy and public theology landscape, he believes it’s time for everyone who cares about the state of our nation to heed the call and join forces to redeem the soul of America.
Wednesday February 26
121 South Main Street, Room 901
Kisha Braithwaite is professor and director of research and scholarship in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a professor in the department of community health and preventive medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine. Her talk will focus on her book, "Black Women and Resilience: Power, Perseverance, and Public Health."
Kisha Braithwaite is professor and director of research and scholarship in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a professor in the department of community health and preventive medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine. Her talk will focus on her book, "Black Women and Resilience: Power, Perseverance, and Public Health."
The Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender invites students to a community art gathering centered on Black feminist artistic practices and ancestral memory. Facilitated by Siena Smith and Ashley J. May, attendees will be in conversation with the Kin Folk Archive Quilt, a community quilt made for the Lil’Free Bird Library, displayed in the Sarah Doyle Center Gallery.
Thursday February 27
Warren Alpert Medical School
As a transracially adopted person, April Dinwoodie will share her personal journey and use it as a lens to explore broader systemic opportunities in healthcare. Through a combination of lived experiences and research-based insights, Dinwoodie will highlight how adoption can teach the world about the importance of fairness, inclusion and belonging in patient care.
As a transracially adopted person, April Dinwoodie will share her personal journey and use it as a lens to explore broader systemic opportunities in healthcare. Through a combination of lived experiences and research-based insights, Dinwoodie will highlight how adoption can teach the world about the importance of fairness, inclusion and belonging in patient care.
McCormack Family Theater
The author of five books, including "Voodoo Hypothesis," "The Dyzgraphxst," "The World after Rain" (2025), and "Code Noir," Lubrin’s honours include a 2021 Windham-Campbell Prize, OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and Griffin Poetry Prize.
The author of five books, including "Voodoo Hypothesis," "The Dyzgraphxst," "The World after Rain" (2025), and "Code Noir," Lubrin’s honours include a 2021 Windham-Campbell Prize, OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and Griffin Poetry Prize.
Please join us for a lecture from Dr. Beth Coleman on her recent work in AI followed by a conversation with Dr. Alexander Weheliye.
Friday February 28
This event has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience.
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SPH is hosting a live stream of the 46th Annual Minority Health Conference. This year’s conference theme highlights the power of comprehensive, data-driven research in advancing health equity. By leveraging technology and data, we can design systems and conduct investigations that equitably serve all populations.
Join the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice for a talk by Simmons Center/Watson Institute Joint Historical Injustice and Democracy Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Latoya M. Teague. She'll discuss Rituals of Refusal, a compilation of ‘story’ and ‘storytelling’ uplifting the myriad ways marginalized people have used writing and creation as a source for preservation, collective gathering, and record keeping.
This concert features West African master drummers from Ghana, Senegal, Mali, and Guinea. The musicians – Lamine Touré, Seny Tatchol Camara, Moussa Traore, Sidi Mohamed Camara, Emmanuel Attah Poku, and Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng – perform together for this special event.
All Brown University community members are welcome and encouraged to attend!