Salem State Celebrates Black History Month 2026

Guided by the theme A Century of Black History Commemorations, this year’s Black History Month observance honors pivotal milestones that underscore the enduring significance of Black history, collective resistance, and the ongoing pursuit of justice and liberation.

100th Anniversary of Negro History Week

At the heart of this year’s commemoration is the 100th anniversary of Negro History Week, established in 1926 by historian and educator Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Created to challenge the exclusion of Black experiences from formal education, Negro History Week laid the foundation for what would later become Black History Month. One hundred years later, we honor Woodson’s visionary legacy by continuing to uplift Black histories, contributions, scholarship, and cultural knowledge across our campus and beyond.

70th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

This year also commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956)—a defining moment in the modern Civil Rights Movement. Sparked by Rosa Parks and sustained by the courage, discipline, and collective action of Black community members, the boycott demonstrated the transformative power of organized, nonviolent resistance. Its legacy continues to inform contemporary movements for racial justice, civic engagement, and community empowerment. 

In recognition of the 70th anniversary, the Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) and Inclusive Excellence’s Center for Equity, Education, and Belonging (CEEB) are collaborating on a three-part program series. The series will begin with an Eyes on the Prize community viewing and discussion, continue with a Learning and Action Community (February–April), and culminate in a panel and community conversation on civil resistance and the enduring legacy of the Montgomery Bus Boycott on April 9.

Programming Calendar

Throughout the month, Inclusive Excellence invites the campus community to engage in programs and initiatives that reflect the histories, legacies, and futures of Black, African, Afro-Caribbean, and diasporic communities. Black History Month 2026 calls us to reflect on the contributions of the Black community to American society, while imagining a future rooted in action, accountability, and collective care.

BHM Exhibit: Black Futures: How To See in Total Darkness 2.0

January 20 – February 20; Winfisky Gallery, George H. Ellison Campus Center

Artists: Dell M. Hamilton, Karmimadeebora McMillan, Jamal Thorne

Curator: Ari Montford | Co-Curator: Jameel Radcliffe

• Artist Talk and Reception: Wednesday, January 28 | 12:30 PM; 1:30–3:00 PM
• Evening Reception: Friday, February 6 | 6:00–7:30 PM

This exhibition continues the Black Futures conversation by centering voices of provocation in a cultural climate that questions free speech and expression as foundational to a collective and inclusive democracy. Featuring Boston-based artists, the exhibition explores how race, gender, social relations, history, and culture shape both figurative and abstract artistic practices. Rather than offering easy answers, Black Futures 2.0 invites viewers into complex questions about meaning, representation, and possibility.

Gallery Hours: Weekdays, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Location: 1 Meier Hall Drive, Salem, MA
Contact: Ken Reker, kreker@salemstate.edu

Dance Guest Artists Split Bill: Afmohip / Barbie Diewald

Saturday, January 31 | 7:30 PM
Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
Free admission for Salem State students, faculty, and staff

This evening of dance features new work and repertory by Joanne “Jojo” Caidor (Visiting Lecturer in Dance, Salem State University) and Barbie Diewald (Associate Professor of Dance, Mount Holyoke College).

Afmohip, directed by Jojo Caidor, presents repertory celebrating the beauty and diversity of the African Diaspora through Modern and Hip Hop dance. Joined by an intergenerational cast, Barbie Diewald shares an excerpt from A Lexicon for Lesbian Aesthetics, a contemporary work informed by archival research on lesbian and queer women choreographers of the 1980s and 1990s.

BHM Karaoke Night 

Tuesday, February 3 
Starbucks Café
Hosted by Black Student Union

Eyes on the Prize: Viewing and Discussion

Wednesday, February 4 | 4:30–6:00 PM
Ellison Campus Center MLK Jr. Room
Hosted by the Center for Teaching Innovation and Inclusive Excellence

BHM Movie Night

Thursday, February 5 
Ellison Campus Center Veterans Hall
Hosted by Black Student Union

Healing a BEE Sting: Navigating the Political Climate as Women of Color

Thursday, February 5 | 4:30–6:00 PM
Ellison Campus Center MLK Jr. Room
Hosted by Bold, Empowered, Educated Sisters (BEES)

Boston Busing: Advocacy, Resistance, and Lived Experience

Friday, February 13 | 9:25 am to 10:40 am; Noon to 1:30 pm

Featuring Lew Finfer, Co-Chair of the Boston Desegregation and Busing Initiative and Director of Massachusetts Action for Justice, this program explores advocacy efforts to improve schooling, community resistance, and the lived experiences of desegregation in Massachusetts.

• Classroom Conversation: 9:25–10:40 AM
• BHM Lunch & Learn: Boston Busing Oral Histories
  Doors open at 12:00 PM | Program: 12:15–1:30 PM

Sponsored by the Departments of Politics, Policy & International Relations and History, Inclusive Excellence, and the BATE Center for Global Education.

Barbershop Talk

Wednesday, February 25 | 5:00–9:00 PM
ECC Veterans Hall
Hosted by The Brotherhood

BHM Dinner

Thursday, February 26 
Ellison Campus Center Veterans Hall
Hosted by Black Student Union