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.

This year, we are proud to continue this legacy in our chosen theme for Black History Month 2023: Remembering Our Roots. This theme embodies our commitment to studying Black culture and supporting Black people throughout history, recognizing the diversity and importance of Black experiences, narratives, and innovations.

Our schedule of events to commemorate Black History Month at Oberlin has been carefully curated to offer meaningful opportunities for engagement among all members of our campus and community.

Check back to this page for additional events all month.

View the full event schedule

Remembering Our Roots: Oberlin College Black History Month 2023.

Past Events

Black History Month Opening Dinner

Wednesday, February 1, 2023
5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Lord-Saunders Dining at Afrikan Heritage House
Celebrate the beginning of Black History Month!

Black Splitchers

Wednesday, February 1, 2023
10:00 pm to 1:00 am
Dionysus Club (the ’Sco)
Take a mid-week break and decompress with music and dancing. Hosted by ABUSUA.

Theater Mainstage: Ophelia: A Prism

Thursday, February 2, 2023
7:30 pm
Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater
Ophelia: A Prism shifts focus from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the ingénue Ophelia- or rather, three aspects of herself. These contrasting Sister Selves (Green, Brass, and Orange) take...

Theater Mainstage: Ophelia: A Prism

Friday, February 3, 2023
7:30 pm
Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater
Ophelia: A Prism shifts focus from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the ingénue Ophelia- or rather, three aspects of herself. These contrasting Sister Selves (Green, Brass, and Orange) take...

Theater Mainstage: Ophelia: A Prism

Saturday, February 4, 2023
2:00 pm
Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater
Ophelia: A Prism shifts focus from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the ingénue Ophelia- or rather, three aspects of herself. These contrasting Sister Selves (Green, Brass, and Orange) take...

Telling New Stories about Black History in Oberlin

Saturday, February 4, 2023
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Updates from The Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Theater Project and Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society Join the Zoom meeting: https://oberlin.zoom.us/j/83929956787 Meeting ID: 839 2995 6787...

Theater Mainstage: Ophelia: A Prism

Saturday, February 4, 2023
7:30 pm
Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater
Ophelia: A Prism shifts focus from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the ingénue Ophelia- or rather, three aspects of herself. These contrasting Sister Selves (Green, Brass, and Orange) take...

Theater Mainstage: Ophelia: A Prism

Sunday, February 5, 2023
2:00 pm
Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater
Ophelia: A Prism shifts focus from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the ingénue Ophelia- or rather, three aspects of herself. These contrasting Sister Selves (Green, Brass, and Orange) take...

Melanin Mondays

Monday, February 6, 2023
10:00 pm to 1:00 am
Dionysus Club (the ’Sco)
Hosted by Sisters of the Yam (SOY) and Brotherhood.

Black Splitchers

Wednesday, February 8, 2023
10:00 pm to 1:00 am
Dionysus Club (the ’Sco)
Take a mid-week break and relax at the 'Sco. Hosted by the African Students Association (ASA)

Alumni Soul Session

Friday, February 10, 2023
9:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Afrikan Heritage House (Lord-Saunders)
This special edition of our monthly Soul Session open mic will be hosted by Ryan Dearon '18, and will feature performances by faculty, staff, alumni, and current students. Photo of Ryan Dearon by...

Celebrate Black History Everyday: A Road Trip to Detroit

Saturday, February 11, 2023
7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Detroit, Michigan
We are headed to Detroit! The MRC is hosting a road trip to Detroit, Michigan where students will be able to visit the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History as well as the Motown...

Black History Month Movie Night: Coach Carter

Saturday, February 11, 2023
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Jesse Philips Physical Education Center
Join the Black Student-Athlete Group (BSAG) for Movie Night featuring the screening of Coach Carter. Coach Carter is based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter (...

Melanin Mondays

Monday, February 13, 2023
10:00 pm to 1:00 am
Dionysus Club (the ’Sco)
Hosted by the Oberlin College Black Musicians Guild (OCBMG)

Douglass Day Transcribe-A-Thon

Tuesday, February 14, 2023
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Mudd Center, Seeley G.
Oberlin College Libraries will celebrate Frederick Douglass’ birthday by participating in the Douglass Day Transcribe-A-Thon event on Tuesday, Feb. 14. This year's event features the papers...

Black Splitchers

Wednesday, February 15, 2023
10:00 pm to 1:00 am
Dionysus Club (the ’Sco)
Take a mid-week break at The 'Sco, hosted by Students of Caribbean Ancestry (SOCA).

For the Love of the Land: A Read-In

Thursday, February 16, 2023
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Mudd Center, Seeley G.
Join us for a Black History Month Read-In event on Thursday, Feb. 16 from 4:30-5:30 pm in the Academic Commons (first floor of Mudd). The entire campus community is invited to participate in a public...

Concert: Jazz Faculty

Sunday, February 19, 2023
7:30 pm
Finney Chapel
Webcast Available
Watch the webcast – streamed live at concert time. Hear a performance in Finney Chapel featuring faculty members from the Conservatory's Jazz Division. They will be performing the...

OJS Presents: Nduduzo Makhathini Quartet

Monday, February 20, 2023
9:00 pm
Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse
Nduduzo Makhathini grew up in the lush and rugged hillscapes of umGungundlovu in South Africa, a peri-urban landscape in which music and ritual practices were symbiotically linked. The area is...

Fat Tuesday

Tuesday, February 21, 2023
5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Lord-Saunders Dining at Afrikan Heritage House
Come out to African Heritage House for dinner and an evening of jazz.

Virginia Proctor Powell Florence: A Life, A Legacy

Tuesday, February 21, 2023
6:30 pm
Oberlin Public Library
Join the Oberlin Heritage Center for a program about Oberlin College alumna Virginia Proctor Powell Florence, who was the second African American and the first African American woman to earn a...

Student Experiences in Africa

Wednesday, February 22, 2023
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Mudd Center, Seeley G.
Every thought about studying in Africa? Hear from students who have! Africana Studies and Study Away will host a student panel discussiong their experiences studying abroad in programs across Africa...

Black Splitchers

Wednesday, February 22, 2023
10:00 pm to 1:00 am
Dionysus Club (the ’Sco)
Take a mid-week break at the 'Sco, hosted by And What!?

Mindful Meditation

Thursday, February 23, 2023
12:15 pm to 1:15 pm
Clinical therapist Libni López leads sessions of intentional mindfulness centered around a work of art followed by a discussion facilitated by Ellis Lane, Curatorial Assistant in the Allen...

Concert: "Linking Legacies"

Thursday, February 23, 2023
7:30 pm
Kulas Recital Hall
Webcast Available
Watch the webcast – streamed live at concert time. A chamber concert featuring Dianna White-Gould '84, piano, Khari Joyner, cello, Cornelius Johnson, voice, Chris Jenkins, viola. They will...

The Black History Month Ball

Saturday, February 25, 2023
8:00 pm to 12:00 am
Hotel at Oberlin
This year’s theme for ABUSUA’s annual Black History Month Ball, is "A Night in the Garden." Come join us at the Hotel at Oberlin on February 25 from 8 p.m. to midnight. Let...

Oberlin Improv Fest: Afrofuturism Presentation by Nicole Mitchell

Thursday, March 2, 2023
7:00 pm to 8:15 pm
David H. Stull Recital Hall
Nicole M. Mitchell is an award-winning creative flutist, composer, bandleader and educator. She is perhaps best known for her work as a flutist, having developed a unique improvisational language and...

Oberlin Improv Fest: Nicole Mitchell Concert

Friday, March 3, 2023
8:00 pm
Birenbaum Innovation and Performance Space
Webcast Available
Watch the webcast – streamed live at concert time. A guest recital with Nicole Mitchell in The Birenbaum. Conservatory students and faculty will be joining Nicole Mitchell on stage. Program:...

Open Forum: Dr. Steven Lewis

Wednesday, March 8, 2023
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm
Birenbaum Innovation and Performance Space
This forum is a conversation with Dr. Steven Lewis, Assistant Professor of African American and African Diasporic Musics Courtney-Savali Andrews, and Associate Dean for Student Support Chris Jenkins...

Black History Month Mobile Museum

Wednesday, March 15, 2023
11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Afrikan Heritage House (Lord-Saunders)
Founded by Dr. Khalid el-Hakim, the Black History 101 Mobile Museum is an award-winning collection of over 10,000 original artifacts of Black memorabilia dating from the trans-Atlantic slave trade...

Panel Discussion: Members of Mourning [A] BLKStar

Wednesday, March 15, 2023
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm
Birenbaum Innovation and Performance Space
Mourning [A] BLKStar , the experimental, genre-bending, hip-hop group from Cleveland, will participate in a panel facilitated by Associate Dean Chris Jenkins. This event is a part of series.