Stony Brook University began its observance of the 100th anniversary of Black History Month with an opening ceremony on February 4 at the Stony Brook Union. The event commemorated a century since historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson established “Negro History Week” in 1926, which later expanded into Black History Month.
The ceremony started with a procession from the Student Activities Center Plaza and continued with formal events in the Stony Brook Union Ballroom. Keynote speakers Jarrett Drake and Jazmen Moore, both assistant professors in the Department of Africana Studies, addressed the evolution and ongoing impact of Black history commemorations as well as Woodson’s vision.
Drake highlighted Woodson’s scholarship, stating: “Woodson’s most well-known work is ‘The Mis-education of the Negro’ and he also wrote a very important book called ‘The History of the Negro Church,” said Drake. “But his book entitled ‘The Negro in Our History’ was watershed at the time of its release in 1922 because there had never been an academically trained social scientist who put the question out, ‘Do you remember the time when we, who are now called Negroes, now called Black, lived in a different time in a different place on the African continent?” He further noted that prior to Woodson’s work there was little scholarly exploration regarding African origins for people identified as Black in America. “Prior to Dr. Woodson, there was no scholar who was asking questions about the African origins of Black people in the Americas,” said Drake. “By taking that first leap, he allowed others to do more thorough work a little bit later.”
Moore discussed Woodson’s efforts against educational erasure and his collaboration with Black teachers to develop curriculum resources centered on Black history. She opened her remarks by asking attendees about their exposure to Black history during their schooling; roughly half responded affirmatively.
“I think Woodson intended his work to be something that we engaged in continuously, and for it to not have been stifled to one week or one month, even though he was creating those opportunities for us to celebrate,” she said.
Moore emphasized how Woodson aimed to address gaps within classrooms: “In 1927 Woodson observed that in practically all of the schoolhouses of Europe and America, there was not a picture on the wall or a book on the shelf to show that a Negro had ever achieved anything, and he was incensed,” she said. “He set out to change that.’”
She detailed how collaborative efforts among educators led to new classroom materials such as textbooks and posters centering Black experiences. Moore described how some teachers used covert strategies—“acts of fugitive pedagogy”—to teach these materials during periods when surveillance from outsiders occurred under Jim Crow laws.
Moore also recognized contributions by Stony Brook students and alumni toward founding its Africana Studies Department while encouraging ongoing support for spaces affirming diverse identities within Black communities.
Donna-Lee Mahabeer, director of Diversity, Intercultural and Community Engagement (DICE), commented on reaching this milestone: “This event marks an amazing milestone,” said Donna-Lee Mahabeer. “This is a centennial and we are community building. In times such as these, it seems like we’re on borrowed time with Black History Month. I’m grateful that this could happen, and I’m grateful that you are all still invested in celebrating this culture and this tradition at Stony Brook.”
Stony Brook will hold events throughout February aligned with this year’s national theme from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History: “A Century of Black History Commemorations.” The program includes lectures, performances, panel discussions and other activities focused on academic study and community involvement; details are available through SBEngaged as well as via their Black History Month website.
