Opening Ceremony 2009
Joyce S. Johnson, President and CEO of the Black Equity Alliance, Inc. is the keynote speaker for the Black History Month Opening Program, to be held on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, from 12:40–2:10 pm in the SAC Auditorium. The Black History Month Committee, the Department of Africana Studies, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs are coordinating this major campus program.

Many of the 37 programs scheduled to take place during Black History Month will reflect this year's theme: "Sankofa! Where Do We Go From Here?" The concept of Sankofa is derived from a West African word that transliterated means "it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot." In the context of Black History Month, "Sankofa" suggests that we cannot ignore the lessons of our past if America is to become a stronger, more inclusive nation. The question "Where Do We Go From Here?" is intended to challenges us to think and act both individually and collectively, as we plan to further improve the conditions of our campus, local communities, our nation, and the world.

Click here for a schedule of 2009 Black History Month events.

Black History Month is celebrated throughout the United States in the month of February. Stony Brook's annual observance of Black History Month, coordinated by the Black History Month Planning Committee, includes panels, symposia, and lectures, as well as cultural and social events.

Why February?
In 1926, Harvard scholar-activist Carter G. Woodson proposed the second week of February for "Negro History Week," primarily because it marks the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men who had profoundly impacted the history of black people in America. The week was expanded into an entire month in 1976 as the nation reached its bicentennial year. At this time new light was thrown on the significance of February in African-American History:

• February 23, 1868: Birthday of W.E.B. DuBois, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, educator, historian, writer, editor, poet, and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
• February 3, 1870: The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting blacks the right to vote, became law.
• February 25, 1870: Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first black Senator, took his oath of office.
• February 12, 1909: The NAACP was founded in New York City.
• February 1, 1960: A group of black Greensboro, North Carolina, college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter.
• February 21, 1965: Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black Nationalism, was assassinated.

Carrying Forth the Mission
Stony Brook University's racial diversity and scholarly excellence puts us in an outstanding position to celebrate the achievements and acknowledge the struggles of African-Americans. This is, of course, a year-round responsibility. With the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, we believe that "Black history, like American history, should be studied 365 days a year.  Yet [we] continue to view February as the critical month for carrying forth the mission."