From Illinois to the Moon: The Life and Legacy of George R. Carruthers

Electrical and Computer Building 306 N. Wright Street, Urbana, IL

Professor Lara Waldrop will discuss her NASA research project, The Carruthers Geocorona Project. The name honors Dr. George R. Carruthers, a prominent, three-time Illinois alumnus. As one of the first African American men to earn a doctorate degree in astrophysics, Dr. George R. Carruthers is known as a trailblazer. He invented the camera that took

Battle of the Books | Black History Month

Champaign Public Library - Douglass Branch 504 E. Grove St., Champaign, IL

Students in grades 3 to 5 can celebrate Black History Month by challenging their book knowledge in our 19th annual Battle of the Books. Find copies of the required books at the Douglass Branch and Main Library. Every participant will receive a prize book. Teams can have up to 12 students. Contact your school to

Walking With My Ancestors: Cape Coast Castle by Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum

Spurlock Museum 600 S. Gregory, Urbana, IL

Walking with My Ancestors: Cape Coast Castle (2019), the award-winning and nationally recognized performance piece, is about a mother’s search for guidance from the spirits of her ancestors in the dungeons for enslaved Africans. The story takes the audience through a ritual journey that includes dance, music, and drama and leads to revelation, reconciliation, and rebirth. Walking

Black History Month Show at Boomerangs

Boomerangs Bar & Grill 1309 E. Washington St., Urbana, IL

Join this celebration of Black history, which is American history, at Boomerangs Bar & Grill on February 25 from 7–9 PM. The show will include comedy, poetry, live music, and more. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1083892879499686.

ANCHOR: The Music, the Message, and the Movement of Black American Artists

Smith Memorial Hall 805 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL

Join us for ANCHOR - a free concert dedicated to the music, message, and movement of Black American Artists. This special evening is set to take place on Wednesday, February 28th, at the Smith Recital Hall, starting at 7:30 PM. Department of Dance Dr. C. Kemal Nance Lily Freebery Jade Lajeune Department of Theatre Lisa

Krannert Center Uncorked with Nadirah Shakoor

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL

Presented in collaboration with Illinois Soul 101.1 FM in celebration of Black History Month. The recipient of a Grammy nomination, an MTV Video Award, the 2005 Artist for a Better World award, and the 2006 Spirit of Youth award, Nadirah Shakoor is best known as the former lead female vocalist of acclaimed hip hop group

Interseminars | Kameelah Janan Rasheed

Levis Faculty Center 919 W. Illinois St., Room 300, Urbana, IL

Kameelah Janan Rasheed (artist, educator, and writer, Cooper Union) will present an artist talk. This event is part of the Interseminars series for "Improvise and Intervene," supported by the Mellon Foundation. About the Speaker A learner, Kameelah Janan Rasheed (she/they), grapples with the poetics-pleasures-politics of Black knowledge production, information technologies, learning, and belief formation. They are a recipient of a 2022

Panel: “‘Rich and Talented and Black and Troubled’: Black Professional Athletes and the Black Freedom Struggle”

Levis Faculty Center 919 W. Illinois St., Room 300, Urbana, IL

Theresa Runstedtler (American Studies, American University) will be presenting, with Daniel Gilbert (Labor and Employment Relations, History) commenting. Part of the symposium Sporting Publics: History, Sports, and American Culture, which is taking place March 28–29, 2024. About the Speaker Theresa Runstedtler, PhD is an award-winning scholar of African American history whose research focuses on the intersection of race, masculinity,

Sporting Publics Symposium | Panel with Louis Moore, Daniel Nasset

Levis Faculty Center 919 W. Illinois St., Room 300, Urbana, IL

Professor Louis Moore will speak about his book I Fight for a Living: Boxing and the Battle for Black Manhood, 1880-1915 (University of Illinois Press, 2017). Respondent Daniel Nasset (Editor-in-Chief, University of Illinois Press) will share the editor's perspective on turning one's idea into a book that speaks to sporting publics. Part of the symposium Sporting Publics: History, Sports, and American

Sporting Publics Symposium | Conversation with Shakeia Taylor

Levis Faculty Center 919 W. Illinois St., Room 300, Urbana, IL

Shakeia Taylor is a Chicago-based award-winning writer and storyteller, whose work focuses on the intersection of sports, history, and culture. She is currently a Deputy Senior Content Editor at the Chicago Tribune, host of the Society for American Baseball Research’s (SABR) monthly interview series “Ballpark Figures,” and a member of the Negro Leagues and Teams Committee, a

MLK March for Peace

King Park 915 W. Wascher Dr., Urbana, IL

The Urbana Park District is hosting the Martin Luther King Day Peace March on April 4, from 5:30 to 7pm. The march takes place on the 56th anniversary of the civil rights leader’s assassination. Originally scheduled for January 15th (King’s birthday), the event was postponed due to weather. The Peace March will now be on

Nurtured in Nature in Spring! Homer Lake

Salt Fork Center, Homer Lake 1229 Flicker Drive, Homer, IL

A nature-based community building event for BIPOC community members of Champaign County! Join us for a community, nature-based community wellness event intentionally for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community members of Champaign County. Organized by the Nurtured in Nature team of Healthy Champaign County and led by Chicago-based non profit BPO Hikes guiding BIPOC community members