Black History Month on campus is filled with events ranging from social celebrations to lectures. Photo courtesy of Black Student Union.
ELLIOT Z. MUEHLHAUSEN | STAFF REPORTER | emuehlhausen@butler.edu
Throughout the month of February, the history of Black Americans and their contributions to both the United States and the world is celebrated. At Butler, it is celebrated not only through reflection, but a month of events.
Butler University, founded by the abolitionist Ovid Butler, interweaves well, as Black History Month occurs simultaneously with Butler’s Founders Week.
Corey Reed, professor of philosophy and co-director of the Hub on Black Affairs and Community Engagement (The Hub), has played an important role in contributing to Black History Month events on campus, and engaging meaningful reflection among Butler’s community.
“[The Hub] tries to advocate for Black intellectual space, as well as Black community building here at Butler,” Reed said.
Two of the major events that The Hub hosts are collaborations with the Visiting Writing Series, hosting poet Clint Smith and creative writer Morgan Parker. The Hub is also collaborating with Phi Beta Kappa to bring sociologist Elijah Anderson for a guest lecture on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
The Black Student Union (BSU) is hosting many of their own events as well. This ranges from gatherings such as the school supplies packaging event to the Unity Ball.
Edyn Curry, a junior biology and psychology double major, is the co-president of BSU. Curry explained that BSU aims to uplift Black voices, but the events are not limited to just Black students.
“[The events are] open to every single person,” Curry said. “Please bring your friends. It would be great to have you.”
Curry is most excited for the fashion show, but both Reed and Curry acknowledged that Black History Month is more than just attending events, and is a time for reflection.
“[Black History Month] does that dual function of helping us remember that the United States could not be what It is without Black Americans, both by their accomplishment and by what they had to endure,” Reed said. “This month, we celebrate as well as we reflect in solemnness [and] honestly about what has happened and be honest about the history of the United States.”
Curry further emphasized the importance and significance of the month and its time of reflection when looking at historic figures and their fight for equality.
“I definitely think that Black History Month is important just because it’s a time honoring those who came before us and the history that they upheld and what all they accomplished,” Curry said.
On Feb. 3, A Black Women’s History of Butler University lunch and learn was hosted in collaboration with University Libraries, DEI Initiatives and Engagement for Founder’s Week.
Tabitha Barbour, a Butler alumna and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority alumna and Annie Benefiel, the head of special collections at Butler University Libraries, both spoke at the event.
“On Nov. 12, [1922], Sigma Gamma Rho was established on Butler University’s Irvington campus,” Barbour said. “It is one of four historically Black sororities in the nation, with Sigma Gamma Rho being the only historically Black sorority to be founded at a predominantly white institution.”
Butler has had a complex relationship with its Black students and faculty since its founding, having accomplished historical markers but also has been underwhelming in other areas.
“In 1927, Butler University president Robert instituted a quota for Black students,” Benefiel said. “The new policy allowed only 10 Black students per year to be admitted to the university and those students had to have three letters of recommendation from prominent citizens.”
Reed challenges the university to think critically about where it positions itself in the world of modern-day abolition.
“I wish Butler would answer the question of what it means to be a neo-abolitionist school in 2026 because that answer will inevitably have ramifications for Black issues,” Reed said. “If we are a neo-abolitionist school, then we have an obligation to a lot of Black causes and a lot of causes that are not explicitly Black. So my wish is that Butler would figure out where it stands regarding its abolitionist history.”
