Since the beginning of February, the halls of Stout have been decorated with posters advertising events for Black History Month, hosted by the Black Student Union. With everything from educational classes about hair care to “Twerkout” dance classes, they’ve put on a plethora of interesting and informative events, and this isn’t something new. The UW-Stout BSU has been hosting events during Black History Month for as long as the club has been around, and the events started at Stout even before February was officially designated Black History Month.
The earliest mention I could find in the
Archives is from February 1974, where a “Black Awareness” dinner was held,
headed by Dean Richard Anderson.
However, according to our collections, the first year where we see a big boom of
activity from the Black Student Union regarding Black History Month was
1994. They held six events over the course of the month (one every Wednesday,
and one every other Saturday), including a praise choir concert and a fashion
show. They printed and passed out calendars of events. Being able to look back and see all the various things they did really
put into perspective how far diversity initiatives have come in the last thirty
years or so, especially in universities!
This continued into the future and is still occurring today. Every event is a celebration of Black culture, and seeing how that has evolved over the course of Stout’s history allows us to have an even greater appreciation for diversity on campus.
For more information on the collections mentioned in this blog contact archives@uwstout.edu or you can look through our Stout Series Finding Aids online!
Written and Researched by
Meghan Dincler (she/her/hers), UW-Stout Archives Student Worker
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