College of Charleston Celebrates Black History Month

Black History Month, celebrated during the month of February, is a time to recognize the accomplishments and reflect on the struggles of African Americans. And, as we look back on history, it’s an opportunity for us all to better understand our present culture and improve upon our future as a country.

The College of Charleston will kick of Black History Month with the State of Black CofC Summit on Feb. 1, 2025, and will continue to celebrate with programming and events throughout February. With everything from lectures to film screenings to workshops to basketball, the month is jam-packed with events for everyone.

Below are some of the events the College is hosting in honor of Black History Month.

State of Black CofC Summit
Saturday Feb. 1, 2025
9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Education Center, Septima Clark Memorial Auditorium (Room 118)

The inaugural State of Black CofC Summit convenes Black faculty, staff, students and other campus and community partners to assess, discuss and strategize about the experiences of Black people at the College of Charleston. Scheduled as an opening event of Black History Month, the summit aims to create safe spaces to discuss how to build strategic partnerships and collaborative events/opportunities to enhance student life and faculty and staff interaction and connection with students. The summit features multiple panels with faculty, staff and students, as well as open Q&A. Register here.

Lecture: “the way we lived was shaped by objects: Contemporary Reflections on Black Materiality,” by Whitney Battle-Batiste
Monday Feb. 3, 2025
7 p.m.
Simons Center, Room 380

Sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America and the College’s Archaeology Program and Department of Art and Architectural History, this thought-provoking lecture features Whitney Battle-Baptiste, professor of anthropology and W.E.B. Du Bois Center director at University of Massachusetts Amherst, whose research interests include historical archaeology, African diaspora archaeology and Black feminist theory. She examines historical African diaspora sites through the intersections of race, gender, class and sexuality during slavery and post-emancipation.

Women’s Basketball Black History Month Celebration
Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025
2 p.m.
TD Arena

Calling all College of Charleston alumni, employees, students and friends: Come enjoy food, fun swag and great basketball as the women’s basketball team takes on Northeastern University! The faculty/staff choir will be performing, too! There is no admission fee. Clear bags only.

Lecture: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams
Monday, Feb. 10, 2025
1–1:30 p.m.
Charleston Atlantic Presbytery (4701 Park Place West, North Charleston, S.C.) 

Cecil Williams photographed civil rights activists and events in South Carolina and was the only South Carolina-based Black photojournalist. At this lecture, sponsored by the Center for Creative Retirement, Williams and author Claudia Brinson will discuss his career and, with the aid of his photos, tell a truer story of civil rights in South Carolina.

Film Screening: Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025
6–8 p.m.
Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, McKinley Washington Auditorium

Join the Lowcountry Action Committee, the Avery Research Center and the College’s African American Studies Program and Department of Political Science for a screening and discussion of the documentary Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power with veteran Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organizer Mukasa “Willie Ricks” Dada. Through first-person accounts and archival footage, the film tells the story of the local Black-led campaign of SNCC organizers, activists and community members who fought for voting rights and Black Power in Lowndes County, Alabama. A discussion will follow the screening. Register here.

Tabling: Donuts and DEI
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2025
9:30–11 a.m.
Cougar Mall

All CofC staff, faculty and students are welcome to stop by for a free donut and a hot cup of coffee during this meet-and-greet with staff from the College of Charleston Office of Institutional Diversity (OID). Learn about the OID’s services, training opportunities and upcoming events.

Lecture: Ash Williams, Transgender Abortion/Death Doula and Abolition Activist
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025
12–1:30 p.m.
Robert Scott Small Building, Room 235

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program is hosting Ash Williams for a lecture/conversation about his career as an abortion/death doula as well as his abolition activism. Williams will discuss organizing, abortion and death work, and solidarity work with incarcerated trans folks. The following day, he will conduct an invitation-only workshop for students. Note: Face masks must be worn at both events.

Film Screening: Emergency
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025
5:30 p.m.
Rita Liddy Hollings Science Center, Room 154

Join Call Me MISTER Director Jimmy Freeman and CofC faculty Antron Mahoney (African American studies), Kenneth Johnson (English), Serena-Kaye Sims (biology) for a screening of and discussion about Emergency. This thrilling film follows three college students who, after a night out, return home to find an unconscious girl in their apartment. Fearing the police may suspect them of foul play, they scramble to get her to safety without raising suspicion. Enjoy complimentary popcorn as you watch the intense journey those three students go through in the movie.

Indigenous Voices Series Lecture: Fay A. Yarbrough Discusses her Book, Choctaw Confederates
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025
6 p.m.
Addlestone Library, Room 227

Join the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World Program for this lecture by Fay A. Yarbrough, who will talk about her book, Choctaw Confederates: The American Civil War in Indian Country. Winner of the Fort Worth Civil War Round Table’s Pate Award, the book draws parallels between the Choctaw Nation and the Confederate States, looking beyond the traditional binary of the Union and Confederacy and reconsidering the historical relationship between Native populations and slavery.

Student Workshop: “Why the History of Slavery Matters Today,” with Shannon Eaves
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Randolph Hall, President’s Boardroom

In this special workshop, associate professor of African American studies Shannon Eaves will lead an informal conversation with students about why the history of slavery matters, her research and Charleston’s place in it. Bagels and coffee/tea will be provided, as will copies of Eaves’ book, Sexual Violence and American Slavery: The Making of a Rape Culture in the Antebellum South. Because space is limited, students must complete this form by Friday, Feb. 7, committing to attend and read a chapter of the book. All CofC students are welcome to apply and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Accepted students will receive an email along with a PDF of the required reading on Monday, Feb. 10. This Department of History event is co-sponsored by the African American Studies Program, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, Program in the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World, Center for Public Choice and Market Process, Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston, Department of Political Science, Civility Initiative, Office of Institutional Diversity, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

Lecture: Shannon Eaves Discusses her book, Sexual Violence and American Slavery
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025
5–6:30 p.m.
School of Sciences and Mathematics Building, Room 124

For the Department of History’s annual Black History Month Lecture, Shannon Eaves, associate professor of African American history at the College, will discuss her book, Sexual Violence and American Slavery in Charleston: A Local Examination of the South’s Rape Culture. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A with the audience and a reception in the adjoining atrium. Free and open to the public, this event is sponsored by the College of Charleston Department of History, African American Studies Program, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, Program in the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World, Center for Public Choice and Market Process, Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston, Civility Initiative, Department of Political Science, Office of Institutional Diversity, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

Black History Intercollegiate Consortium Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025
6:30–8 p.m.
Medical University of South Carolina Drug Discovery Building (70 President St.), Auditorium

At its annual MLK Jr. Celebration, the Black History Intercollegiate Consortium will present Shannon Eaves, associate professor of African American history, the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. The celebration will include a performance by the CofC Gospel Choir, and senior political science major Tyler Gadson will share student reflections on the program’s theme, “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence.” 

A Taste of Charleston: A Night of Gullah Geechee Culture 
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025
5–7 p.m.
Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, McKinley Washington Auditorium

The Avery Research Center is hosting this dinner and discussion in honor of Black History Month. Commissioners from the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor will be available for small group discussions during the event. Space is limited. Registration is required.