Wendy Kilmer, wendy.kilmer@acu.edu
Director of Communications and Media Relations

Guest speakers, a prayer walk, a lecture series and several student activities are slated for February as part of Black History Month at Abilene Christian University.

• Feb. 1 – An outdoor prayer event organized by the Carl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first Black students enrolling at Abilene Christian in 1962. The event will begin at the labyrinth east of the Hunter Welcome Center at 4:30 p.m. and continue with a walk around the Lunsford Foundation Trail. This event is open to the public.
• Feb. 2, 3 – Dr. Brandon Jones, an ACU alumnus and the associate director for student learning and development at The University of Texas at Austin, will speak about the realities of students of color and how to create experiences that engage differences. Due to the likelihood of inclement weather, his presentations will take place via livestream: Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 3 at 11:30 a.m. Use this link to attend the Feb. 2 event.
• Feb. 21 – Kathryn Freeman, resident chaplain at Baylor University, will present on the importance of the voices of Black women in America at 7 p.m. in the Brown Library Packer Forum. 
• Feb. 28 – The Carter G. Woodson Lectures Series will feature Dr. Kwame Essien, associate professor and interim director of Africana studies at Lehigh University, and Dr. Theodore Francis, assistant professor of history at Huston-Tillotson University, speaking about African, Caribbean and Black American History. Learn more and register here. This event is open to the public.

ACU’s Black Student Union has several student-focused activities planned for the month as well.

• Feb. 1 – Black History Month kickoff with a bonfire and games at University Park Apartments, 6-8 p.m. 
• Feb. 4 – Black Student Union Chapel, Chapel on the Hill, 11 a.m. (every Thursday in February)

• Feb. 12 – Silent Disco in the Hunter Welcome Center, 7-9 p.m. Students will dance to music playing through headphones.
• Feb. 25 – Black History Month Movie Night at the Paramount Theatre, 7 p.m. (movie to be announced later).
• Feb. 26 – Black-Owned Business Fair, Hunter Welcome Center, 5-7 p.m. This event is open to the public.
• Feb. 26 – AFRAM Fest Showcase at Hunter Welcome Center, 7-9 p.m. AFRAM Fest is a showcase of Black students’ talents through spoken word, music and other performances. This event is open to the public.
• Feb. 27 – Church service, Chapel on the Hill, 10 a.m., led by Dr. Jerry Taylor, director of the Carl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action.