Roanoke College events announced to commemorate Black History Month

Roanoke College is honoring Black History Month with a series of events that celebrate the intersection of the arts, community and history.

The national theme for this year's commemoration, African Americans and the Arts, spotlights the multi-faceted contributions that Black Americans have made to the visual arts, music, culture and more. Please mark your calendars for these dates:

Feb. 6: The Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Campus Activities Board invite students to tap into their inner artist at a Paint & Sip night at 7 p.m. in Wortmann Ballroom. Bring your friends or come ready to make new ones at this fun, creative campus community event. 

Feb. 17: Take in the awe-inspiring feats of the ZUZU Acrobats — a Tanzanian troupe whose performances draw on a history going back 2,000 years — and meet the dedicated members of the Roanoke chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, a historically African American service sorority. 

Both will be spotlighted during the halftime show of this date's men's and women's basketball games. Their appearances will be followed by a campus celebration at the Bast Center gym with a food truck serving a menu designed for Black History Month.

Feb. 18: Join the Black Student Alliance for its annual candlelight vigil reflecting on the history of our campus and nation. More details for this student-led event will be available as the date nears. 

Feb. 25: Celebrate with the Roanoke College Choir and Shiloh Baptist Church at a musical service honoring Black History Month. The service will begin at 11 a.m. at Shiloh Baptist, 201 S. Market St., Salem. The college is grateful to the church and trustee Ken Belton ’81 for making this community partnership possible.

For more information about these and other events happening at Roanoke College, keep an eye on roanoke.edu/events.