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The 5X���� Black Alumni Chapter and Black United Students (BUS) are sponsoring a day-long celebration in honor of Black History Month, which was founded at the Kent Campus.

The event, “History in Motion: Legacy, Leadership and Learning in Every Form,”  will bring together alumni, students, faculty and the community for an afternoon of culture, connection and celebration at Oscar Ritchie Hall on the Kent Campus from noon to 7 p.m.,  Saturday, Feb. 21.

The event will begin with a meet-and-greet at 1 p.m., followed by a program with speakers, and will close with a music party.

“The fact that an event like this is happening this year is outstanding,” said Khori Davis, president of Kent State’s Black United Students.

Davis, a junior sociology major from Akron, Ohio, told Kent State Today the day’s events will focus on “connecting students with alumni and creating a strong network.”

“There will be an entrepreneurship marketplace, a brunch, and a program that acknowledges the history of Black History Month and gives the respect due to those people who helped to create it and to those people who are still keeping that tradition alive,” Davis said.

Black History Month traces its roots to 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life, established Negro History Week, celebrated during the second week of February.

By 1969, BUS, with support from campus educators, began to advocate for the commemoration to be extended for the entire month of February. After a year of planning, the first observance of Black History Month as a monthlong celebration took place at Kent State in 1970.

It would be another six years before February received a formal national designation as Black History Month by President Gerald Ford in 1976, when he urged Americans “to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Davis, who anticipates graduating in May 2027, said she plans to go to law school after earning her undergraduate degree to become a labor/employment lawyer.

“So, I can fight for workers’ rights,” Davis said, “That’s where my heart is leading me.”

Along with Davis, other presenters at the event include:

• Georgio Sabino III, B.A.’ 99, owner of GS3 Innovations in Cleveland, Ohio, and president of the KSU Black Alumni Chapter.
• Ashley Silas, J.D., B.A. ’74, who was BUS president in 1974 and past president of the KSU Black Alumni Chapter.
• Professor Mwatabu Okantah, B.A. ’75, former chair of the Department of Africana Studies, faculty advisor to BUS, and former BUS vice president when he was a Kent State student in the 1970s.

“This celebration is not just about honoring history—it is about recognizing that Black History Month is a living, breathing legacy that began with students at Kent State,” Sabino said. “We are calling alumni home, welcoming students into that legacy, and creating space for leadership, learning and joy in every form.”

LaTesha Dukes, associate director of Chapter and Volunteer Engagement for the Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, said the event will celebrate Black History Month’s origins at Kent State and the pivotal role the university played in advocating for its national recognition.

“There will be valuable historical information, engaging activities, and a great opportunity to connect with the surrounding community,” Dukes said.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.