2027 Black History Month Celebration – February 2027
Colors of Africa
Saturday, January 30 | 6 p.m. | Chandler Ballroom, Cedric Rucker University Center
Sponsored by the African Student Union and the James Farmer Multicultural Center
Colors of Africa seeks to celebrate the culture that Black people create. Whether it is Black people of the African continent, African Americans, or the Caribbean, Blackness is a transnational and multicultural experience and it ought to be celebrated as such.
Gospelfest
Saturday, Feb. 6 | 3 p.m. | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall
Join gospel choirs and praise dance teams as they engage in spiritual song and dance.
Great Lives Lecture and Black History Month Major Speaker: The Honorable Congressman James E. Clyburn
Wednesday, February 4 (Please note: February 11 is backup date) | 7:30 p.m. | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall
James E. Clyburn is the U.S. Congressman representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and Chairman of the Democratic Faith Working Group. He previously served as Assistant Democratic Leader from 2011 to 2018 and 2023 to March 2024, and House Majority Whip from 2019 to 2022 and 2007 to 2010, making him the first African American to serve multiple terms as Majority Whip. A native son of South Carolina, Clyburn has represented the state’s Sixth Congressional District since 1993. Congressman Clyburn’s humble beginnings in Sumter, South Carolina, as the eldest son of an activist, fundamentalist minister and an independent, civic-minded beautician, grounded him securely in family, faith, and public service. A 1961 graduate of South Carolina State he began his professional career as a public-school teacher in Charleston, SC.
He later served as an employment counselor, and director of two youth and community development programs. In 1971, he joined the staff of Governor John C. West, becoming the first African American advisor to a South Carolina governor. When he came to Congress in 1993, Congressman Clyburn was elected co-president of his freshman class. He was subsequently elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Vice Chair, and Chair, of the House Democratic Caucus. Currently, he serves as the Ranking Member on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
Congressman Clyburn has led efforts to preserve and restore historic buildings on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). He sponsored legislation creating the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, the Congaree National Park, the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and expanding the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site to South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, DC. Dedicated to making America’s greatness accessible and affordable for all citizens, his 10-20-30 federal funding formula – initially applied to three programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – has been expanded to 15 accounts of the appropriations bills. Additionally, his Rural Energy Savings Program provides loans to families and businesses to implement durable, cost-effective energy efficiency measures. His “Accessible, Affordable Broadband for All” bill was included in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill and is funded at a level of $65 billion.
The recipient of 39 honorary degrees, Congressman Clyburn has numerous awards including: the Lyndon Baines Johnson Liberty and Justice for All Award in 2015; the Harry S Truman Foundation’s Good Neighbor Award in 2021; the NAACP’s highest honor — the Spingarn Medal — in 2022, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — in 2024. Congressman Clyburn and his late wife, Emily England Clyburn, met as college student protestors in an Orangeburg, South Carolina jail in 1960. The encounter led to a 58-year marriage, and they became parents of three daughters, grandparents to four grandchildren, and great grandparents to one great grandchild.
(Credit: Congressman James E. Clyburn’s Office Website)
Step Show
Saturday, Feb. 20 | 7 p.m. | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall
Join area step teams for this high-energy, entertaining competition, with a dance form that uses the entire body to resonate complex rhythmic beats and sounds. For step teams who want to participate in the Step Show event, please register today! For cost information, please contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center.
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at (540) 654-1044 or visit the James Farmer Multicultural Center website. Please email us at jfmc@umw.edu if you have any questions regarding disability-related accommodations.