Black History Month 2026

Calendar of Events (updated 1/23)

February 1, 2026

Kwanzaa Celebration and Dinner
4:30 pm | Farinon-Marlo Room | Calendar | OurCampus
Learn about the seven principles of Kwanzaa and enjoy a buffet of food from the African-American diaspora.  Registration required, students, faculty, and staff can register at: https://forms.gle/zfjK1gFbqEYnRpRRA

February 8, 2026

NIA Hair Care Workshop
2:00 pm | Portlock Black Cultural Center | Calendar | OurCampus
Workshop and tutorials to learn tips for maintaining natural hair from local stylists.

Dr. Martin Luther King March
4:00 pm | Portlock Black Cultural Center | Calendar | OurCampus
March to significant locations on campus honoring Black culture and events. The tour finishes at Skillman Library for a brief presentation and food.

February 9, 2026

Taste of Soul
4:30 PM | Farinon Atrium | Calendar | OurCampus
Bring your appetite and enjoy a culinary offerings of traditional soul food from Lehigh Valley vendors and restaurants.

February 10, 2026

Lunch & Learn: Lafayette as Abolitionist; “I have been so long the Friend of Emancipation”
12:00 pm | Skillman Library-Gendebien Room | Calendar | OurCampus
Brown bag lunch on the history of the Marquis de Lafayette’s role in abolition.

Black Film Screening
7:00 pm | Portlock Black Cultural Center | Calendar | OurCampus
Enjoy a screening of Dreamgirls, inspired by the real-life story of the Supremes.

February 13, 2026

Douglass Day
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Skillman Library – Gendebien Room | Calendar | OurCampus
Join us for the third annual Douglass Day transcribe-a-thon, a national celebration of Frederick Douglass’ birthday and virtual community transcription project. We will be transcribing documents related to Black history held at the Library of Congress and tuning into the Library of Congress’ live broadcast celebrating similar events throughout the country.  No experience with transcription is required.  Janna Avon and Ana Ramirez Luhrs will be on hand to help with any transcription related questions.  Stay for the whole time or come for as long as you want.  We will also have cupcakes and hot chocolate to celebrate Frederick Douglass’ birthday!

Black Queer History Game Show
5:30 pm | Farinon – Leopard’s Lair | Calendar | OurCampus
Test your knowledge of Black Queer History at this interactive event.

February 17, 2026

Evolution of the Black Engineer
5:00 pm | Location TBA
Panel discussion on the historical development of black engineer spaces.

Afro-Caribbean Dance Class
7:00 pm | Location TBA
Demonstration and discussion of the evolution of Afro-Caribbean Dance

February 18, 2026

“My Journey to the Stars,” 2026 Hatfield Lecture with Dr. Moiya McTier
4:30 pm | Skillman Library | Calendar | OurCampus
Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator based in New York City, but her origins are a bit more modest… and surprising.

Moiya grew up in a log cabin in rural Pennsylvania without running water or TV, which meant she had plenty of time to focus on her studies. Hard work and a lot of luck took Moiya to Harvard, where she was the first person in the school’s long history to double major in both astrophysics and folklore. After graduating, Moiya moved to New York to earn her PhD in astrophysics at Columbia University. There, she was named a National Science Foundation Research Fellow for her work studying planets outside of our solar system and the motion of stars around the galaxy. Moiya officially became a doctor of the universe in 2021 as the first Black woman to graduate from Columbia’s astronomy PhD program and started pursuing science communication full-time.

In her career, Moiya has already given hundreds of talks about science around the world, helped design exhibits for the New York Hall of Science, and consulted with companies like Disney and PBS on scientific themes in their projects. She has reached thousands through her interviews on hit podcasts (Star Talk, Science Vs., and NPR’s Science Friday) and media channels (PBS, MSNBC, NY1). Moiya can also be found co-hosting Fate & Fabled, a mythology show for PBS Digital studios, as well as hosting her own podcasts Exolore (about fictional worldbuilding through a science lens) and Pale Blue Pod (about astronomy for people who are afraid of the cosmos).

Moiya’s debut book THE MILKY WAY: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy was released in 2022 to critical acclaim and was named one of Publishers Weekly’s best books of 2022. Moiya’s mission is to help people understand the world around us better through science and is eager to do that across as many platforms as possible.

A Q&A will follow the lecture.

The History of Stepping and Strolling
6:30 pm | Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 104 | Calendar | OurCampus
We will be discussing the origins and evolution of stepping and strolling in relation to the Black diaspora and Black culture. As multicultural organizations, we respect and honor those who have come before us and helped create many of the culturally based fraternal organizations you see in the present day, such as organizations a part of the Divine 9, NMGC, and more.

February 19, 2026

Black Arts Festival
6:30 pm | Farinon – Leopard’s Lair | Calendar | OurCampus
Celebrate Black artistry, culture, and creativity at ABC’s annual Black Arts Festival.  An evening of powerful performances, vibrant expression, and a student talent showcase.

February 24, 2026

Lunch & Learn: Bringing an Original Play to Life: “The Language of Sight”
12:00 pm | Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall | Calendar | OurCampus
In advance of the production, “The Language of Sight,” Director, Kim Sykes, and co-Producer, Russel Ardin Koplin, will discuss the creation of this original play. The play uses letters and materials from the Lafayette College archives to provide a dramatic account of the life of Dr. David McDonough, a formerly enslaved individual who attended the College and became its first Black graduate, and ultimately the first Black eye doctor in the U.S..
Lunch will be served at noon, followed by the lecture at 12:15 p.m.

National Society for Black Engineers Gateway Workshop
5:00 pm | Farinon – Marlo West | Calendar | OurCampus
Come develop your professional skills such as your LinkedIn profile, your resume, and elevator pitch. We will be joined by Elyce Johnson from Gateway Career Center to guide us through the process and provide feedback to get you prepared for the Spring Career Fair.

Black Film Screening
7:00 pm | Portlock Black Cultural Center | Calendar | OurCampus
Film TBA, check back for more details.

February 27, 2026

Carnival Mask Making
4:00 pm | Portlock Black Cultural Center | Calendar | OurCampus
In this workshop, we honor Carnival as a living legacy of Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latine history by creating masks that reflect identity, resilience, and cultural pride—celebrating creativity as an act of remembrance and liberation.

The Language of Sight – The David McDonogh Project
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm | Williams Center for the Arts
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Special advanced screening of the World Premiere of a new play by Judy Tate that is directed by Kim Sykes and co-produced by Richard Koplin ’64 and Russel Arden Koplin

In 1841 New Orleans, a wealthy landowner, John McDonogh, sent two enslaved young men, David and Washington, to Lafayette College. A member of the Colonization Society, McDonogh’s plan was to educate “his Black family” and then send them back to Africa, where they would become missionaries. Washington left for Liberia in 1843. David had other plans.

February 28, 2026

UMOJA Gala *SAVE THE DATE*
Time TBA | Location TBA