Alma celebrates Black History Month

BRADY KRUSE
PHOTOGRAPHER

AIDAN SHAPIRO
STAFF WRITER

2/23/2026

Black History Month has been officially recognized by every United States president since 1976. The celebrations stem from Negro History Week, which the Association for the Study of African American Life and History began in 1926. The plans for Negro History Week were spearheaded by Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland. 

Former US President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in February of 1976. This year marks both the 50th anniversary of Black History Month and the 100th of its predecessor. 

“I’m just glad that it’s still recognized as something that the entire United States reflects on and acknowledges. Not just for the simple fact that there’s a lot of good that came out of us being here and having a lot of cool inventions and just the way that we live today,” said Xavier Aikens, Admissions Counselor at Alma College. 

While Black History Month has only been officially recognized for the past half-century, Black history goes back much further than that in the United States. 

“I do believe that Black history is American history. Some may ask why we celebrate it differently, and that’s because it’s a different focus on the history of our country. It celebrates what Black individuals have brought to the history of our country,” said Dr. Jonathan B. Glenn, Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. 

Here on Alma College’s campus, Black History Month celebrations have been occurring all month long. 

“We have a continuous program called Soup and Substance for faculty and staff. It focuses on unsung heroes of education Within Black history we focus a lot on Dr. King, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks. For this program, we focus on eight individuals who a lot of people don’t know about,” said Dr. Glenn. 

While Soup and Substance is only for faculty and staff, Alma’s Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a Night in Black Culture on Feb. 20. The event focuses on honoring Black History Month and the Black community’s resilience and contributions to United States history. 

“They [BSU] are helping us with this program, which focuses on food and mental health awareness, along with Black history,” said Dr. Glenn. 

BSU also has a trip planned to go to the Black History Museum in Detroit. Both students and faculty will take a bus to Detroit to visit the museum and learn about Black history. 

“I think a lot of people may think of the adversity you have to face and all. I like to think of it more in the positive, all the accomplishments, all the collaborative pieces for the world, meaning everybody,” said Dahvey Moody (‘26). 

On Feb. 17, the Rev. Jesse Jackson died at the age of 84. The Rev. Jackson was a protege of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr that carried on his legacy of nonviolent protests while still advocating for civil rights. 

“I have been able to have a lot of cool interactions with some people through churches that I’ve been able to attend and some mentorship that I’ve had throughout my life and they were direct reflections of what he [Jackson] stood for and just the type of person that he was,” said Aikens. 

The Rev. Jackson was known for reciting “I am Somebody,” a poem by Rev. William Holmes Borders. The poem was even recited on an episode of “Sesame Street,” with the Rev. Jackson leading a group of young children through the poem. 

“Reverend Jesse Jackson was a very influential man. More specifically, he advocated for Black rights,” said Moody.