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University leadership, faculty, staff, alumni, students, donors and other community members came together to celebrate ����Թ� State’s groundbreaking contributions, commemorate the legacy of those who championed this cause and inspire continued engagement with the history, culture and progress of Black communities. The event included dinner, remarks from President Todd Diacon, music by the ����Թ� State Jazz Ensemble, alumni speakers, entertainment and interactive photo displays.

The evening was led by emcees Warren Mayor Doug Franklin, a 1981 graduate of ����Թ� state, and alumna Tameka Ellington, who graduated in 1999 and earned her Ph.D. in 2011. Many alumni who were former advocates when Black History Month was established were in attendance, including former BUS presidents, Duane E. Cox Sr., a 1975 graduate, and Silas Ashley, who earned his degree in 1974.

When asked how it felt to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Black History Month back on campus, Cox, responded, “It means very much to me. It’s very important that right now we try to recruit students to go to the university and tell them that the opportunity to learn and be represented is best done at ����Թ� State.”

Mwatabu S. Okantah, professor and chair in ����Թ� State’s Department of African Studies, officially began the evening by offering a libation to honor the ancestors of those gathered and the deceased who had played a pivotal role in establishing and promoting the Black community at the university.

A special candle lighting ceremony immediately followed the president’s remarks, with ����Թ� State staff and former members of Black United Students lighting candles to represent each of the five eras of Black legacy at the university.

• FIRST CANDLE (the late 60's, starting with the walkout): “We walked out so that you could walk in." – Rufus Heard, a 1970 graduate;
• SECOND CANDLE (the 70's): “We cultivated the roots in order to build a solid foundation." - Roger Pennyman;
• THIRD CANDLE (the 80's): “We made sure that the growth and development included everyone and on all levels." - Janice Taylor-Heard, a 1987 graduate who also earned her Master of Education from ����Թ� State in 1989;
• FOURTH CANDLE (the 90's): “We are the fruits and legacies that bloomed from their efforts." - Judge Kani Hightower, a 2003 alumna; and
• FIFTH CANDLE (the 2000's): "We walked in and took our rightful place at the table of the university or our community’s leadership." - Eboni Pringle, a 1996 graduate who earned her Ph.D. in 2014.

Ellington then offered a synopsis of the meeting that sparked the idea for Black History Month, and current and former BUS students and alumni performed “The Journey from Week to Month,” a reenactment of the founding of Black History Month at ����Թ� State. 2023 alumna Dorisha Hendrix, rounded out the evening’s creative performances with a reading of Nikki Giovanni’s “Ego Trippin.’”

Ashley reflected on the 55th anniversary as well and shared some advice for today’s students.

“My advice to students is you have to get involved,” he said. “If you don’t get involved you’re going to lose out.”

Ashley knows firsthand the importance of involvement. If students like him, Cox and the others involved with BUS in the late 1960s and early 1970s hadn’t decided to get involved, recognition for Black History Month, as we now know it, may never have come to be.