Black FUTURE Month 2025

Location: TUC Great Hall

Time: 5pm dinner; 6pm formal program

Come watch the crowing of Mr. and Mrs. Kuamka!  Kuamka is a Swahili term that means "in the beginning" and celebrates with a week full of exciting events highlighting Black excellence, sponsored by the African American Cultural & Resource Center. For the co-ed leadership competition our candidates will select platforms ranging from the importance of mentorship, increasing dialogue for racial and cultural reconciliation, creating awareness & prevention strategies to combat bullying, to name a few. Candidates will also participate in an essay, interview, question and answer and talent competitions. 

Link: Kuamka

Sponsor: AACRC

Location: Allen Temple AME Church, 7080 Reading Road, 45237

Time: 10 am 

Come one, come all! Each Sunday in February a different local church will open its doors to Bearcats and their friends/family. You are invited to attend Sunday services, then stay afterwards for a catered "Fellowship Hour" where you can meet and greet members of the congregation.

Sponsor: Office of the Vice Provost, Dr. Keisha Love

Location: TUC Atrium

Time: 12:01 pm

Come lift up your voice! Join us in TUC each Monday as we take a quick moment to sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in the Atrium.  It only takes 5 minutes to pay homage to James Weldon Johnson's poem-turned hymn, so don't be late!

Sponsor: AACRC

Location: Taft Research Center, Edwards 1

Time: 12:30 pm - 2 pm

Pick up your FREE copy of "Viral Justice" at the Taft Research Center, then enjoy the Center as a quiet reading space (with snacks) in the afternoon. The author, Ruha Benjamin, will be on campus in early March, so let's read her book together in advance of her visit! Small conversation groups welcome!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center

Location: TUC Cinema 

Time: 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

Come check out a great film/documentary, enjoy movie treats, and take part in great discussions each Tuesday in February!

Sponsors: CCM Dance, SFMS 

Location: Ludlow Wine, 331 Ludlow Ave, 45220

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Ludlow Wines will host Dr. Holly Y. McGee every Wednesday in Black History Month for a 4-part lecture series on everything you've ever wanted to know about African American History but were hesitant to ask. Are you ready to drink, laugh, learn, and grow? Of course you are!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center 

Location: AACRC

Time: 11 am - 12:20 pm

Join us for this panel discussion with local journalists who will be sharing their insights on the challenges, realities and opportunities for journalists of color in Cincinnati -- including the local market's "talent drain" problem of losing talented Black journalists who reach an employment ceiling and move on to other media markets. Panelists are Kyle Inskeep, news anchor with Local 12; Assia Johnson, president of the Greater Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists and a former producer for WVXU; Cara Owsley, director of photography for The Cincinnati Enquirer; and Shaun Elliot, photojournalist with WLWT. Co-sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists and the Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Location: AACRC 

Time: 11:30 am - 1:30 pm. Just drop in!

This is a signature Black FUTURE Month event you can't afford to miss.  If you like to eat AND judge other people's cooking, this is for you! This cook-off features various categories (like greens, meat, desserts, mac-n-cheese), and we need YOU to help us find the winner!

Sponsor: AACRC

Join us as we explore myriad fields within the realm of Diaspora Studies. Celebrate new publications and productions in AfroFuturism, global health sciences, hip hop studies, multimodal ethnography, and race as political technologies. While supplies last, get a free book/CD signed following the Q&A!

Location: AACRC

Time: 6 pm - 8 pm

It's time to find out who the real players are.  RSVP to participate in an event that will determine the two best spades players on UC's campus.

Sponsor: AACRC

Location: Union Baptist Church, 405 W 7th St, 45203

Time: 10:45 am

Come one, come all! Each Sunday in February a different local church will open its doors to Bearcats and their friends/family. You are invited to attend Sunday services, then stay afterwards for a catered "Fellowship Hour" where you can meet and greet members of the congregation.

Sponsor: Office of the Vice Provost, Dr. Keisha Love

Location: Union Baptist Church, 4933 Cleves Warsaw Pike, 45203

Time: 2 pm

Join us for a guided walking tour of the untold story of Ohio's oldest historically Black cemetery...and the people buried there.

Location: TUC Atrium

Time: 12:01 pm (this takes only 5 minutes, so don't be late!)

Come lift up your voice! Join us in TUC each Monday as we take a quick moment to sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in the Atrium.  It only takes 5 minutes to pay homage to James Weldon Johnson's poem-turned hymn, so don't be late!

Location: Taft Research Center, Edwards 1

Time: 12:30 pm - 2 pm

Pick up your FREE copy of "Viral Justice" at the Taft Research Center, then enjoy the Center as a quiet reading space (with snacks) in the afternoon. The author, Ruha Benjamin, will be on campus in early March, so let's read her book together in advance of her visit! Small conversation groups welcome!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center

Location: TUC Cinema 

Time: 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

Come check out a great film/documentary, enjoy movie treats, and take part in great discussions each Tuesday in February!

Sponsors: CCM Dance, SFMS 

Location: Ludlow Wine, 331 Ludlow Ave, 45220

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Ludlow Wines will host Dr. Holly Y. McGee every Wednesday in Black History Month for a 4-part lecture series on everything you've ever wanted to know about African American History but were hesitant to ask. Are you ready to drink, laugh, learn, and grow? Of course you are!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center 

TBD/Please keep checking back!

Location: Taft Research Center, Edwards 1

Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Join us as we explore myriad fields within the realm of Diaspora Studies. Celebrate new publications and productions in AfroFuturism, global health sciences, hip hop studies, multimodal ethnography, and race as political technologies. While supplies last, get a free book/CD signed following the Q&A!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center 

Location: Sigma Sigma Commons (bad weather location: Africana Studies Lounge, 3rd Floor) 

Time: 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT! You can get your FREE ticket by attending any BFM event earlier in the week.  Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis!

Sponsor: College of A&S Associate Dean, Dr. Littisha Bates

Location: Langsam Library 482

Time: 12 pm - 3 pm

Join us for the third annual Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon at UC as we work with faculty, students, librarians, and community members from across the country to transcribe thousands of pages of Black historical records and texts in just a few hours, making Black history more accessible and available to all. Come for the whole event or just drop by for a few minutes and enjoy some free sweet treats from local Black-owned bakeries! 

Sponsor: Department of English, McNair Scholars Program, UC Libraries, ARB

Location: Charles P. Taft Research Center, Edwards 1 

Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Join us as we explore myriad fields within the realm of Diaspora Studies. Celebrate new publications and productions in AfroFuturism, global health sciences, hip hop studies, multimodal ethnography, and race as political technologies. While supplies last, get a free book/CD signed following the Q&A!

Sponsor: CCM, Charles P. Taft Research Center

Location: AACRC

Time: 7 pm

Join us at the AACRC for a FREE concert by artist Baoku Moses!

Sponsor: CCM, Charles P. Taft Research Center

TBD/Please keep checking back!

Location: New Life Missionary Baptist Church,6434 Simpson Ave, 45224

Time: 11 am 

Come one, come all! Each Sunday in February a different local church will open its doors to Bearcats and their friends/family. You are invited to attend Sunday services, then stay afterwards for a catered "Fellowship Hour" where you can meet and greet members of the congregation.

Sponsor: Office of the Vice Provost, Dr. Keisha Love

Location: TUC Atrium 

Time: 12:01 (this takes only 5 minutes don't be late)

Come lift up your voice! Join us in TUC each Monday as we take a quick moment to sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in the Atrium.  It only takes 5 minutes to pay homage to James Weldon Johnson's poem-turned hymn, so don't be late!

Location: Charles P.Taft Research Center, Edwards 1

Time: 12:30 pm - 2 pm

Pick up your FREE copy of "Viral Justice" at the Taft Research Center, then enjoy the Center as a quiet reading space (with snacks) in the afternoon. The author, Ruha Benjamin, will be on campus in early March, so let's read her book together in advance of her visit! Small conversation groups welcome!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center

TBD/Please keep checking back!

Location: TUC Cinema 

Time: 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

Come check out a great film/documentary, enjoy movie treats, and take part in great discussions each Tuesday in February!

Sponsors: CCM Dance, SCFMS 

Location: Ludlow Wine, 331 Ludlow Ave, 45220

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Ludlow Wines will host Dr. Holly Y. McGee every Wednesday in Black History Month for a 4-part lecture series on everything you've ever wanted to know about African American History but were hesitant to ask. Are you ready to drink, laugh, learn, and grow? Of course you are!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center 

ENGL 3159: Writing with AI (M,W 12:20-1:15)- Introducing Banks’s Race, Rhetoric, and Technology

February is the perfect time to drop into a Black Studies/Black Studies-related class to learn what all the hype is about.  No RSVP necessary, just show up and be prepared to learn!

Sponsor: Department of English-Rhetoric and Professional Writing

Location: Charles P. Taft Research Center, Edwards 1 

Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Join us as we explore myriad fields within the realm of Diaspora Studies. Celebrate new publications and productions in AfroFuturism, global health sciences, hip hop studies, multimodal ethnography, and race as political technologies. While supplies last, get a free book/CD signed following the Q&A!

Sponsor: CCM, Charles P. Taft Research Center

TBD/ Please keep checking back!

Location: Sigma Sigma Commons (bad weather location: Africana Studies Lounge, 3rd Floor) 

Time: 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT! You can get your FREE ticket by attending any BFM event earlier in the week.  Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis!

Sponsor: College of A&S Associate Dean, Dr. Littisha Bates

Location: Charles P. Taft Research Center, Edwards 1 

Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Join us as we explore myriad fields within the realm of Diaspora Studies. Celebrate new publications and productions in AfroFuturism, global health sciences, hip hop studies, multimodal ethnography, and race as political technologies. While supplies last, get a free book/CD signed following the Q&A!

Sponsor: CCM, Charles P. Taft Research Center

Location: AACRC

Time: 7 pm

Join us at the AACRC for a FREE concert by UC community musicians and artists!

Sponsor: UC Black Male Staff, Charles P. Taft Research Center

Location: National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center @ Wilberforce University

Time: 9am-4pm (Bus load @ A&S 8:30am)

Join us for a FREE FIELD TRIP to Wilberforce University to tour a museum, enjoy lunch, and see the campus of Ohio's #1 HBCU!

RSVP Link: RSVP

Sponsor: Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Nicole Mayo

Location: Great American Ballpark

Time: 6 pm

The Onyx & Ruby Gala recognizes the achievements of African American alumni, faculty, staff and students at the University of Cincinnati. This elegant evening is one of the UC Alumni Association’s largest events each year. *REGISTRATION REQUIRED*

RSVP Link: RSVP

Sponsor: Black Faculty Association (BFA)

Location: Gaines United Methodist Church, 5707 Madison Rd, 45227

Time: 10:45 am 

Come one, come all! Each Sunday in February a different local church will open its doors to Bearcats and their friends/family. You are invited to attend Sunday services, then stay afterwards for a catered "Fellowship Hour" where you can meet and greet members of the congregation.

Sponsor: Office of the Vice Provost, Dr. Keisha Love

Location: TUC Atrium

Time: 12:01 pm

Come lift up your voice! Join us in TUC each Monday as we take a quick moment to sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in the Atrium.  It only takes 5 minutes to pay homage to James Weldon Johnson's poem-turned hymn, so don't be late!

Sponsor: AACRC

Location: Taft Research Center, Edwards 1

Time: 12:30 pm - 2 pm

Pick up your FREE copy of "Viral Justice" at the Taft Research Center, then enjoy the Center as a quiet reading space (with snacks) in the afternoon. The author, Ruha Benjamin, will be on campus in early March, so let's read her book together in advance of her visit! Small conversation groups welcome!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center

ENGL 2159: Intro to Professional Writing (M,W 10:10-11:05): Students will be responding to “Dressed by Not Tryin’ to Impress” by Hull, Jackson, and McCoy

February is the perfect time to drop into a Black Studies/Black Studies-related class to learn what all the hype is about.  No RSVP necessary, just show up and be prepared to learn!

Sponsor: Department of English-Rhetoric and Professional Writing

Location: TUC Cinema 

Time: 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

Come check out a great film/documentary, enjoy movie treats, and take part in great discussions each Tuesday in February!

Sponsors: CCM Dance, SFMS 

Location: Charles P. Taft Research Center, Edwards 1 

Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Join us as we explore myriad fields within the realm of Diaspora Studies. Celebrate new publications and productions in AfroFuturism, global health sciences, hip hop studies, multimodal ethnography, and race as political technologies. While supplies last, get a free book/CD signed following the Q&A!

Sponsor: Department of Sociology, Charles P. Taft Research Center

Location: Ludlow Wine, 331 Ludlow Ave, 45220

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Ludlow Wines will host Dr. Holly Y. McGee every Wednesday in Black History Month for a 4-part lecture series on everything you've ever wanted to know about African American History but were hesitant to ask. Are you ready to drink, laugh, learn, and grow? Of course you are!

Sponsor: Charles P. Taft Research Center 

Location: AACRC

Time: TBD

Join Sisters Impacting Sisters (SIS) and UC Black Women on the Move for their annual Sip & Paint event. 

Sponsors: Sisters Impacting Sisters; UC Black Women on the Move

Location: Revolution Dance Theatre @ The Aronoff

Time: 6pm-9pm (Bus loads AACRC 5:30pm)

Join us for a FREE FIELD TRIP to the Aronoff Theatre to see the full dress rehearsal of Revolution Dance Theatre's Black History Month performance on February 28.

RSVP Link: RSVP

Sponsor: Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Nicole Mayo

Location: Charles P. Taft Research Center, Edwards 1 

Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Join us as we explore myriad fields within the realm of Diaspora Studies. Celebrate new publications and productions in AfroFuturism, global health sciences, hip hop studies, multimodal ethnography, and race as political technologies. While supplies last, get a free book/CD signed following the Q&A!

Sponsors: Department of Sociology, Charles P. Taft Research Center

Location: Sigma Sigma Commons (bad weather location: Africana Studies Lounge, 3rd Floor) 

Time: 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT! You can get your FREE ticket by attending any BFM event earlier in the week.  Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis!

Sponsor: College of A&S Associate Dean, Dr. Littisha Bates

Location: Charles P. Taft Research Center, Edwards 1 

Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Join us as we explore myriad fields within the realm of Diaspora Studies. Celebrate new publications and productions in AfroFuturism, global health sciences, hip hop studies, multimodal ethnography, and race as political technologies. While supplies last, get a free book/CD signed following the Q&A!

Sponsors: Department of History, Charles P. Taft Research Center