Black History Month: GVSU students 'continue to elevate' during annual Blackout event

In contrast to the library’s typical quiet, peaceful environment, its atrium was bustling with energy earlier this week as 24 different student organizations set up table displays to promote their group during "The Blackout: Black Student Organization Showcase." 

Phil Todd, assistant director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, shared that this year’s theme for Black History Month events is “continuing to elevate.” 

“The goal is to shift how spaces are seen," Todd said. "The library is usually a quiet space with your coffee and laptop, but now we’re having a full-fledged event with speakers and noise. We’re turning the library into a vibrant space.” 

Across campus, the theme can be seen through new collaborations and outreach efforts. Black History Month literature displays can be found in both the Mary Idema Pew Library and Steelcase Library. On the Art at GVSU app , users can take self-guided virtual tours of art created and inspired by Black individuals on both the Valley Campus and the Health Campus downtown.

2026 marks 100 years since the creation of Black History Week, which became Black History Month 50 years later. 

“It’s a great opportunity for us to all come together,” said sophomore Alana Lake, who was at the event with her sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho. “Campus Life Night in the fall is great, but here, we're able to come together and see each other. Most of us are in more than one of these organizations," Lake said. "It's nice to represent all of our groups in one space.”

At last year’s event, 16 student organizations took part. This year, that number grew to 24, all of them filling the library’s atrium with tables and poster boards to promote their student organizations to other students.

Presented by the Black Excellence program, the Black Student Union and the Center for Health and Well-being, the event let students and staff engage with Black and Afro-led registered student organizations to learn how they can get involved and support. 

Jacob Wooten, a senior, shared that for him, the theme of continuing to elevate connects to his photography and videography work for Black/African American Student Engagement ( BAASE ). “I was already interested in photography and videography, and I wanted to be able to use that to elevate the African-American community of Grand Valley. It helps us get our name out there, sharing campus events and all that we have going on.” 

Todd, who was once a Grand Valley student himself, said that he is driven by the experiences that he and his friends had in college. “My work is shaped by my undergrad experience here,” he said. “I'm helping students who remind me of my friends. Many times, I'll just FaceTime with an alumni who went through the same thing and tell a student, ‘Here, ask them what they did. And look, it all worked out for them.’”

Todd sees the month as an educational opportunity for the whole campus. “Black History Month allows us to shift our focus to understanding what things have happened in America that we didn't know were done by Black Americans," he said. "What inventions were created, what systems were created, what music was created. We’re uncovering what has been covered for so many years.” 

More information about upcoming Black History Month events can be found on the Office of Multicultural Affairs website .