The University of New Mexico first celebrated Black History Month in 1976, following President Gerald Ford's formal recognition of the month. However, the tradition started much earlier than 1976.
It was 1926 when Harvard-educated historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson ushered into the American experience a celebration of the accomplishments of Black Americans under the banner: Negro History Week. Woodson, always one to act on his ambitions, decided to take on the challenge of writing black Americans into the nation's history. He established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History) in 1915 and a year later founded the widely respected Journal of Negro History. In 1926, he launched Negro History Week as an initiative to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history.
Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population, abolitionist Frederick Douglass and former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Since 1976, Black History Month has been celebrated from Feb. 1 through Feb. 28 across the United States following President Ford’s formal recognition.
UNM was well ahead of the national movement—and, in fact, had helped lead the national groundswell that eventually led to the federal designation. In 1970, under the leadership and collective effort of students from the Black Student Union, what was then called the “Afro Studies program” was born, one of the very first programs like it in the nation. Afro Studies would grow and evolve, becoming African American Studies in 1982. Eleven years later, it became a degree-granting program, and today it has full department status as our Department of Africana Studies.
The UNM Department of Anthropology continues this tradition annually during the month of February with a dedicated webpage highlighting several celebration events, black scholars, and the African American Student Services office. This site also offers valuable resources and shares a historical project that captures the history of the Black experience at UNM.
Department of Africana Studies
UNM’s Africana Studies Program gives students of all races, ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds a full understanding of the global linkages between peoples of Africa and other African-descended people in the Southwest, the contiguous United States, and throughout the Black Diaspora in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Africana Studies provides an excellent university experience in a discipline that investigates African-descended peoples' experiences from the perspective of their interests, aspirations, possibilities, and envisioned destinies."
Faculty spotlights include Dr. Kirsten Pai Buick and Professor Kathy Powers. Buick is the Department chair for the Africana Studies Department and a professor of Art History since 2001. Her recent publications have appeared in exhibition catalogs for artists such as Deborah Robers, Augusta Savage and an essay on Renee Stout that appears in the catalog for the VMFA exhibition. Powers is an associate professor of the Political Science Department. Her current research focuses on the design of international institutions and law with respect to human rights, restorative justice, trade and war.
African American Student Services
The mission of African American Student Services is to recruit, retain, and uplift the Black student population at UNM by providing educational discourse, leadership development, holistic wellness, and community engagement. We support students in realizing their full potential self through collaborative advocacy, intentional allyships, and the exploration of the many facets of Blackness.
As an essential resource, AASS contributes to the University’s commitment to a diverse campus culture by appreciating and creating space for Black student scholars to thrive. The vision of African American Student Services “Afro” is to inspire excellence in culture, research, and innovation for Black student scholars at the University of New Mexico.
Brandi Stone is the director of African American Student Services at UNM. "A UNM alumni, Stone received both her BS in Political Science, and her MA in Public Administration. Throughout her seven-year tenure with AASS, she has served in numerous capacities, beginning in a work-study position and transitioning into various professional roles. As interim director, she led the development, expansion, and implementation of undergraduate and graduate programs, inclusive of targeted recruitment, first-year mentoring, and research exposure through the annual research symposium.
For more information about Black History Month, vist UNM Anthropology.
