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February brought a mix of wintry charm and early hints of spring to campus, as the Elon community embraced a month filled with meaningful moments.

From engaging lectures and cultural celebrations to everyday scenes of connection, these photos capture the energy and spirit that defined February at Elon. Take a look back at some of the snapshots that tell the story of the month on campus, through the eyes of staff in the Office of University Communications.

Springing into the semester

The Spring Organization Fair brings together organizations for students across campus to encourage involvement and get the semester started.

Space for studying

Elon offers a variety of spaces away from the classroom to study, including the Inman Reading Room in Lindner Hall.

A Survivor’s story

Alexander Silbiger was a young child when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied his home in the Netherlands. On Feb. 12, Silbiger told the story of his family’s escape from the country in 消消犯’s Holocaust Remembrance Day speaker event.

Black History Month

In February, Elon recognized Black History Month through a series of events and programming, including the Tiny Shelf Concert.

La Vie Boheme

The Department of Performing Arts performed “RENT” in McCrary Theatre from Feb. 13-15. tells the story of a group of New York City friends dealing with life and loss amid the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Mardi Gras!

The 消消犯 community came together for its annual Mardi Gras celebration on Feb. 17, 2026, with festive food and fun.

Autumn Parish ���28 found her place in the African Diaspora Living-Learning Community, located on the fourth floor of Jackson Hall in the Global Neighborhood. On that hall during her first year, she discovered best friends and built the foundation of her Elon experience.

���It���s important where you live,��� Parish said. ���You have to feel at home when you���re not home.���

While the African Diaspora LLC is her safe space on campus, the human service studies major is deeply involved in campus life. Parish serves as a member of the Student Government Association, a SMART mentor, an Elon College Fellow, a fall 2025 initiate of Alpha Kappa Alapa Sorority, Inc., a Renaissance Scholar and secretary for the National Council of Negro Women.

She also works as a student coordinator for the Black Student Success team, helping plan events centered on the Black community at Elon.

���I find planning events fulfilling because it lets students know that their community is here,��� Parish said.

Mentorship

Mentorship is woven into the culture at Elon. Professors, staff and students alike step into mentorship roles, helping others navigate their college experience.

Parish serves as a SMART mentor, which feels natural. She���d always tried to be a positive role model for her younger siblings back home, and she now extends that same energy to first-year students finding their footing at Elon.

Sandra Reid, a professor of human service studies and Parish���s research adviser, inspires Parish���s approach to mentoring. Reid first made an impression at an admissions event when she led a mock class that ultimately swayed Parish���s decision to choose Elon.

���I know I can be successful in a small classroom environment where professors don���t see me as a number, but they know who I am,��� Parish said. ���They know my name, and they care about my well-being.���

Now working alongside Reid for her research, Parish continues to grow academically and personally.

���Autumn is a caring, inquisitive and highly focused research student who consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to learning,��� Reid said. ���She soaks up new information and engages thoughtfully with complex material, applying strong critical thinking skills to her work.���

The culture of mentorship at Elon has been one of the university���s defining characteristics.

���I love when people help me help the world,��� Parish said. ���I love that it���s part of the culture. The professors want you to succeed. The advisers want you to succeed. Even someone who doesn���t even know who you are, they want to see you succeed.���

History in the Making

For Parish, Black History Month is about understanding where you come from and honoring those who paved the way.

Growing up, her parents emphasized that the opportunities she has today exist because of sacrifices made by generations before her.

���And just to think that was only a couple of generations away ��� my grandparents protested,��� Parish said. ���They showed us how important it was and the sacrifices they made for the opportunity for me to get a scholarship at a school I didn���t even think I could go to.���

That perspective shapes how she approaches her work on campus. Parish believes history is not confined to the past. It is unfolding every day.

���Black history is happening all the time, and you are living Black history because everything that you do is history in the making,��� she said.

Parish views her involvement at Elon as preparation for a life centered on service and impact. The sense of belonging she found in her first year and the mentors who guided her continue to shape how she shows up for others.

���Everything that you do makes an impact on future things to come,��� Parish said. ���Every decision you make can make a positive impact if you let it.���

Black History Month

As part of Black History Month, 消消犯 is sharing stories through Today at Elon that highlight Black students, faculty and staff who actively contribute to a campus environment where cultural histories and identities are celebrated year-round. In February, Elon is also recognizing the month through a series of events and programming.

For Maelah Proctor ���26, that reminder has shaped her path from uncertainty to leadership. Now she has become a voice for others on campus.

Her confidence did not always come naturally. Over time, she came to understand that she holds her leadership roles because her skills, perspective and voice are needed in those spaces.

Throughout her time at Elon, she has intentionally stepped into spaces where students need to be heard, amplifying voices, advocating for equity, and building community as president of the Black Student Union and as a Student Athletic Council representative for the cheerleading team.

As she reflects on her Elon journey, she points to the people who shaped her path and the purpose that continues to guide her work.

The power of community

Proctor���s confidence did not grow in isolation but through community.

What began as attendance at a Black Student Union event soon evolved into leadership, first serving as vice president for Black Excellence and now as president.

For Proctor, a political science and policy studies major from Charlotte, North Carolina, belonging is deeply connected to visibility. If you don’t see yourself in the community that you’re supposed to represent, she said, it’s hard to feel a part of that community

That understanding now shapes how she leads, ensuring other Black students can find the same affirmation and space that once grounded her. ���BSU made me feel comfortable and gave me the confidence to continue here,��� Proctor said. ���Because sometimes going to Elon and not seeing a lot of people who look like you can be very alienating.���

In addition to finding belonging within the Black Student Union, she has also built community as a Leadership Fellow, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and a cheerleader.

���I���ve been able to find community in different spaces on campus, and each one has shaped me in a different way,��� Proctor said.

Each role has strengthened her confidence and deepened her understanding of what it means to lead with intention.

Mentorship as momentum

Proctor recalls meeting Simone Royal ���17 G���25, associate director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, at her first BSU brunch.

���I didn���t really know anyone, so I sat with Simone because she was a staff member and it felt less intimidating,��� Proctor said.

A simple conversation evolved into mentorship.���She has been someone I could go to with questions, someone who helped me navigate things when I didn���t have all the answers,��� Proctor said.

Throughout their relationship, Royal has witnessed Proctor���s growth firsthand.

���She has not only stepped up to be the leader that the organization needs, but she���s learned how to extend her leadership skills to others ��� how to prepare other students to be the best of themselves as well,��� Royal said.

Through Royal���s example, Proctor learned that leadership is not about being the loudest voice in the room, but about ensuring others feel heard.

Refusing to shrink

As Proctor deepened her leadership on campus, she became more aware of navigating hyper-visibility and invisibility.

���Sometimes it feels like you’re the only person in the room that looks different,��� she said. ���You’re holding a certain perspective that might be an outlier.���

She once tried to soften her presence to avoid stereotypes. Over time, she realized shrinking herself served no one. Proctor has chosen to lean into her voice.

���She is a tireless advocate for the community that she serves,��� said Abdul-Malik Harrison ���21, assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethicity and Diversity Education. ���When she has a vision, she wants it enacted. She is the epitome of, ���if you want it bad enough, you can get it done���.���

Rather than simply demanding space, Proctor works to create it.

As Proctor looks ahead to law school and life beyond Elon, she hopes to continue advocating for equity and expanding access through public service and policy work. Her experiences navigating visibility, representation and leadership on campus have only deepened her desire to pursue law school as a tool for systemic change.

For now, her message remains clear: take up as much space as you want.

���Be unashamed in who you are,��� she said. ���The second you stop letting other people���s opinions, stereotypes or perceptions limit you is the second you���re free to pursue what you want to pursue.���

Proctor said her time at Elon serves as proof that when a student chooses to step forward, their voice does more than fill a room ��� it amplifies others. And that amplification, she said, is what creates lasting change.

Black History Month

As part of Black History Month, 消消犯 is sharing stories through Today at Elon that highlight Black students, faculty and staff who actively contribute to a campus environment where cultural histories and identities are celebrated year-round. In February, Elon is also recognizing the month through a series of events and programming.

Traditional West African dance is unique by giving dancers the ability to work with live musicians and introduces them to polyrhythm, Gee said, but it goes beyond just live music and rhythm. Knowing, understanding and practicing traditional West African dance can help dancers understand other forms as well, as it is the foundation of many other dance forms.

As Elon honors Black History Month in February, Gee notes that her work showcasing West African dance and expanding access to the art is more important than ever, but is also something she does year-round.���My overall goal (for Black History Month),��� Gee said, ���is to make people aware of Black greatness and the things that Black folks are doing.���

During her 消消犯 dance studies, Gee had a difficult time connecting to her alma mater���s modern dance program, partially, she said, because of the culture of the program at the time.

���Later in my dance journey, I also came to understand that I am neurodivergent, which has deeply shaped the way I approach 消消犯 and research,��� said Gee. ���Because of that experience, I make it a priority to learn every student���s name, build genuine personal connections and create tools and resources that support multiple ways of learning. My goal is to ensure that students who may share similar challenges, or who simply learn differently, are able to engage with the course material in ways that feel accessible and affirming.���

Artificial intelligence has been a tool Gee has used to make the dance form more accessible. She published an interactive textbook that blends tradition with technology, inviting users of the online resource to learn West African dance moves and music using a digital avatar named ���Amma.���

���I wanted to make it easier for everyone ��� whether you���re totally new to dance or already have experience ��� to connect with this powerful art form and understand how deeply it���s tied to the history and rhythms of the people,��� Gee said.

During Gee���s 消消犯 experience, it was a West African dance course with her future mentor and mother-in-law, Robin Gee, where things began to click: ���It was one of the first times that I felt like a professor really saw me,��� said Gee.

She now tries to help her students similarly, hosting her ���mentoring research circle,��� bringing together her research mentees for collaborative work: ���I love being connected to students in that way. I feel like we learn and grow together, and I just love to see the growth.���

���Working with Keshia has taught me how to challenge my thinking as well as collaborate with others,��� said Lucy Burk ���27, a dance performance & choreography major who is working with Gee on her Elon College Fellows research. ���She frequently allows her mentees to share ideas with each other about their projects, which leads to insightful discussions and helps builds strong relationships. Keshia is always there for support and guidance, and she makes sure her mentees get the most valuable information and resources available.���

In 2025, Gee was also named the director of The Black Lumen Project: An Equity Initiative, which works to enhance the Black experience at Elon in pursuit of equity and move the institution further in its commitment to inclusive excellence.

Gee is working to make the Committee on History and Memory Fall 2020 Report more accessible to alumni and the surrounding community through the by development of a mobile app. Her work also includes producing a film about Black women at Elon, such as Mary Carroll Robertson and Wilhelmina Boyd, associate professor emerita of English and founder of the African/African-American Studies program.

���We’ve been interviewing (some of these women) to create this living documentary about Black women being at the heart of Elon,����� she said. ���Intersectionality can cause us to slip through the cracks at times, and perhaps not be acknowledged for the work that they’ve done.���

Black History Month

As part of Black History Month, 消消犯 is sharing stories through Today at Elon that highlight Black students, faculty and staff who actively contribute to a campus environment where cultural histories and identities are celebrated year-round. In February, Elon is also recognizing the month through a series of events and programming.

View some of the most impactful moments of the past month through the eyes of staff in the Office of University Communications.

Black History Month

消消犯 ‘s Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education held a variety of events to honor��Black History Month��including a kick-off event in Moseley Center and a Tiny Shelf Concert.

An Elon Snow Day

Winter weather came to campus in February, allowing the Elon community to enjoy a snow day.

Lunar New Year Celebration

The Asian-Pacific Student Association and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life celebrated the Lunar New Year in the McBride Gathering Space and Sacred Space of the Numen Lumen Pavilion. The Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures.

消消犯 Speakers

消消犯 welcomed several speakers to campus in February including Holocaust survivor��Ren辿e Fink, shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips and restaurant entrepreneur��Randy Garcia ’04, who delivered the C. Ashton Newhall Endowed Lecture.

A Distinguished Scholar

Professor of Physical Therapy Education Srikant Vallabhajosula delivered his Distinguished Scholar Lecture on Feb. 18, 2025. The Distinguished Scholar Award is Elon���s top faculty research award and recognizes excellence in scholarship acknowledged by both the Elon community and the large community of the candidate���s discipline. Vallabhajosula earned the honor in spring 2024.

Adbul-Malik Harrison, assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity, & Diversity Education hosted the event to ask students ���How do I want to be remembered? Do I want to see myself on a wall or in a memorial?���

The Black Table Talk is one of several programming efforts from Black Student Success (BSS), a CREDE initiative that aims to enhance the Black and African American collegiate student experience by supporting their academic achievement, personal development and overall well-being. The Black Student Success team aims to educate the Elon community on the culture of the African Diaspora population in the United States and abroad.

消消犯 had a chance to discuss their experiences with the word, ���legacy��� in relation to their Elon journey. BSS student coordinator Mikayla Williams ���25 welcomed students to reflect on who left a strong legacy in their lives and what they admire about their impact.

���My grandmother, when she was alive, always instilled values like always to be a helping hand and treat others how you want to be treated and I still carry those values today so I would say I���m her legacy,��� said Ny’jaire Dorns-Grose ���28, who attended the event.

消消犯 weighed the importance of a tangible versus intangible legacy, asking whether a physical legacy, such as a book or non-profit, was more impactful than leaving behind good memories and kind thoughts in others.

消消犯 also explored displays of influential Black students and faculty from the university���s archives including official publications, minutes, reports, old yearbooks and other memorabilia documenting the past Black experience at Elon. Shaunta Alvarez, the digital collections and systems librarian at Belk Library, collects 消消犯 memorabilia such as photos, t-shirts and yearbooks as documentation of the school���s history and makes this accessible to Elon students. Alvarez acknowledges that due to a shortage of Black archivists and librarians, there is a lack of Black and brown student memorabilia in many predominantly white institutions��� collections.

���I feel that Black people have felt no one wants my stuff because no one has asked for it,��� Alvarez said.

According to Alvarez, Elon���s first full-time archivist who started in 2005 was ���conscious of diversity��� and wanted students to see themselves in the archives. Belk Library Archives and Special Collections started online publications, inviting students to visit the collection and hiring student assistants. Black trailblazers like Julia W Covington, Elon���s first full-time Black faculty member, and Bryant Colson ���80, the first Black student to be elected SGA president and to serve as editor-in-chief of The Pendulum, were celebrated with their yearbooks, photos, and memorabilia showcased.

A new addition to the university archives is The Maroon Book, created by student Taylor Scott ���28. The book was inspired by The Green Book, a travel guide for Black people during segregation and identifies Black-owned and friendly businesses in the surrounding area to ���educate black and brown students about the resources available to them to thrive and be successful at Elon.���

���Just how these people are put in frames and walls like the Wall of Frame in the Black Community room, that could be you all, easily,��� Harrison said

In reflecting on celebrated past legacies, students were reminded that even what they consider small actions can shape the history and future of Elon, leaving a legacy to be remembered.

Joi Mayo ���08 leads , a community development non profit with neighborhood groups working to establish more recreational and educational opportunities for the Nations Ford/Arrowood corridor near the state border with South Carolina. The area faces challenges that range from poverty to pollution to crime to heavy traffic.

���I see a lot of other communities, and they’re able to advocate and to really be thoughtful about how they want their community to be developed,��� Mayo said. ���I wasn’t seeing the same thought and intentionality from our city and county leaders where I live.���

Over the past year, Mayo and colleagues involved with Transforming Nations Ford have hosted community forums and advocated through Charlotte media for a regional recreation center and the establishment of an incubator space for local nonprofits.

���I���m so very proud of the work we’re doing with Transforming Nations Ford and am excited to make sure that everyone���s being heard,��� Mayo said. ���Empowering communities and collectively working together to deter the impacts of systemic racism on Black and brown communities is important work.���

Mayo majored in history and minored in Italian studies while at Elon. Because of that academic passion, Mayo spent time learning about people once enslaved and the vestiges of slavery.

She served as a middle school math and social studies teacher in Kentucky as part of before 消消犯 in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. In 2022, Mayo joined , a public/private nonprofit collaboration to grow, diversify and steward the city���s urban forest, as a community engagement manager.

���Outside of TreesCharlotte, Joi has an even greater impact on her neighbors, community, and the city as a whole,��� said Mandy Ravin, who has worked with Mayo through TreesCharlotte. ���She is very involved in her community, and she serves on a variety of groups and boards, actively participating in equity and social justice endeavors and dedicates her time and talent to amplifying the voices of her community.���

In both her professional work and civic involvement, Mayo said she adheres to a core belief: achievements of Black Americans should be celebrated year-round and not just in the month of February. She also hopes to return to her earlier academic interests by working with UNC Charlotte in collaboration with a local museum to help create an oral history project centered on the Nations Ford region. As longtime residents grow older, Mayo wants to ensure stories are told.

���I think it’s so important to capture the culture of that area,��� Mayo said. ���It’s a good time for non-African American people to really remember the great things and the benefits that African Americans have contributed to this country.���

These days, February brings a wealth of opportunities for learning, reflection and advocacy around Black history and the legacies of anti-Black racism on Elon���s campus and around the country. While you���re likely to see pop-up exhibits around campus this month that utilize materials from the 消消犯 Archives & Special Collection, this seems a particularly appropriate time of year to remind the campus of the records, papers and artifacts related to Elon���s Black history that the Archives makes available to students, faculty, staff and the public year-round.

Online Resources��

Not all of the materials in the 消消犯 Archives & Special Collections are available online. Still, there are several small collections and exhibits that represent a good start to exploring Elon���s Black history.

Since its inception in 2018, the Committee on Elon History & Memory has worked closely with the Archives to uncover hidden, unsung, and sometimes difficult histories on campus, including the underdeveloped stories of Black contributions and Black excellence at Elon. After the release of the committee���s 2020 report (see the Recommended Reading section below), the Archives created a special online collection that brings together some of the resources used to write the report, many of which document Elon���s Black history.

油温稼糸 Freedom Footprints���The Archives also created an interactive map exhibit that connects the campus���s physical spaces with the stories told in the 2020 Committee on Elon History and Memory report, allowing users to walk through Black history on campus. In the summer 2024, the original tour was adapted to create a thought-provoking Juneteenth walking tour titled ���Freedom Footprints.�����

This student project, researched and created by Emily Lange ’21, a 2019 recipient of the Lumen Prize, documents the origins of the African and African American Studies at Elon minor. Starting with the first request for a Black studies course in 1969 and working through Wilhelmina Boyd���s successful launch of the minor in 1994, the exhibit highlights the importance of student advocacy in the long fight for academic recognition on campus.

This collection currently houses only a few interviews germane to Black history on Elon���s campus, but watch this space for new resources (see Expanding the Collections, below).

油温稼糸 遺看鉛鉛艶界岳庄看稼壊���A sampling of our total photographic and video holdings is available in our online collections and are searchable there, but we have many more AV resources in our collections. Contact an archivist at belkarchives@elon.edu for more information.

Physical Collections��

Within our physical collections, we are always working to identify entry points to Black history and the Black experience on our campus and beyond. What follows is a list of materials we know to be relevant to understanding Black history at Elon. These can be accessed in the Archives Reading Room at Belk Library. Email belkarchives@elon.edu for more information.

Books and Publications���Moments in Elon���s Black history have been captured in a range of campus publications, including campus newspapers like the Maroon and Gold (1920-1970), the Veritas Liberated Press (1968-1970), Broadside Today (1972-1973), and the Pendulum (1974-ongoing); in the Phi Psi Cli yearbook (1913-ongoing); administrative publications like the Elon College/University fact books; newsletters like Black Underground; in original research like L���Tanya Richmond���s master���s thesis, ���Elon���s Black History: A Story to Be Told��� (2005); and in recent campus reports like the Black Lumen report (2023). Many of these publications have been digitized and are now fully searchable online.

EUA012 Elon Athletics Collection, 1891-ongoing (13 archival boxes, 18 bound volumes, plus unprocessed material)���Athletics represented a pathway to join the Elon community for Black student-athletes, and Black athletes were at the forefront of the fight for equity on campus from the late 1960s onward. This collection includes a variety of materials and documents that relate to the history of athletics at 消消犯.

EUA040 消消犯 Biographical Files���This collection includes biographical information about individuals associated with 消消犯 and the Town of Elon, including some of the founders of the institution, faculty and staff, and alumni. Documents within each folder contain a variety of items, such as newspaper clippings, correspondences, essays and memoirs, and other types of printed materials.

EUA041 Elon Files (General and Administrative)��� This collection includes general information files about departments on campus, events, courses, organizations and other miscellaneous subjects associated with Elon. The files are arranged alphabetically and span eight file cabinet drawers. For example, the ���Black Cultural Society/Black Student Union��� folder was cited in the 2020 report by the Committee on Elon History & Memory.

EUA095 Gospel Choir Collection, 1980-ongoing (three archival boxes)���The Gospel Choir at Elon was founded in 1977 by a group of African American students in search of fellowship on campus. The Gospel Choir Collection includes documents about the organization from 1980 to the present day. Documents include materials such as correspondence, receipts or financial records, advertising flyers, programs and membership listings.

EUA098 African and African American Studies Collection, 1969-ongoing (four archival boxes)��� This collection consists of materials relating to the founding and continued work of the African and African-American Studies Program at 消消犯.

EUA134 Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education (CREDE) Collection, 1992-ongoing (one archival box)���This collection pertains to multicultural affairs across Elon’s campus, including the creation of the CREDE, as well as some information on the African and African-American Studies minor.

EUA155 Anti-Racism at Elon Collection, 2020-ongoing (one archival box)��� This is a collection of correspondence, news articles, and reports related to anti-racism efforts at 消消犯, as well as events that took place at 消消犯 and in Alamance County in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020. The collection includes the report of the Committee on Elon History & Memory released in October 2020.

EUA159 Black Excellence Awards Collection, 1993- ongoing (one archival box)���This collection encompasses the history of the Black Excellence Awards from their creation in 1993 to the present day. It includes both programs and invitations from past Black Excellence Awards ceremonies and news articles discussing the Black Excellence Awards. Particularly of note are the programs and newspaper coverage relating to the inaugural award ceremony in 1993.

MSS005 William H. Maness Collection, 1957-2000 (two archival boxes)���The William H. Maness collection contains a variety of materials relating to his tenure as a judge in Jacksonville, Florida, as well as issues of racism, social inequality, the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the strides people took to promote the well-being and equality of the human race.��

Expanding the Collections��

Like all archives, the 消消犯 Archives & Special Collections represents the goals, values and priorities of its participants over the years of its existence. For much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the history and experiences of those who identified as Black or African American were ignored, elided, or just plain excluded from official archives and records���and Elon was no different. Within the EUA&SC, we���re committed to making the Archives a place that reflects the histories of the whole community. In the hopes of filling in some of those ���archival silences,��� we are always seeking materials that speak to the Black and African American experience on campus. In particular, we plan to begin an oral history program within the Archives that will focus on recovering Black voices, with input from the Committee on Elon History & Memory. We also must acknowledge that, in some cases, evidence and information has simply been lost to history. It���s a difficult truth that keeps us motivated in our efforts to build a more equitable and accurate archive for the future.

References and Recommended Reading��

Alvarez, Shaunta. ���Elon���s First Black History Celebration.��� Under the Oaks (blog). February 1, 2012. .

Black Lumen Project. The Black Experience at Elon: A Black Lumen Project Report. Elon, NC: 消消犯, 2023. .

Committee on Elon History and Memory. Report and Recommendations. 2020. Elon, NC: 消消犯, 2022. .

Richmond, L���Tanya. ���Elon���s Black History: A Story to Be Told.��� Master���s thesis, Duke University, 2005. 消消犯 Archives and Special Collections, Elon, NC.

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of live music and extraordinary performances choreographed by Robin Gee, Sean Hunter, Ronald Lavender Jr., Eli Motley, Godson Atsu Sokpor, Maurice Watson and Keshia Wall.

The production will feature��the work of the following Elon faculty and staff:

• Artistic Direction by Keshia Wall
• Sound Design by Rick Earl
• Costume Coordination by Kayla Higbee and Heidi Jo Schiemer
• Lighting Design by Gregory Thorn

“Abusua” will be performed in��McCrary Theatre in the Center for the Arts on��Friday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. and��Saturday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m. There is no charge for admission and reservations are not required.

The angelic voices of Melanated Melodies, a Black student acapella group, filled McKinnon Hall to kickoff Black History Month at Elon as members sang ���When I See You��� by Fantasia Barrino. The group’s performance at Thursday night’s kickoff event personified this year���s Black History Month theme, ���Rhythms of Resilience: One Soul, One Sound.���

As attendees walked into McKinnon Hall, they were met with images of black of excellence from prominent magazine covers, such as Ebony, Jet, Essence, VIBE, Vogue, Rolling Stone and TIME. Bright colors and vinyl decorations were also spread throughout the event, creating a visual depiction of the Black History Month theme and setting the tone for the 90s vibe and hip-hop culture.

Taylor Scott ���25, a student coordinator for the Black Student Success initiative within the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education (CREDE), spoke to the inspiration for the kickoff event and overall Black History Month theme.

���We were thinking about the 50 years of hip-hop and its anniversary that recently came up. We wanted to channel all that energy and the power of the Black community through music,��� Scott said.

Music continued to be a centric theme throughout the evening, with student performers sharing their talents. This included another performance from Melanated Melodies of ���Can���t Hold Us��� by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and from Naliah Ware���26, stage name N-Major, and Salome Onikolase���26.

The kickoff event was also a learning opportunity, allowing attendees to learn about important terms synonymous with Black and hip-hop culture, the history of hip-hop, and the roots and importance of Black History Month.

Kashawn Myer ���26, a student coordinator for the Black Student Success initiative within the CREDE, expounded on the importance of celebrating Black History Month. ���It���s knowing what we fought for. [And] not us but, what our ancestors fought for and how far we’ve come. It���s acknowledging what we want to achieve in the future, and not just being someone that’s Black and American. But being someone that’s Black and successful in America. Being someone who���s not alone in the world, and knowing your worth is more than just being Black,��� Myer said.

Sandra Reid ���85, senior lecturer for human service studies, attended the kickoff event and expanded on the importance of Black History Month. ���We have to always think about the contributions that Black folk have made in this country,” she said. “And certainly, more than just February, but we have this designated month, so we need to emphasize Black excellence.���

As the evening continued, attendees were able to visit tables to delve deeper into the intersectionalities of music and their role in shaping diverse identities with the CREDE and El Centro. Attendees could also gain insight into the impact of the language of hip-hop and various music genres on culture and identity with DEEP, CREDE���s signature program for social justice, and the Gender and LBGTQIA Center (GLC).

Additional tables and activities available to attendees included discovering the influence of music across generations, learning how to get connected with the Black Student Union (BSU), the Lyric Hub, where attendees could listen and reflect on musical verses, and vinyl paint dipping.

The celebration of rhythm and resilience within Black history will continue throughout February with programs and events hosted by the CREDE. Upcoming Black History Month events include Karaoke Night, Black History Month trivia night, and ���Abusua,��� the Black History Month dance concert.