Celebrate Black History Month With Community Events

Trinity University’s Black Student Union (BSU), Humanities Collective, and Student Inclusion and Belonging Office (SIB) are excited to celebrate Black History Month 2025 with the campus community. Mark your calendars for this month’s lineup of events:

Humanities Collective’s Douglass Day 2025

Friday, February 14 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Coates Library 103

Join the Humanities Collective and SIB for a transcribing celebration of Frederick Douglass's birthday and Black History Month! Stay tuned on the Douglass Day website to see what they’ll be transcribing this year.

BSU Spirit Week (February 17-21)

Leading up to the Black Essence Festival, BSU will host a spirit week where people can add their outfits/participation via BSU’s Instagram stickers. The themes for the spirit week are as follows: 

• Monday - Black Out
• Tuesday - Rep Your City
• Wednesday - Class Colors
  • First-years - White
  • Sophomores - Yellow
  • Juniors - Red
  • Seniors - Green
• Thursday - Character Day
• Friday (Black Essence Festival) - Dirty South Attire

4th Annual Black Essence Festival
Friday, February 21 | 3-6 p.m. | Coates Esplanade

BSU and the Trinity Diversity Connection (TDC) student organization will be hosting its 4th annual Black Essence Festival. The theme will be "The Dirty South," where people are encouraged to either dress up in country attire or their spin on early 2000s southern hip-hop aesthetics. The Black Essence Festival will, as always, feature good food, good music, and good times. This event is open to any and everyone.

"The magic of the Black Essence Festival lies in its name—the essence of Black culture, and Trinity's BSU is key to this event's popularity and success. The Black Essence Festival has become BSU's biggest event, and arguably one of the biggest student-led events on this campus because of our commitment to putting on an authentic showcase of love and respect for our culture and our people,” says Aaliyah Jones ’26, president of BSU. “This festival proves that it is a beautiful thing when everyone, no matter their race or color, can come together and celebrate love, community, and joy."

Hear from some other BSU officers about what the Black Essence Festival means to them:

"The Black Essence Festival at Trinity is more than just an event—it's a chance for us to celebrate our culture, connect with our roots, and feel seen and heard in a space that’s often too quiet about our experiences. It's like a reminder that we belong here, and we bring something special to the table."

- Jas Sudds ’26, Public Relations Chair of BSU

"Hosting a Black Essence Festival creates a vital space for Black students to celebrate their culture, feel seen, and foster community in an environment where we are often underrepresented. It serves as both a celebration and a reminder of resilience, empowering students to embrace their identity unapologetically while educating others on the richness of Black culture."

- Shelby Scott ’28, Freshmen Representative of BSU

Want to get more involved?

BSU will have a general meeting on Thursday, February 6, from 6-8 p.m. in the Coates Student Center, room 241, where it will provide information tailored to Black students about study abroad opportunities, its upcoming events, and have a much-needed discourse on widely disputed topics in the Black community.

To stay connected to BSU, follow them on Facebook @TrinityUBSU, Instagram @Trinitybsu, and TikTok @officialtrinitybsu.