Salisbury University celebrates Black History Month throughout February with this year’s theme, “Black Resistance,” exploring how African Americans have fought historic and ongoing oppression since America’s earliest days.

The month’s festivities begin with the kickoff event at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Holloway Hall Auditorium. The event includes Black talent at SU and introduces attendees to other Black History Month programming at the university.

Other events include:

• Wednesday, Feb. 8, 6 p.m., Blackwell Hall – Alumni Black Resistance Series: Al “Hondo” Handy: Handy, a multi-year Maryland Governor’s Citation recipient and two-time Ocean City Citizen of the Year, is the author of his memoir Defying Expectations. He shares his personal experiences as a young Black man defying the odds by becoming one of the first Black students to attend an all-white school before integration and winning a state basketball championship.
• Thursday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m., Guerrieri Student Union Wicomico Room – The Harriet Tubman Museum Experience: Linda Harris and David B. Cole take participants for a walk through time with historical props, narration and live banjo music in the event entitled “I Got Shoes – Songs of Freedom Along the Underground Railroad.”
• Wednesday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m., Blackwell Hall – Alumni Black Resistance Series: Victoria Jackson-Stanley: Jackson-Stanley was the first female and first Black mayor of Cambridge. She discusses her personal and professional life to empower the next generation of leaders.
• Sunday, Feb. 19, 6 p.m., Holloway Hall Auditorium – Gospel Fest: Led by the SU Gospel Choir, this evening features gospel talents from across the Eastern Shore, as well as a headlining gospel artist, who will be announced closer to the date.
• Wednesday, Feb. 22, 6-7:30 p.m., Ernie Bond Curriculum Resource Center, Conway Hall Room 226 – Fifth Annual SU African American Poetry Read-In: Established in 1990, the National African American Read-In is the nation’s first and oldest event dedicated to diversity in literature. Attendees are invited to read (or submit videos beforehand) of their own original poems or works of their favorite African American poets. Submit videos by emailing Stephen Ford at saford@salisbury.edu.

Black History Month events are sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education, Delta Sigma Theta, the English Department, the Multicultural Alliance, National Pan-Hellenic Council, SU Gospel Choir and SU Libraries.

Admission to Black History Month events are free and the public is invited. Tickets are required, available through SU’s online ticket office at salisbury.universitytickets.com.

For more information call 410-548-4503.