news-category: Campus News

Gardner-Webb Black Student Association and Office of Diversity and Inclusion Sponsor Black History Month Activities

Lauren Washington speaks at last year's Black History Month Program.
Lauren Washington, interim director of Diversity and Inclusion, speaks at last year's Black History Month kick off celebration.

Local and Regional Events Celebrate African American Trailblazers and Culture

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The Black Student Association (BSA) at Gardner-Webb University, along with the GWU Office of Diversity and Inclusion, is hosting several events and activities to celebrate Black History Month. The BSA empowers Black students to voice concerns, discuss issues, and foster meaningful community conversations. This organization is open to all undergraduate students.

Black History Month was founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in February 1926. Woodson also formed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), which sponsors the month each year.

The 2025 theme of Black History Month is African Americans and Labor, which focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds—free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary—intersect with the collective experiences of Black people.

Black History Month Events

Find more information about the Black Student Association on Instagram (@gwu.bsa)

A game night is planned again for this year, and it will be on
Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Clubhouse.
  • Feb. 17 – 2 to 4 p.m., Guess the Quote, Tucker Student Center.
  • Feb. 18 – 6 p.m., R&B Paint Night, Clubhouse, R&B music, paint and snacks.
  • Feb. 19 – 2 p.m., Customize your trucker hat, Room 141 Tucker, hats and an assortment of patches are provided, while supplies last. Contact Joanna Woods, BSA president, at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @gwu.bsa.
  • Feb. 20 – 7 p.m., Line Dance, Stewart Hall, Tucker Student Center.
  • Feb. 25 – 6 p.m., Soul Food and Game Night, Clubhouse. RSVP required before Feb. 25. Register here.

Black Student Association (BSA) Spirit Week

  • Feb. 17 – Melanin Monday – wear shades of brown.
  • Feb. 18 – Thrive for Excellence – dress to impress.
  • Feb. 20 – Throwback Thursday – wear your best >2000s attire
  • Feb. 21 – Black is Beautiful – Blackout Friday. 

Find regional events on the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission’s calendar, here.

Auxiliary aids will be made available to persons with disabilities upon request 10 working days prior to the event.  Please call 704-406-4270 or email [email protected] with your request.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.  

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