Legacy Unveiled: A Chronicle of Black Student Connection at UW-Madison

media release: Join us in a night of celebrating, networking, and looking back on the UW-Madison Black archives and BHM planning committee. Highlighting history and memories, created by Black Alumni, on our very own campus. We will take a deeper dive into the legacy created with our panel of BHMPC Alumni. As we travel through Black archives we recognize the power, resilience, and creativity Black students have left on this campus and are still creating. Business casual attire is recommended, but not required.

Find more UW Black History Month events at students.wisc.edu/black-history. The theme for the 2024 Black History Month celebration at UW:

Legacy X commemorates 10 years of the campuswide celebration of Black History Month at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Legacy has helped define us. It drives us to recognize our past and strive for better in our future. 

The X is a symbolic representation of the roman numeral 10 and a nod to Malcolm X, who used X as a signifier of his unknown African ancestral surname.

UW–Madison’s first formal celebration took place in February 2014 with the focus on celebrating Black history, while educating the campus community and honoring the historic contributions of Black students at the university. 

From 2014 to 2017, the Black History Month Planning Committee was under the direction of African American Student Academic Services. Since 2018, the Black Cultural Center, which is part of the Multicultural Student Center in Student Affairs, has served in an advisory capacity to the student planning committee.

This month’s theme, Legacy X, looks back on what the Black community at UW–Madison has accomplished in the last decade. Our goal is to celebrate past, present, and future Black students at UW–Madison who have — and always will —  unapologetically take up space and always strive for excellence.

Special thanks to the 2024 Black History Month Planning Committee and the Black Cultural Center for leading the month’s celebration.