Origin Story

Please join me and the NSU Community as we celebrate Black History Month, February 2024. In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) first established “Negro History Week,” during the second week of February. In 1976, the first official observance of Black History Month occurred under President Gerald Ford. Whether a week or a month, the opportunity to pause, reflect, applaud, uncover, and share the many attributes, contributions, research and efforts of African Americans, and people of African descent in general is of great importance to Norfolk State University.

2024 – African Americans and the Arts

African American art is infused with African, Caribbean, and the Black American lived experiences. In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount. African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world. In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.