Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership is transforming Black History Month into an immersive celebration of culture. This February, the center presents a dynamic lineup that moves beyond traditional lectures, inviting students and community members to engage with Black history through hip-hop’s revolutionary power, the decolonizing practice of poetry, gospel music’s role in resistance movements, and the liberating language of dance. 

The series kicks off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 5, with author Michael “Manny Faces” Conforti discussing his book Hip Hop Can Save America!: Inspiration for the Nation from a Culture of Innovation. Conforti examines how hip hop extends far beyond music to represent a powerful force for social, economic and cultural transformation. 

The conversation continues at 4 p.m. Saturday, February 7, with “Hip Hop Can Save America,” featuring Conforti, Kandace Lavender and Associate Professor of Music Beau Bothwell. This event explores culture-forward approaches to defending democracy through inspiring presentations and dialogue about hip-hop’s past, present and future role in advancing justice and equity. The evening concludes with a cypher/jam session and dinner. 

At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, poet and educator Denise Miller facilitates “Reading Black SoulTelling,” a community workshop exploring Black poetry as a decolonizing practice. Miller, author of A Ligature for Black Bodies and Art of Fact Director at the Institute for Public Scholarship, leads participants in a communal reflection on how poetry exposes oppression and recovers Black language and personhood. Dinner will be served. 

At 6 p.m. on Monday, February 23, the Face Off Theatre Company will present excerpts from Mahalia: A Gospel Musical. This curated performance and dialogue experience integrates spoken words, poetry and contemporary dance to invite reflections on faith, Black resistance and art’s role in social justice movements. 

The series concludes at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, February 26, with “Movement as Liberation,” led by Heather Mitchell, founder of the Justice Moves dance company. This embodied experience blends somatic movement, West African drum and dance, and community connection, allowing participants to reconnect with their bodies as sites of resilience and joy. The evening closes with a community dance circle, performance and reception. 

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Arcus Associate Director Coco Canders at CoCo.Canders@kzoo.edu.