Join us for all of the exciting programming we have planned for the spring semester!

Read more about each event below:

Join us for an exciting interdisciplinary series on art, activism, and resistance in Haiti! This series is inspired by the work of the three scholars: Dr. LaMothe, Delsoin, and Dr. Prosper-Dougé. In an upcoming journal issue "The Rights to Live Creatively," they explore the complex ways Haitians live, love, create, and commune despite and amongst oppressive structures of power, neo/colonial ideologies, and exclusionary social relations in their homeland and abroad.

The UIC Departments of Gender and Women’s Studies and Black Studies invite you to our upcoming “Valentine’s for Collective Care” event! Celebrate love, care, and community with us through an afternoon of card-making for organizations at UIC and across our community that are working toward collective liberation. We will provide cards, art supplies, and all other materials, so come as you are and bring a friend! We will write letters of appreciation and care to a variety of groups and communities on and off campus, and we also invite you to write a letter to any organization or group that you wish to express love and appreciation!

Join us as we honor the life of Frederick Douglass for Douglass Day 2025 -- a day of love and collective action for Black history! Douglass Day is an annual program where communities across the country come together to help create new and freely available resources for learning about Black history. Lunch will be provided! We hope you join us for this important work and to celebrate Black History Month! Come and bring a friend. This event is co-sponsored by UIC Black Studies, Sociology, History, and the University Library. 

Join One Million Experiments (1ME) co-hosts Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger for a performance, screening, and interactive conversation about the new liberatory possibilities already in the making all around us! One Million Experiments is a film exploring how we define and create wellness and reduce harm in a world without police and prisons.  Following the screening, there will be a film discussion between the filmmakers and Martine Caverl, co-founder and executive director of Ujimaa Medics. The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Beth Richie, Professor of Black Studies and Criminology, Law and Justice at UIC.

Experiments Gathering: stop by before the screening for a tabling event in SCE 613 with on-campus groups and local organizations. Come connect and learn how you can get involved! The room opens at 3pm CST. 

For accessibility information and to see the full list of co-sponsors, please visit our website.  

You’re invited to our annual Grace Holt Lecture and Celebration! This event honors the tremendous work and legacy of Dr. Grace Holt, the founder and first director of the UIC Department of Black Studies. Each year, we uphold Grace Holt's commitment to Black Studies and celebrate our community through a keynote presentation, series of community and scholarly events, and recognition of the Grace Holt Award recipients. We hope you can join us for all of our Grace Holt programming – it'll be a week full of food, fun, and community engagement! 

This year, our speaker is Dr. Nisrin Elamin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and African Studies at the University of Toronto. 

Grace Holt Programming Overview

More details will be available on the BLST website soon! The 2025 Grace Holt Lecture and Celebration events are co-sponsored by UIC Global Middle East Studies. 

Have you demonstrated a commitment to racial justice at UIC or in your community? You're encouraged to apply for this award that recognizes outstanding students at our annual Grace Holt Celebration and Lecture! Applications require a Completed SnAP application form, a 500-word essay, unofficial transcripts, and two letters of recommendation (at least one from a UIC faculty member). Eligible applicants must be a UIC undergraduate or graduate, demonstrate a commitment to racial justice, and have a GPA 3.0 or above.

Applications are due March 31st and are available on SnAP, so don't delay in applying!

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