DENTON (UNT), Texas — The University of North Texas is giving students opportunities to learn about and celebrate Black History Month throughout February. UNT Dining Services will be offering Black History Month menu specials at all dining hall locations every Thursday in February.

UNT’s Black Student Union will be hosting a variety of events throughout the month, including a Skate Night Feb. 18, a Fashion Show Feb. 22 and a Block Party Feb. 24. Full details will be confirmed on the Black Student Union’s Instagram.

“Black History Month, to me, symbolizes celebrating African American people – all the accomplishments and everything they went through,” said Keylen Davis, converged broadcasting senior and Eta Epsilon chapter president of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Davis and his fraternity brothers hosted a March of Remembrance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day before speaking at a City of Denton celebration program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Rec Center. “It’s a month that we can celebrate everything that’s happened and how far we’ve come as people and as a community.”

UNT’s Center for Belonging and Engagement gave students the opportunity to attend the Denton Black Film Festival’s Poetry Slam Saturday, Jan. 25. The center will also host a lunch and learn with assistant professor of Black literary and cultural studies Dr. Jo Davis-McElligatt Tuesday, Feb. 25.

“I'm going to give a lecture about Afrofuturism, African futurism and the black speculative arts, and specifically offer attendees a history of Afrofuturism,” Davis-McElligatt said. “I love sharing the kind of research that I do with people, so that's exciting and I like that it's open to everybody. I will jump at any opportunity to talk about this work with people who maybe don't know about how cool it is. I hope for them to leave with a really good understanding of black futurist traditions and literature, film, music and culture more generally.”

Full event details listed below:

• Event: Black History Month Menu Specials
• Details: Taste the culture, celebrate the history, and savor every bite all month! Join us for a special Black History Month menu at each Dining Hall every Thursday in February.
• Date: Thursday, Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27
• Time: Dining Hall hours of operation
• Location: All Dining Hall locations
  
  
• Event: Black History Month Lunch & Learn
• Details: Join this learning opportunity with assistant professor of Black Literary and Cultural Studies Dr. Jo Davis-McElligatt. Lunch is provided. No registration required.
• Date: Tuesday, Feb. 25
• Time: 12 p.m.
• Location: Union 335

Editor’s Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, a previously planned event about the history of stepping scheduled for Feb. 18 is cancelled.