University of Pittsburgh's K. Leroy Irvis Black History Month Celebration

Black History Month is celebrated annually during the month of February to acknowledge and celebrate the important contributions of people of African descent to our nation's life and culture.  Black History Month, which began as Negro History Week in 1926 under the leadership of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, falls in February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. 

In recognition of the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment and the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement and the sesquicentennial of the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) and the right of black men to the ballot after the Civil War, this year’s theme – African Americans and the Vote – speaks to the ongoing struggle on the part of both black men and black women for the right to vote. The theme of the vote also recognizes the rise of black elected and appointed officials at the local and national levels, campaigns for equal rights legislation, as well as the role of blacks in traditional and alternative political parties.   You can read more about the theme on the ASALH website. 

The Pitt community is encouraged to actively engage in the celebration of Black History Month.  A list of 2020 Black History Month University Wide events is available below or check the Office of Diversity and Inclusion's Event Calendar for all events. Any Pitt department / group that wish to have their Black History Month activity promoted on the directory below, can submit their activity information via this form.  

The University's signature event, the K. Leroy Irvis Black History Month Program hosted by the Chancellor, is named for K. Leroy Irvis, a 1954 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and one of the most important and influential men in Pennsylvania history. This year’s K. Leroy Irvis Black History Month program (February 27 – 29) features a series of cultural activities that highlight black activism through the arts.