In collaboration with the Black Student Association at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and the Sister Circle at Mānoa, the UH men's and women's basketball programs will celebrate Black History Month by honoring 15 historical Black figures spanning from the Kingdom of Hawai'i to present day. The recognition will take place during the Saturday, Feb. 3 women's basketball game and Thursday, Feb. 8 men's basketball game. Student-athletes will honor the 15 historical figures in limited-edition warm-up gear featuring the honorees' names. In addition, student-athletes from both teams will introduce select honorees at each game. Doors for both games open at 6:00 p.m. 

Formerly known as Negro History Week, the recognition and celebration of Black History Month dates back to 1915 when historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Through the ASALH, Dr. Woodson initiated the inaugural Negro History Week in February 1926. Fifty years after the inaugural week-long celebration, the celebration of African-American's contributions became a month-long celebration. 

Read more about the Black-led organizations on campus and how to support them below:

Black Student Association (BSA): The Black Student Association (BSA) was established in 2016 in response to the lack of representation for Black students, faculty, and staff at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). Since its inception, the BSA has successfully advocated for the return of the African American specialist position in the Department of  Ethnic Studies and established the Alice Augusta Ball Black graduation ceremony. The goals of the student-led organization are: to enhance and facilitate the academic and social success of African diaspora students through supporting their enrollment, retention, and graduation; increase awareness and understanding of Black/Black-centric issues, history, and culture; promote unity among African diaspora students; protect the intersectional civil rights of African diaspora students; and promote and preserve Black studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Sister Circle at Mānoa: Sister Circle at Mānoa is a place to connect and build community among Black women and femmes and the greater community of women and femmes of color at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Our hope for the Sister Circle is that it will be a space for Black women and other women of color to build meaningful relationships, commiserate about their experiences with racialized and gendered microaggressions, and center Black women's unique experiences in higher education and academia. The co-founders of the Sister Circle at Mānoa are LaJoya Reed Shelly (M.Ed.) and Niya Denise McAdoo (B.A.).

More information about the Black Student Association and the Sister Circle Mānoa can be found on their Instagram: @bsauhmanoa & @sistercircleatmanoa. To learn more about historical Black figures in Hawaiʻi, please read They Followed the Tradewinds: African Americans in Hawaiʻi edited by Miles Jackson, Ph.D. You can support the Black Student Association and the Promotion of Black Studies at UH by contributing to their UH Foundations account here: https://giving.uhfoundation.org/funds/12449204