Each February marks the beginning of Black History Month in the United States, and communities across the country take this time to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Black Americans throughout history. This year’s national Black History Month theme was “Black Resistance,” which addresses how African Americans are dealing with oppression and the lack of institutional support in the past and present.

Just two months ago, UNCW’s Upperman African American Cultural Center was awarded “Center of the Year” by the Association for Black Culture Centers (ABCC) at their annual conference from Nov. 3-5. The center also received the “Kuumba Innovative Program of the Year” award for its “Juneteenth Teach-in” event, and program coordinator Ashlee Fleming was named the “New Professional of the Year,” as well.

Seabreeze: A Literary Diaspora celebrated the release of its second issue on Feb. 23, with its first issue published the previous year. With two issues and a full staff, Seabreeze joins the ranks of UNCW’s creative magazines. The publication was founded in 2019 by graduating student Lauran Jones. A literary arts enthusiast who was looking to increase diversity in the arts on campus, Jones leaves a legacy in Seabreeze.

Brown v. Board of Education paved the way for the desegregation of schools in 1954, but it was not until Sept. 10, 1962, that the first black students attended class at UNCW, then known as Wilmington College....

“So, in the ten minutes since we’ve arrived on campus, I’ve only seen… one black guy.” These were the first words my father told me when we got out of our respective cars on move-in day back...