Randy Yohe Published

MU Celebrates Black History Month 2025

Two well-dressed, middle aged African-American men sitting at a desk
CIcero Fain and Burnis Morris lead MU's Black History Month activities.
Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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Marshall University has a diverse array of  Black History Month activities in the month of February – and they kick off with a focus on labor. 

The late Huntington native Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Black History Month. That local connection has prompted Marshall University to turn February into an education celebration.

Organizer Burnis Morris is Marshall’s Carter G. Woodson Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications, and co-founder of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum. Morris said beyond lectures the agenda of public events  includes hands-on activities involving art, music, dance and a soul-food cook off. 

“It’s important for us to reach people younger than you and I who have an appreciation of the past because it will lead to greatness in the future,” Morris said.

The National 2025 Black History Month theme is African-Americans and Labor.  At Marshall, educator and activist Cicero Fain will offer a program that examines black labor within a West Virginia context.  on February 3

Fain said besides the labors of slavery, he will look at the 20th century migration of blacks to local industrial jobs now gone, and the concerns over a future workforce.

“I don’t know how these new economic and technological sectors will attract black labor,” Fain said. “I know Marshall’s keen on developing and educating folks to fill jobs in those sectors. I don’t know if that’s enough. I don’t know If there’s enough jobs available, or if the political climate will allow folks to say, well, it is a good place to move to for people of color.”

For details on all of Marshall’s Black History Month events, click here.