The Africana Program has an exciting schedule of events during Black History Month! See below for more details.

Scholar Tea with Dr. Shingirai Taodzera (Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 4:15pm, Pettengill G65)

Dr. Taodzera will be in conversation with Africana faculty member Prof. Eric LeFlore. Dr. Taodzera’s research and teaching address the political economy of development in East and Southern Africa, with a focus on the governance of extractive natural resources, particularly oil and minerals. He is currently working on several research projects, including finalizing his first monograph, entitled Resourceful Kingdoms: Community Resource Ownership and Development in Africa, under contract with Ohio University Press. This project explores how the inclusion of indigenous customary institutions in the governance of land, minerals, and oil can contribute to political representation, poverty reduction, economic growth, mitigation of environmental harm, as well as attainment of sustainable development in Africa.

Harlem Renaissance Poetry Reading (Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 4:15pm, Fireplace Lounge)

In this interactive event, students and faculty will read poems from the extraordinary Harlem Renaissance cultural movement.

Book Presentation with Dr. Ethelene Whitmire (Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7:30pm, Muskie Archives)

Dr. Whitmire will present her recent book The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram: The Man Who Stared Down World War II in the Name of Love (Viking, 2026). The book tells the story of Reed Peggram, a queer, Black scholar who studied in Europe on the brink of World War II, where he fell in love, was captured by the Nazis, and miraculously escaped.