Celebrating Black History and Culture at Georgetown
We celebrate the many contributions of our Black students, alumni, faculty and staff to our community and society, and recognize the broad range of teaching, scholarship and advocacy at Georgetown aimed at advancing Black heritage and history.
Black History Month
The first organized national celebration of Black history was conceived by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1925. During the month of February, Georgetown joins the nation in commemorating Black History Month.
Celebrate Black History
Black Studies
The Department of Black Studies delivers scholarship and courses that deeply and substantively examine Black culture, history and experience throughout the Americas; study African culture, history, people and politics as pretext and context to Africans in the Americas experience; and explore the Black Atlantic diaspora.
A Testimonial
“I just knew I wanted to help people who looked like my brother and me, and I felt this was the best way to do it and lean on my skills in STEM. I think my love for my brother was a big thing too because I know he’s not the only one who’s dealt with these things, and I know I have the capability of helping people like him.”
Faculty Research and Expertise
In his new book, Anderson François traces the lives of formerly enslaved people who gained citizenship after the Civil War and how they shape our understanding of the Reconstruction Era.
A new exhibit explores the powerful intersection of culture, community and activism in the struggle for civil rights and social justice.
Impact Stories
“Fundraising is hard for everyone, but America is asking Black women to put in 10 times the effort. I didn’t know those statistics going in. But at some point, my business intuition kicked in: ‘You are just going to have to knock on more doors and crawl across more glass to get there.’”
“As a student at Georgetown’s School of Health, I have had the privilege of stepping outside the classroom and into conversations with community members whose stories remind me that service is not just about policy — it is about people.”
“Ultimately, my mission was to leave a legacy for the next generation of young artists and to inspire them. But as it turned out, they really inspired me.”
Documenting the Black Experience at Georgetown
In 2019, the Georgetown University African American Advisory Board launched “We Are Georgetown: Celebrating Our Black History,” an oral history project designed to document and share the rich history and experiences of the Black community at Georgetown. Today, they’ve completed 100 interviews capturing the life and experiences of Black community members.
Black Achievement, Community and Advocacy
Meet the two Georgetown alumni who have been nominated for best picture at the 97th Academy Awards.
Kenyatta Hazlewood (G’28) spent 20 years nursing trauma patients. She’ll spend the next three researching violence prevention.
The Quest for Racial Justice
Through teaching, research, artistic expression, advocacy and activism, the university calls attention to disparities in health, income, housing and more, while exploring the systematic racism, diasporas, migrations and social structures that continue to impact the lives of people of color.
The Arts and Racial Justice
Through theater, music, dance and more, members of the Georgetown community have been exploring how to spark change and pursue racial justice through the arts.
A Testimonial
As a Black woman, I often see people who look just like me when I enter these spaces,” she said. “The legal system disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities, and I hope highlighting the talent and intelligence of the students helps break down stereotypes.
Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation
Georgetown is engaged in a long-term and ongoing process to more deeply understand and respond to the university’s role in the injustice of slavery and the legacies of enslavement and segregation in our nation. Through engagement with the members of the Descendant community, collaborative projects, new initiatives and learning and research, the university pursues a path of memorialization and reconciliation in our present day.
Quick Links
Honoring the Enslaved
Carlos Simon, a composer, musician and Georgetown professor, composed the work, “Requiem for the Enslaved,” to honor the 272 men, women and children who were sold by the Maryland Province of the Jesuits in 1838 and their more than 8,000 Descendants. In 2022, his work was nominated for a Grammy.
Engaging the DC Community
Georgetown honored Kowshara Thomas, executive director of Joseph’s House, with the 2026 John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award.
Students and faculty in the School of Nursing & Health Studies helped develop a new educational module on implicit bias for the District of Columbia Department of Health.