February is Black History Month, and the nationwide theme for this year’s festivities is “African Americans and the Arts.” CSUN is celebrating all month with a variety of activities to recognize Black excellence.

As part of an ongoing project to feature student voices during cultural awareness months, CSUN Today spoke to students about the importance of their identities and how that corresponds to their celebration of Black History Month.

CSUN’s Black History Month festivities kick off with an opening ceremony on Feb. 1, at 11 a.m. near the Matador Statue. CSUN’s Black House has a roundup of events online.  

Caitlin Goodwin, 22, Junior: “In the future, I’m looking forward to seeing more representation of black people. Whether that’s in media, or on campus, I envision more representation as well as more inclusivity in multiple spaces as much as we can.”

Sydnee Roddy, 23, Senior: “Some black individuals who have inspired me are Barack Obama, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ida B. Wells, and Rosa Parks. I value their fight, their struggles, and the way that they brought their knowledge to the world. They brought a certain level of understanding and representation to the black experience.”

Jordan Cox 20, Junior: “CSUN has influenced the black community by creating an outlet for a lot of black students on campus to connect with each other. From the CSUN black house, to BSU, to the Divine Nine, and there’s a lot of opportunities for us to connect.”

Tyrone Jeffries, 20, Junior: “The black community is on the uprise in today’s society. We are seeing the community become stronger in unity. My current goal is to create peace among everybody, inside and outside the black community.”

Breanna Small, 25, Senior: “It means a lot to celebrate black history as a whole month, because we are giving the flowers (honor and recognition) to people who paved the way to become who we are today.”