This year, the University of Wisconsin Black Cultural Center has put together a month-long celebration called “Melanin in Media: The People, The Culture, The Blackprint” in honor of Black History Month.

Students can attend a mix of online and in-person activities for free. The first event will occur Feb. 4 with a “mass media mixer” at 6 p.m. at the Pyle Center.

There will also be showings of movies including, “Moonlight” (2016), “In the Heat of the Night” (1967) and others related to Black History Month. Other events include a poetry workshop hosted by poet Safia Elhillo, an interactive talk show and a game night, according to UW’s Black History Month website.

The celebration will close out with a keynote address by Ruth E. Carter, 2019 Academy Award Winner in Costume Design and a panel discussion with University Health Services representatives about Black women’s mental health, according to the website.

This year’s theme “advocates for inclusion of Black culture within the mainstream media as it is often ignored among Eurocentric norms,” according to the website.

Black History Month has a special place at UW, Black Cultural Center program coordinator Lauren Adams said.

“[Black History Month is] the celebration of a rich history, which is important for our students who are navigating a campus and world that doesn’t always reflect or affirm their identities,” Adams said.

Students can stay up to date about Black History Month activities by following the Instagram and Twitter pages for many departments, such as Student Affairs, The Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement and the Multicultural Student Center.

Information on Black History Month will also be shown on TV monitors across campus, Student Affairs Communication Coordinator Payton Wade said in an email statement to The Badger Herald.

“With this theme, we want to highlight Black people’s contributions to media and offer space for celebration and education,” Adams said.