Elon's CREDE to Mark Black History Month with Rhythms of Resilience

Elon University's Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE) staged a slate of Black History Month events under the theme "Rhythms of Resilience: One Soul, One Sound," centering music, community and wellness as tools for education and solidarity. The programming combined performances, student-led activities, health-focused sessions and an athletics recognition night intended to engage both campus and wider Alamance County audiences.

CREDE opened the month with a kickoff festival at McKinnon Hall in the Moseley Center that guided attendees through a range of Black musical genres while highlighting historical moments and featuring student organizations and local vendors. Cultural offerings included "Abusua," a Black History Month dance concert at McCrary Theatre with an evening performance and a matinee, and a Carnaval celebration featuring steel pan performers that brought music and pageantry to campus audiences.

Educational and dialogue-driven events ran alongside arts programming. Black Table Talk: Legacy in Motion used facilitated activities and discussions to honor Black history and to shape its local future. A Tiny Shelf Concert at Belk Library, hosted with the Jazz Studies Department, showcased Black artists and student jazz ensembles. CREDE also organized a Black Solidarity Conference to close the month, assembling conversations intended to broaden civic and campus engagement.

Public health and student wellbeing were explicit priorities. CREDE scheduled Health & Healing sessions exploring the connection between nutrition and mental health and a Health and Hustle program focused on how to eat well on a budget while maintaining mental wellness. Those events were held in accessible campus spaces such as El Centro Kitchen and were designed to address health disparities students may face when juggling limited resources and academic demands.

Athletics and community visibility were amplified by a Black History Month recognition night at the Schar Center, where the Elon women's basketball team hosted the University of Delaware. The game included special prizes for attendees and used sport as a platform to celebrate Black achievement and draw local residents into campus programming.

Program leaders framed the month as a prompt for ongoing conversation. Abdul-Malik Harrison, a program director for CREDE, said he hopes this year’s theme will create a conversation around the contributions and impact of the Black community. Collaborations with Belk Library, Jazz Studies, student groups and campus kitchens helped broaden access and participation.

For Alamance County residents, the mix of arts, wellness and public gatherings offered multiple entry points to engage with Black history and contemporary community concerns, from mental health and food access to cultural expression. CREDE staff invite questions and community partners; for more information contact Simone Royal, assistant director of CREDE, at sroyal2@elon.edu or (336) 278-7243. The month’s programming capped with the Black Solidarity Conference, with organizers indicating the conversations started during Black History Month will continue into campus and community initiatives.