Happy Valley has an abundance of history with African-American Civil Leadership, from Fredrick Douglas speaking in Bellefonte at Reynolds Hall in 1872, to Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at Recreation Hall in 1965.

Join the Downtown State College Improvement District in the observation and celebration of Black History Month. A plethora of events and resources are available to inform, educate, and inspire State College residents and visitors alike throughout the month of February.

This list is by no means comprehensive, and will be updated as new events and resources become available. If you or your organization are hosting an event you would like us to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and submit your event via email at info@happvalley.com.

Events:

Penn State Student Black Caucus Presents: Kwame Alexander: Pioneering Black History Through Writing
Tuesday, February 7 | 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. | Heritage Hall

Writing Workshop with Ebony Stewart
Tuesday, February 7 | 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. | HUB 134

Spoken Activism with Ebony Stewart
Tuesday, February 7 | 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. | HUB 008 Lounge

Seminar with DuPont’s Christine Hatter
Tuesday, February 7 | 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Zoom

The Frederick Douglass Project
Wednesday, February 8 | 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. | virtual event

Reaching Across Racial Divide
Wednesday, February 8 | 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. | virtual event

An Evening With Robert Samuels
Thursday, February 9 | 6:30 p.m. | Freeman Auditorium

Essence 2 Annual Black History Month Concert
Friday, February 10 | 7 p.m. | Trinity Lutheran Church

Dark Storm Step Team Performance
Saturday, February 11 | 5:30 p.m. | HUB 008

Gorinto Productions Presents: 3 Dots Weekly Listening Series – King Sunny Adé
Monday, February 13 | 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | 3 Dots

Douglass Day 2023
Tuesday, February 14 | noon to 3 p.m. | Mann Room – Paterno Library

Late Night: Bessie Watch Party
Wednesday, February 15 | 8 p.m. | CSGD

The Black Experience at Penn State
Wednesday, February 15 | 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. | virtual event

Discovery Days | Aerospace Engineer & Inventor Lonnie Johnson
Saturday, February 18 & Sunday, February 19 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania

Art After Hours Radical Love Gala
Thursday, February 23 | 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. | Palmer Art Museum

Diversity in STEAM from a Real-Life Guardian of the Galaxy
Thursday, February 23 | 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. | Ber Auditorium – Hucke Life Sciences Building

Discovery Days | Chemist Percy Lavon Julian
Saturday, February 25 & Sunday, February 26 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania