Students at UW-Madison kicked off Black History Month Friday with an evening of dinner and dancing entitled “An Afrofuturistic Affair” at the Pyle Center’s Alumni Lounge.
Afrofuturism, the theme of this year's Black History Month on campus, is the reimagining of the future for Black people through various mediums, such as the arts, media and literature, according to the university.
Although Afrofuturism was born from the erasure of African traditions and identities from the science fiction genre, its reach has become far more expansive. Afrofuturism has become a cultural movement that idealizes the future as a way to (re)imagine the realities and possibilities for those of the African diaspora.
Throughout the month, there will be a cohesive set of events designed to educate, celebrate and support the imagination of Black existence in the future.
This year’s Black History Month at the university will also showcase how voices from the past continue to live in the present — and help guide the future.
Keynote Speaker Pierce Freelon, professor, musician and social entrepreneur, is the founder of Blackspace, a digital maker-space for Afrofuturism. Freelon will speak at Union South’s Varsity Hall at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27.
