The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) has announced that the 2018 theme for Black History Month is African Americans in Times of War. This year marks the centennial of the end of the First World War in 1918, and Black History Month will focus on the roles African Americans played in every American war, from the Revolutionary War to the present.

Explore history and have fun with your colleagues throughout February at the following events:

Black History Trivia Game
Thursday, Feb. 8, noon – 1 p.m., Madison Auditorium South
Show off your knowledge and compete for prizes.

Section 27 – The Forgotten History of Arlington National Cemetery
Thursday, Feb. 15, 11 a.m. – noon, Madison Auditorium North

Join historians Ric Murphy and Timothy Stephens for the agency’s Black History Month flagship event. Learn the fascinating story of this section of Arlington National Cemetery, the resting place of roughly 1,500 U.S. Colored Troops from the Civil War, including Sgt. James Harris, who received the Medal of Honor.

The site is also a home to controversy. On June 15, 1864, when the Arlington Burial Ground became Arlington National Cemetery, Section 27 became segregated. Many of the earlier white burials were moved to the “upper cemetery.” Meanwhile, more than 3,000 non-military poor African Americans, including many frees slaves from the nearby Freedman’s Village, were also laid to rest in this area.

Now, Section 27 comprises a combination of black Unknown Citizens, decorated black combat soldiers, and white Arlington Burial Ground soldiers who were not relocated.

Black Panther Movie Screening
Thursday, Feb. 22, AMC Hoffman Center 22

History, science fiction, and superheroics meet as King T’Challa of Wakanda takes up the mantle of the Black Panther in this film by Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station, Fig) starring Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, and Danai Gurira as Okoye.

This is the first major movie to star a black superhero, the first Marvel Studios production to feature a primarily black cast from many nations, and the first Disney film to have a cross-nation release in Africa. The movie has earned the highest presales for any Marvel film.

The Black Panther first appeared in 1966 in Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four #52; since then, he has become one of Marvel’s most important characters.

Wine Down
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 3:30 – 7:30 p.m. in the Madison South Auditorium.

The “Wine Down Networking Reception” will be back by popular demand. Come network with members of other affinity groups and colleagues from different business units.

For more information, contact Schquita Goodwin.