Black History Month at an HBCU : Rooted in Excellence

Black History Month is a time to reflect on the past, recognize the present, and look toward the future of Black excellence. At Langston University, the only Historically Black College or University in Oklahoma, this celebration carries deep meaning. Langston represents resilience, opportunity, and pride for Black students in a state with just one HBCU. During Black History Month, the campus becomes a space where history is honored, and leadership is strengthened through dialogue, events, and community involvement. To better understand the importance of Black History Month at Langston, I interviewed two student leaders and an alumni faculty member. Their stories highlight how Black History Month at Langston is not just about remembering the past, but about continuing a legacy of leadership and impact today.

Eric Harris Sr., who serves as the Facilities and Recreation Coordinator from Chicago, Illinois, has held this position for 4 years and has worked at Langston for 12 years. Harris attended Langston University from 1987 to 1989 and was a hyper major. He was on the basketball team, which was awarded several honors, including being a two-time NAIA All-American (1987-88, 1988-89) and being named to the 1987-88 All-District 9 second team and the 1988-89 All-District 9 First Team. He is the first men’s basketball player from Langston University to be named to the NAIA All-American first team. He was inducted into the Langston University 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Class.

He joined the Upsilon Iota chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, the graduate chapter at Langston. Harris’s two sons, Eric E”Donis and Eric Harris Jr., also attended and graduated from Langston University, and both are Initiates of the Phi Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.

I asked Harris how going to Langston shaped his identity. He stated,” Man, it was everything to me coming from Chicago, and then I went to Bishop College in Dallas Texas an HBCU but it’s much smaller campus and then have the opportunity to transfer here in the summer of 87 even though I was away from Chicago, Dallas is still a large market and then coming to Oklahoma and being in Langston such a small place for me made me think clearer and I wasn’t worried about any violence or anything it just shaped my life man it showed me a whole different way of living.”

I asked Harris if HBCU’s are the right place for us, and he stated, “I feel like HBCU’s should be the only place for us and I say that because we weren’t even allowed to go to PWI’s back in the day they didn’t want us like literally think about that they didn’t want us, so the HBCU was created for us to be educated and become educators, so why go to a place that we are undivided, underappreciated they cheer for you and root for you in sports but right after you leave the football field the basketball court or the diamond you’re just a average African-American a Negro HBCU’s was created for us is for us and I’m so glad that not only myself but my two sons are HBCU graduates from a Langston university.”

Facilities & Recreations Cordinator Eric Harris Sr

Elise Thompson, a senior accounting major from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a prominent student leader on campus who serves as the 2025-26 Student Government Association President, also served as the 2024-25 Vice President of the Student Government Association. Thompson discussed what being SGA president meant to her. “To me, it means a lot because I’m able to do what my ancestors did, I’m able to advocate and speak for the students and people who sometimes don’t feel like they have a voice, so I’m that voice for them, and I advocate for them at the student capital.”

I asked Thompson, who was the black history figure who inspired her the most. She stated, “I would probably have to say Shirley Chisholm because I’m very civically engaged and I believe the pen is the way to make change, and she just inspires me so much she just kept going, she didn’t care what anybody thought, she didn’t care that people didn’t believe in her, because not only was she a black she was a young black woman, and I really look up to her and I honor her and do that through advocacy and service”

SGA President Elise Thompson

Lastly, I spoke with Miles Lowery, a senior agriculture science major from Las Vegas, Nevada. Lowery was the 2024-25 Student Government Association President and the Mr. Debonair for the Beta Upsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Lowery is also a spring 25 initiate of the Phi Psi chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.

I asked Lowery which black history figure he would teach the next generation. He stated,” I personally will introduce Carter G Woodson for the simple fact that he helped found black history week that later turned into Black History Month, that was very powerful, I would say Carter G Woodson, for me, as well as Malcolm X, who was such agreat leader, and how he was able to overcome all those trials and assist us as people

In conclusion, Black History Month at Langston University goes beyond a single month of recognition; it reflects a lasting commitment to growth, leadership, and the pursuit of excellence. The stories shared by two student leaders and an alumni faculty member show how Langston continues to shape confident and hardworking individuals who carry Black history forward in meaningful ways. As the only HBCU in Oklahoma, Langston stands as a reminder that Black history is not only something to be studied, but something to be lived, protected, and advanced through education and community.