As February is reaching its end, the Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies (MXIBS) continues to host events celebrating Black History Month. Every year, February is nationally dedicated to celebrating Black history and culture. On Wabash’s campus, the MXIBS has a vital role in keeping this tradition ongoing.
The MXIBS was founded by a group of Black Wabash students in 1970 and was created in order to stand as a pillar of Black activism, culture and community inside Wabash’s campus. The institution’s role is still very prevalent at Wabash today, as it continues to represent the Black community on campus as a whole.
The Institute’s role is just as important as it was in the 1970’s, as Wabash’s student body is still predominantly white. The MXIBS serves as a community for Black students at Wabash, a community that sometimes cannot be found in other groups on campus. Vice Chairman of the MXIBS, Christian Gray ’25, found a sense of belonging at Wabash through the Institute.
Gray was raised in Indianapolis and attended North Central High School. Switching from a diverse public school to a small, private liberal arts institution was a culture shock. The demographic that composed Wabash’s student body was not something that he was used to as a freshman. During his freshman year, Gray lacked a sense of community inside of Wabash. This is what motivated him to join the MXIBS as a sophomore.
“I really felt out of touch with my Blackness being here,” said Gray. “I lost that portion of myself. I remember joining the MXIBS and feeling like that was the first time I had belonged.”
As the head of this year’s Black History Month programming, Gray is a major reason why the MXIBS has been so much more involved in Black History Month this year. Gray believes that Black History Month is important for educating the Black community and to uplift and support it as well. Initially, the Institute was focused on outward education, but brothers like Gray have realized that it is better to tailor events to promote their own community within the MXIBS. Focusing on internal promotion has naturally brought outside engagement.
“Two years ago, our Black History Month programming was really focused on outward education,” said Gray. “But the people who needed to hear it weren’t there to do so. Now, I’m just going to focus on uplifting our guys and our community within the MXIBS.”
Over the past three weeks, the MXIBS has hosted a plethora of events related to Black History Month. The Institute started out by opening its doors to the rest of campus and hosted a Black History Month open house. The Institute has continued engagement through a series of lunch talks dedicated to Black history and culture.
The talks have been switching off between students and faculty. This past Tuesday’s talk included Alex Schmidt ’27’s coverage of Black influence on the rock and roll industry, and Alex Kindig ’26’s experience while studying abroad in Botswana. Next week’s talk will be done by Visiting Professor Juliette Papadopoulos on French colonialism in Africa.
The MXIBS has also contributed to Black History Month through hosting a campus-wide Brother 2 Brother event — an opportunity for students to communicate openly and honestly with their peers — and partnered with the artist in residence, Julian Jamaal Jones. With the help of Jones, an art gallery in the Fine Arts Center has been set up to highlight the work of Black students and artists on campus. The first section of the showcase features unframed works by Black students, and the rest showcases Black artists from the MXIBS permanent art collection.
Lastly, the MXIBS has brought in Black speakers to talk in front of the Institute. This past week, the Institute brought in a speaker from the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. The speaker covered the topic of mental health in the Black community and tried to tackle the stigmas that exist in it.
On February 22, the MXIBS will host Red Velvet, a lineup of musical and comedic performances in the Ball Theater. The last major event is on February 28, when the Institute will be hosting the Celebration of Black History Month. The event will specifically focus on the Harlem Renaissance and how it impacted Black culture.
While the events have had growing attendance, Gray and Hayden Lewter ’26, secretary of the MXIBS, believe that the College administration should do more to support Black History Month events.
“I want to say it should be a collaborative effort, which it is, but I think we are taking more of that responsibility,” said Lewter. “We’re doing the majority of the work while the administration is just approving it and giving us a budget.”
Support, Lewter said, can also come from those who are not involved in the MXIBS. By coming to events and learn about Black history and issues, students and faculty alike can be educated and better poised to spread awareness
He noted that even though outside attendance isn’t great, it is still improving. Students who are not brothers of the MXIBS are starting to give lunch talks, sharing their experiences. There is an upward trajectory of coaches and faculty starting to show up to every event.
“History textbooks only teach so many things, and Black history is not talked about enough on the farther end,” said Lewter. “We are trying to develop that educational bridge and teach something, whether it’s from a student’s perspective or from a professor’s perspective.”
As Black History Month starts to wrap up, the MXIBS encourages students from all around campus to attend their events and end the month on a strong note.