2024 Featured Speaker & Events
Gwendolyn Grant
Gwendolyn Grant, ’94, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, is a 2024 Black History Month featured presenter.
Read Gwendolyn Grant’s reflections on what 2023 meant for Black Kansas Citians
Gwendolyn Grant, ’94, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, is a 2024 Black History Month featured presenter.
2024 BHM Events
See the Black History Month Calendar of Events for a complete listing of events.
BHM Calendar of Events
If you have a Park University Black History Month event to add to our Black History Month Calendar of Events, please submit a listing with the designation “Black History Month Event” to communication@park.edu.
Park Alumni Who Have Made History
Merideth Rose
In July 2022, Merideth Rose, '06, MPA '08, was selected as the second President and CEO of Cornerstones of Care, a behavioral health agency that serves more than 15,000 youth and families each year across Kansas and Missouri. She is the agency's first and only black female leader since its inception more than 153 years ago. Rose serves on Park University’s Civic Advisory Council.
JT Daniels
JT Daniels, '11, uses his art to support and uplift the community. His murals can be seen all over Kansas City, adorning the walls of small businesses, streetcar stops, galleries and local neighborhoods. His work weaves together various elements, such as characters and phrases, into streamlined designs that represent the heartbeat of the urban community.
About Black History Month
Black History Month, or National African American History Month, represents a nearly 100-year journey to celebrate Black Americans’ accomplishments and recognize the centrality of African Americans in our nation’s history. President Gerald R. Ford officially expanded the celebration to a month during the bicentennial year of 1976, and every subsequent president has made a similar designation each February.
At Park University, we acknowledge and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of our African American students, alumni, faculty and staff. Transforming lives is central to Park’s mission, and these accomplished individuals have transformed others’ lives and the communities in which they live and work.
As a University located in 21 states and educating students across the U.S. and globally, we join our community partners in supporting educational and cultural events throughout the month of February.