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Registration is now open for the University’s K. Leroy Irvis Black History Month program, "," which will take place virtually at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24.

Pitt students, faculty, staff, alumni and public community are invited to learn more about the Black Pitt experience through a cross-generational panel of Black Pitt community members reflecting on their time at Pitt amid tense racial climates. Additionally, attendees will see a special preview of a new online resource dedicated to the Black experience at Pitt throughout the years. The , the , and partners across the University are currently working on this new digital space that will include materials contributed by the Pitt community, including the African American Alumni Council, students, faculty, staff and alumni.

This event is co-sponsored by Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; University Library System; Office of University Communications and Marketing, Pitt Athletics, African-American Alumni Council and the Pitt Alumni Association. to receive a link to the event.

Â鶹´«Ã½ K. Leroy Irvis

In 2008, Pitt named its annual Black History Month observance the  to honor the memory of the legendary Pennsylvania legislative leader, Pitt alumnus and emeritus trustee. Irvis, a 1954 graduate of Pitt’s Â鶹´«Ã½ of Law, represented Pittsburgh as the first Black Speaker of the House in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since the Reconstruction era. He played a critical role in establishing the Â鶹´«Ã½ as a state-related institution, which helped provide increased access to higher education to generations of students.