MSC History and Heritage Months

History and Heritage Month Updates for FY27

Starting this fall, the Multicultural Student Center will take a new approach to the planning and development of History and Heritage Month (HHM) programs, including Latine Heritage Month (LHM), Black History Month (BHM), Middle Eastern North African Heritage Month (MENAHM) and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month (APIDAHM). (Note: Native November will continue to be planned by the Indigenous Student Center Coalition.)

The new approach advances the Centers for Student Success and Belonging co-curricular framework, which includes visibility and representation, intercultural education, and dialogue programs as ways to promote student learning, engagement across difference, and community building. It also invites the broader campus, including academic programs, Registered Student Organizations, and staff and students at-large, to have a more direct role in the planning and implementation process.

Two committees will be formed in fall 2026 to plan the 2027 History and Heritage Months. One committee will plan Black History Month (February) and Latine Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) while the other plans MENA Heritage Month (March) and APIDA Heritage Month (April). Each committee will be led by two professional staff members from the Centers for Student Success and Belonging and include 8-10 student members. Committees will meet weekly for training, development, and planning, and students will receive a monetary stipend for successful completion of their responsibilities. See below for additional details.

Apply for a Student Planning Committee

Students are encouraged to apply to serve on a History and Heritage Month Planning Committee. Planning Committee members must commit to serving for one full year and will receive a stipend of $500 after each semester. Responsibilities include attending weekly meetings; planning, executing, and promoting three events per Heritage Month; and disbursing an event grant. 

Applications to serve on the Black History Month and Latine Heritage Month Planning Committee are open from Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026 to Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM. Learn more and apply below, starting September 2.

Applications to serve on the MENA Heritage Month and APIDA Heritage Month Planning Committee are open from Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026 to Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM. Learn more and apply below, starting September 2.

Submit Your Theme and Event Ideas

Each History and Heritage Month is guided by a theme, which provides focus and inspiration for the year’s program topics and poster design. Every Month also includes a featured event – a keynote speaker, an interactive workshop, a performance, etc. Share your ideas for the theme and featured event with the committee through the submission forms below. Each Month has its own timeline, so make sure to check the dates.

BHM

• Submissions accepted from September 14 to October 9, 2026
• Submit your BHM theme ideas HERE (Link to come)

MENAHM

• Submissions accepted from September 21 to October 16, 2026
• Submit your MENAHM theme ideas HERE (Link to come)

APIDAHM

• Submissions accepted from September 28 to October 23, 2026
• Submit your APIDAHM theme ideas HERE (Link to come)

LHM

• Submissions accepted from January 19 to February 12, 2027
• Submit your LHM ideas theme HERE (Link to come)

Apply for an HHM Event Grant

New this year, the History and Heritage Month Planning Committees will be offering grant funding to Registered Student Organizations and students at-large who want to plan History and Heritage Month events. Three to six grants will be awarded based upon the number of applicants, requested amounts, and quality of applications. Watch here for additional information.

BHM Event Grant

• Open: Monday, October 5, 2026 – Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm

MENAHM Event Grant

• Open: Monday, October 26, 2026 – Sunday, November 22, 2026 at 11:59 pm

APIDAHM Event Grant

• Open: Monday, November 2, 2026 – Sunday, November 29, 2026 at 11:59 pm

LHM Event Grant

• Open: Monday, March 1, 2027 – Sunday, March 28, 2027 at 11:59 pm

Call for Programs

Planning a program for one of the History or Heritage Months? Showcase your event in the Campus Events Calendar and in WIN with a click of a button. Both the Campus Events Calendar and WIN use a tagging system. When submitting your event, make sure to use the correct tag for the month. Events tagged in the Campus Events Calendar will show up on the main webpage for the respective month.

Tags for Campus Events Calendar (today.wisc.edu)

• #Latine Heritage Month
• #NativeNovember
• #UWBHM
• #UWMENAHM
• #APIDA Heritage Month

Tags for WIN

• Latine Heritage Month
• Native November
• Black History Month
• MENA Heritage Month
• APIDA Heritage Month

For planning purposes, each Planning Committee will host a shared internal calendar for its respective months. The purpose of the calendar is to avoid overlapping events. If your RSO or unit is interested in adding an event to that calendar, please use the links below for each month. 

• Latine Heritage Month [link coming]
• Native November [link coming]
• Black History Month [link coming]
• MENA Heritage Month [link coming]
• APIDA Heritage Month [link coming]