With the confusing weather that comes with spring in New Orleans and the month of February upon us, Tulane University is in the midst of Black History Month programming on and around campus.

In honor of the Black administrators, students and staff that have built this institution, made progress for the better and fought for the liberation of students, we here at the Tulane Hullabaloo present our second annual Black History Month issue.

Black excellence is central to the construction of this edition of the Tulane Hullabaloo, with articles spanning from an interview with renowned chef Leah Chase to the history of Zulu to the lesser known breaking Black athletes who paved the wave for change in New Orleans.

What is imperative to understand about this themed issue is that Black history is not for consumption simply 28 days (or 29 depending on whether or not it’s a leap year). We do not curate this issue each year because the span of Black history at Tulane or nationally can be contained in 12 measly pages. The symbolic act of piecing together this themed issue reflects a year-long and deliberate effort to consistently recognize Black excellence on Tulane’s campus and in the city of New Orleans.

As a predominantly white campus situated in a predominantly Black city, it is critical for us as a publication to record not only the narrative of the majority of Tulane. Tulane University as an institution would not be here without the labor, resilience and tenacity of Black people within and outside of our institution.

Black History Month, however, and the celebration of Black achievement should not and will not end after the publication of this issue. Black history is something that must be recognized year round because it is the foundation of our history as a nation and a world. Without the recognition of black folks globally, we fail to fully tell our world’s story and record our globe’s history.