Black History Month Programming Begins Feb. 4, Keynote Feb. 27

Kenyette Tisha Barnes will give Bryn Mawr College’s annual Black History Month keynote address at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, in the Great Hall of Old Library.

Barnes is a political strategist, lobbyist, public speaker, trainer, mother, CEO of Nia Vizyon, LLC, a social justice, consulting, and political strategy lobbying firm, and the national co-founder of #MuteRKelly.  

Barnes is also known as the “Legislative Empress,” best known for her work with the Georgia General Assembly. Her legislative work includes lobbying for HIV advocacy, anti-human trafficking, domestic violence, post-partum depression, special education, and voters’ rights.

She has served as an expert on sexual violence issues, and has been featured on broadcast outlets including the BBC, CNN, NPR, HLN, and ABC, NBC, and CBS, as well as in news outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, among several others. She has been honored by the City of Philadelphia City Council and the City of Detroit City Council for her work with the #MuteRKelly movement, and has served as a speaker on HIV, human trafficking, sexual violence prevention, and social justice at several academic institutions, including Spelman College and Temple University.

This year's Black History Month programming begins at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, with a lecture in the Quita Woodward Seminar Room in Old Library from Associate Professor of Latina/o/x Studies Regina Marie Mills from the University of Michigan, presented as part of the Spring 2026 Black Studies Speaker Series.

Additional early programming includes a Feb. 5 concert by Griot’s Groove, led by transportation head Steve Green, and an Open Mic Night on Friday, Feb. 6.

For the latest on Black History Month programming, follow the Enid Cook Center on Instagram and continue to check the Bryn Mawr calendar.