BLACK HISTORY MONTH</p>
<p>Past as power.<br />
Pleasure as Praxis.<br />
Future as Freedom.<br />
Join us for a month of free programming in celebration of black sexuality and black sex educators</p>
<p>Underneath text are headshots of Tanya Bass, PhD, Kayla Henry, MPH, and Breanna Lewis, MPH.

Join the Black History Month List!
We’ll notify you and automatically register you for all the sessions once the details are finalized.

We invite Black-led and Black-owned businesses and organizations to share their information for inclusion in our Black History Month features across our website, events, and social media.

Week 1

Speaker Card for Welcome to Black History Month

Welcome to Black History Month!

Join us for a live networking session to kick off Black History Month and connect with colleagues, community members, and leaders in sexuality education. This opening gathering sets the tone for a month of learning, connection, and celebration.

Live on February 4

Free February 2026 Sex Ed Lecture Series Christina Wright, MPH You Gotta Eat the Booty Like Groceries There is an enormous amount of silence about sex that has shaped the lives of black people for many years. The purpose of this workshop is to explore cultural taboos that exist in the black community surrounding sexuality and pleasure. This session will discuss and examine how these taboos affect their current sex lives.

Christina Wright, MPH — You Gotta Eat the Booty Like Groceries

There is an enormous amount of silence about sex that has shaped the lives of black people for many years. The purpose of this workshop is to explore cultural taboos that exist in the black community surrounding sexuality and pleasure. This pre-recorded session will discuss and examine how these taboos affect their current sex lives.

This recording will be released immediately after the live session. Come back February 4 to watch

Week 2

Speaker Card for Lube 101

Lube 101: Slip, Slide and Decide, Find Your Perfect Glide

This lecture explores the different types of lubricant, including water based, silicone based, oil based and hybrid options. We will cover how they work, what they are best used for, body safety, toy compatibility and common myths, helping people choose lube that supports pleasure, comfort and confidence.

Live on February 11

Free February 2026 Sex Ed Lecture Series Christina Wright, MPH You Gotta Eat the Booty Like Groceries There is an enormous amount of silence about sex that has shaped the lives of black people for many years. The purpose of this workshop is to explore cultural taboos that exist in the black community surrounding sexuality and pleasure. This session will discuss and examine how these taboos affect their current sex lives.

Dr. Tracie Q. Gilbert — Black and Sexy Book Discussion

How do African American people come to understand sexuality, and themselves as sexual beings? Dr. Tracie Q. Gilbert has released her inaugural work Black & Sexy, which helps get at an answer. This pre-recorded session provides an overview of the book’s emergent theory (Black Sexual Epistemology), facilitating discussion with participants about its implications for sexuality educators and practitioners alike.

This recording will be released immediately after the live session. Come back February 11 to watch

Week 3

Speaker Card for Joy Is Not Extra

Joy is Not Extra: Black Women's Sexual Pleasure as Radical Praxis

This interactive workshop invites Black women and femmes to explore sexual pleasure as a practice of healing, agency, and liberation. Grounded in pleasure activism, participants will reflect on embodied knowledge, communication, boundaries, and intimacy, unlearning sexual shame while envisioning pleasure as a collective praxis rooted in Black histories and futures.

Live on February 18

Free February 2026 Sex Ed Lecture Series Christina Wright, MPH You Gotta Eat the Booty Like Groceries There is an enormous amount of silence about sex that has shaped the lives of black people for many years. The purpose of this workshop is to explore cultural taboos that exist in the black community surrounding sexuality and pleasure. This session will discuss and examine how these taboos affect their current sex lives.

Dr. Shemeka Thorpe — Guilt, Pain, and the Absence of Pleasure: The Sexual Socialization of the Black Female Adolescent

Adolescent sexuality is largely constructed by society, peers, family, and sexual scripts. Black female adolescents are often socialized to expect sexual pain and guilt over sexual pleasure. In this pre-recorded session, we will explore Black female adolescents’ pleasure expectancies, the role of sexual guilt, and how society socializes them to expect more negative outcomes.

This recording will be released immediately after the live session. Come back February 18 to watch

Week 4

Free February 2026 Sex Ed Lecture Series Christina Wright, MPH You Gotta Eat the Booty Like Groceries There is an enormous amount of silence about sex that has shaped the lives of black people for many years. The purpose of this workshop is to explore cultural taboos that exist in the black community surrounding sexuality and pleasure. This session will discuss and examine how these taboos affect their current sex lives.

Dr. Donna Oriowo — Drink Water and Mind Your Business: Self-esteem and the Sexuality Field

This pre-recorded lecture explores self-esteem as foundational to sexual wellness and education. Using Drink Water & Mind Your Business, Dr. Oriowo examines how socio-cultural messaging, family dynamics, and learning theory shape sexual values, intimacy skills, and identity—highlighting community care and unlearning shame as tools for liberation.

This recording will be released immediately after the live session. Come back February 25 to watch

Speaker Card for Black History Month Grand Finale

Black History Month Grand Finale

This live closing session brings the month’s programming together through guided discussion and reflection. Participants will revisit themes from the prerecorded webinars, celebrate the Black-led businesses and organizations spotlighted throughout the month, and reflect on how to carry this work forward beyond February.

Live on February 25

Meet the Black History Month Team

  • Tanya Bass, PhD, MS, MEd, CHES®, CSE (she/her/hers) is the founder of the North Carolina Sexual Health Conference (NCSEXCON). She is an award-winning sexuality educator and subject matter expert in sexuality education, reproductive health, and health equity. Tanya is an alumna of North Carolina Central University’s (NCCU) Department of Public Health Education, where she has served as an adjunct instructor for several years. She is the lead instructor for Sexuality Education. She completed her PhD in Education at Widener University in the Center for Human Sexuality Studies. She is a member of the Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WoCSHN), the Association of Black Sexologists and Clinicians (ABSC), and the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator (CSE). She is a current member of the editorial board for the American Journal of Sexuality Education.
  • Kayla Henry, CHES® is a graduate of Montclair State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in public health with a concentration in community health education and a minor in African American studies in 2020. Currently, Kayla is an MPH student at Montclair State University, where she will be graduated May of 2022.
  • Breanna Lewis Breanna Lewis is an AASECT-certified Sexual Health Educator with over 10 years of experience in sexual and reproductive health. With a master’s in public health, her background includes extensive experience facilitating evidence-based education for diverse audiences. Breanna is also passionate about supporting parents and caregivers through pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood. Through her platform, PRETTY Sexucated, she empowers families to create supportive environments that encourage healthy communication and overall well-being. In her role as a Senior Program Manager within the nonprofit sector, she also provides strategic direction for youth, parent, and professional sexuality education programs. Breanna also serves on the Advisory Board for the SELS and is also an instructor for the certificate course in Parents, Families, and Sexuality Education.

Community Spotlight: Black-Led Businesses & Organizations

We’re honored to highlight Black-led businesses and organizations whose contributions strengthen sexual health, education, and wellbeing. Visit their websites to learn more.