Michigan
Black History Month’s 100th birthday is here. Does Michigan observe?
Black History Month series features South Bend’s Billy “Stix” Nicks
This week’s Black History Month story will tell of the remarkable musical journey of Billy “Stix” Nicks.
This month marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month and Michigan is celebrating the occasion.
The month recognizing Black Americans stems from the efforts of pioneering intellectual Carter G. Woodson, who initiated Negro History Week in February 1926, according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist recognized the month in a Feb. 2 proclamation, encouraging Michiganders to uplift Black American history during this time.
“African Americans have made significant cultural, historical, and economic contributions to the development of America and the American way of life,” the proclamation stated.
Here’s what to know Black History Month in Michigan.
Is Michigan observing Black History Month?
Yes, Michigan recognizes Black History Month, according to the proclamation by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.
“The state of Michigan also recognizes the strength, endurance, and faith of African American ancestors in their struggle for freedom, and pays tribute to their continuous pursuit of overcoming injustices,” the proclamation stated.
The Michigan House on Feb. 4 also adopted a resolution recognizing Black History Month.
What did President Trump say about Black History Month?
President Donald Trump on Feb. 3 issued a proclamation in the first year of his second term to honor “countless black American heroes.” He wrote that “‘black history’ is not distinct from American history — rather, the history of black Americans is an indispensable chapter in our grand American story.”
When is Black History Month in 2026?
Black History Month is February 2026.
When did Black History Month get started?
The origins of Black History Month lie in Negro History Week, founded in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a prominent Black American intellectual, according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
“Woodson chose February for reasons of tradition and reform. It is commonly said that Woodson selected February to encompass the birthdays of two great Americans who played a prominent role in shaping black history, namely Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are the 12th and the 14th, respectively,” the association’s website says.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
No. 1 UCLA baseball took the second game of their Big Ten Conference series 4-3 against Michigan State at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium in East Lansing, Mi. on Saturday.
The Bruins remained undefeated in the Big Ten action by relying heavily on their pitching staff, just like they did in their series opener. In the second game against Michigan State, UCLA’s pitching staff limiting the Spartans success at bat to only eight hits over the nine innings.
All in the first
UCLA was aggressive in the top of the first and it resulted in them scoring all four of their runs off of four hits to give them a 4-0 lead. Payton Brennan and Cashel Duggar each delivered two-run singles for UCLA.
Spartans strike back
Michigan State got on the board in the bottom of the second with their only hit of the inning being a double that allowed their runner to cross home plate from second.
Hanging on to the lead
UCLA managed to keep the lead over the third and fourth innings with no runs being scored by either team. The Bruins had a hit in each inning and the Spartans had no hits in the third, but two in the fourth.
Walking to score
The Spartans scored their second run in the bottom of the fifth off of walk with the bases loaded. Michigan State was unable to put up more runs, despite the bases being loaded and UCLA was able to maintain the 4-2 until the bottom of the eighth.
One more in the eighth
UCLA gave up their final run in the bottom of the eighth with a grounded out giving the Spartans base runner to cross home plate. Despite Michigan State narrowing the score to 4-3, they were held without a hit in the bottom of the ninth and UCLA took their second win of the series.
The Bruins will aim for the series sweep on Sunday with an anticipated start time of 9:05 a.m. PT.
No. 1 UCLA baseball handled business over the last two innings against Michigan State to secure a 4-1 win in their series opener at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium in East Lansing, Mi. on Friday.
The Bruins found themselves in a much more low-scoring outing than their 15-3 midweek affair against UC Santa Barbara. Against the Spartans, UCLA’s explosive lineup was held to just four hits over all nine innings, but the Bruins pitching staff fared better than Michigan State’s by only allowing two hits.
Scoreless start
Both UCLA and Michigan State had just one hit in the first three innings, as both teams attempted to find success at the plate. The result was the game being runless heading into the fourth.
Spartans strike first
Michigan State got their second hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth with a single, but it was enough to get their base runner across home plate for the first run of the game.
Offense continued to struggle
UCLA had their second hit of the game in the top of the sixth, but despite the rare hit, and multiple other runners getting on base, the Bruins nor Spartans could increase the score until the eighth inning.
Taking the lead late
In the top of the eighth, the Bruins’ batters awoke with a go-ahead two-run homer strike by junior first baseman Mulivai Levu and putting UCLA in the lead for the first time in the game.
Two more for good measure
The Bruins tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth off of a double and a sacrifice fly to give them two more inusrance runs. The Spartans were held scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to give UCLA the win and keep their undefeated Big Ten Conference streak alive.
UCLA will play their second game against Michigan State on Saturday with an anticipated start time of 12:35 p.m. PT.
Michigan
Report: Big Ten claims it owns rights to Duke vs. Michigan basketball game set to air on Amazon
On Thursday, Amazon announced it had partnered with Duke to televise three of the Blue Devils’ games next season on Prime Video. The landmark deal is the first of its kind.
Specifically, Amazon is set to air Duke’s games against UConn in Las Vegas on Nov. 25, reigning champion Michigan at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 21, and Gonzaga in Detroit on Feb. 20. On Friday, Yahoo! Sports‘ Ross Dellenger reported the Big Ten is battling against Amazon for the broadcast rights of the Duke-Michigan game.
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“The Big Ten has notified the ACC and ESPN that it owns the rights of the announced neutral-site basketball game between Duke and Michigan next season from Madison Square Garden, scheduled for streaming on Amazon,” Dellenger wrote. “Duke collaborated with the ACC and television partner ESPN to strike the first-of-its-kind arrangement.
“… The Big Ten, backed by its primary broadcast rights holder, Fox, has communicated with both the ACC and ESPN about the matter. The league believes it owns the broadcast rights as part of a rights-holder agreement between the conferences.”
In a previous deal between the Big Ten and the ACC, the two conferences agreed to alternate broadcast rights of neutral-site games between their members played in “shared territory.” The ACC owned the broadcast rights for the Duke-Michigan game on Feb. 21 last season. The two powerhouse programs played in Washington, D.C.
Thus, the Big Ten believe it owns the broadcast rights to the Duke-Michigan game in the 2026-27 season. The game will undoubtedly draw a massive crowd. Michigan and Duke are each expected to be national title contenders next season.
Per Dellenger, “ESPN and the ACC are aligned in Duke’s licensing of the game to Amazon.” Nevertheless, Duke shouldn’t expect the Big Ten’s push for the game’s broadcast rights to end soon. Duke athletic director Nina King didn’t address conflicting broadcast rights in the school’s partnership announcement.
“In addition to our outstanding partnership with ESPN, we are excited to work with Prime Video on this groundbreaking initiative,” King said. “As Prime Video’s first college sports partner, this collaboration not only expands the global reach of Duke Men’s Basketball, but also creates meaningful opportunities for our student-athletes in a way that reflects innovation and excellence.”
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