Black Space Week 2026

Black Space Week (BSW), presented by Black In Astro (BIA), is an annual global celebration and amplification of Black people in space-related fields and industries taking place the week of Juneteenth. BSW is a full week of primarily virtual programming concerning these fields, reminiscent of a virtual conference. Black Space Week events have included panel interviews, networking meet-and-greets, poetry readings, and more. Subject matter is intentionally broad and interdisciplinary, ranging from astrophysics research, to aerospace, to space humanities and intersections with the social sciences. The benefit of virtual events is accessibility to participants all around the world. Black folks are of course also doing the work behind the scenes, with the BIA Executive Board consisting of Black students and professionals in fields such as astrophysics, data visualization, and space law. 

Black Space Week began in the context of George Floyd’s murder while we had the world’s ear in 2020, evolving into its current format by summer 2022. The intent of Black Space Week is to bring space, as lofty as it is, down to Earth. Black Space Week serves as a way for the Black space community to connect and network. We aim to increase the visibility of Black folks working in space-related fields, in order to foster community and change outdated perceptions of who deserves to study, as well as take up, space.