OWHL Guides: Black History Month: Events & Resources

Resources

Shop Black Owned Businesses - Recurring daily

Black Gems Unearthed - Learn the Black history of MA

Boston Museum of African American History

Imagining the Age of Phyllis - Revolutionary Spaces

ADL Black History Month - Tools & Strategies

Learning for Justice - Teaching the Complete History

NewseumED - MLK & Black History Month Resources

National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Education Association - Lessons & Resources

National Archives - Black History

Events

BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM FESTIVAL The Boston Globe’s annual Black History Month Film Festival features classic and recent films highlighting the culture and artistry of Black Americans. Screenings include Barry Jenkins’s “If Beale Street Could Talk,” Spike Lee’s “Crooklyn,” and “The Mural Master,” a documentary about Roxbury native and muralist Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs. A screening of “Eve’s Bayou” includes a discussion with director Kasi Lemmons and Roxbury International Film Festival Artistic/Executive Director Lisa Simmons, moderated by Globe film critic Odie Henderson.
The Ways of Langston Hughes: Griff Davis and Black Artists in the Making (Feb. 1 - July 8) Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes (1901–1967) held friendships with artists across generations and disciplines. He forged connections between creative professionals, encouraged the work of others, and helped build a larger network of Black creatives and intellectuals responding to, and shaping, the current events of the time. The photographs in this exhibition offer an intimate look at Langston Hughes with students, writers, visual artists, and performers in different periods of their maturation. New York Public Library - Schomburg Ctr.
CITY OF BOSTON BLACK HISTORY MONTH KICKOFF AND FLAG RAISING (Feb. 6, noon-2 p.m.) Head to City Hall for an African Americans and the Arts themed afternoon. The event celebrates significant Black artists who have made a strong societal impact and features a keynote speech from Taneshia Nash Laird, inaugural president and CEO of the Greater Roxbury Arts & Cultural Center. Free. 1 City Hall Square, Boston.
KING IN THE WILDERNESS (Feb. 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m.) Boston Public Library’s Mattapan branch hosts a screening of “King in the Wilderness,” the 2018 HBO documentary detailing the final years of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. The film follows King from the passage of the Voting Rights Act to his assassination in 1968, and features both interviews from members of his inner circle and footage from that time period. Free. 1350 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE CELEBRATION WEEKEND (Feb. 10-11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.) During the second weekend in February, the Museum of Science hosts a myriad of speaker events, family activities, and local artists to honor Black History Month. Events include an appearance from Roxbury hip-hop artist Oompa and the premiere of “ReRooted: What’s Hair Got to Do With It?” Throughout the month, the museum will also highlight impactful scientists and engineers as part of their celebration.
THE SINGING SOULS OF BLACK FOLK: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY TALK (Feb. 11, 3-4:30 p.m.) In 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois published his classic The Souls of Black Folk where he used the sacred music of African Americans, "ten master songs," to shape the analytical foundations for interpreting their history and culture. In 1924, Du Bois expanded that analytical foundation with his lesser known but highly significant volume, The Gift of Black Folk: The Negroes in the Making of America. "The Singing Souls of Black Folk" uses Du Bois's analyses as a springboard to explore the role of African American music, sacred and secular, in the continued "making" of America and to highlight the importance of celebrating "the Arts" in the African American experience. Stevens Center on the Common (North Andover Historical Society), 800 Massachusetts Ave North Andover.
A BEAUTIFUL RESISTANCE: LIVE! (Feb. 16, 8 p.m.) Join Boston Globe columnist and deputy managing editor Jeneé Osterheldt at the Museum of Science to learn more about her series “A Beautiful Resistance.” The multimedia series spotlights Black and POC stories and frames them through the lens of joy and positivity. Free. 1 Science Park, Boston
BOSTON CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA: CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH (Feb. 16, 8 p.m.) Take in four works by renowned Black composers at Symphony Hall. The show will feature a performance from the Boston Conservatory Orchestra and readings from lawyer, author, and educator Anita Hill. She will read the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. featured in Joseph Schwantner’s composition “New Morning for the World.” $17 for adults, $12 for Boston Conservatory students/seniors. 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston.
15TH ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICAN BALL (Feb. 17, 7-11 p.m.) Grab a ticket to the Museum of Fine Arts for the 15th annual African American Ball hosted by Edward & Earlean Blakely Creative Arts Center Inc. This year’s honorees include New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and longtime Boston activist and local government leader Mukiya Baker-Gomez, who passed away in June. Proceeds support scholarships for under-resourced youth and families. Advance tickets $150. 465 Huntington Ave., Boston.
JAMES DARGAN PRESENTS "OH GLORY!": A CELEBRATION OF BLACK MUSICAL HISTORY (Feb. 18, 3-4:30 p.m.) James Dargan performs Passion Programs that combine music and spoken word to take audiences on a journey. Each speaks to a specific social theme with music of different genres, interwoven with commentary on how they connect to our own lives. Oh, Glory! (OG) grew out of a desire to celebrate Black American musical history; it gathers some of the core repertoire of five great Black musicians (Paul Robeson, Roland Hayes, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, and Robert McFerrin, Sr.) to invoke their spirits, honor their accomplishments, and inspire us to question the status quo. The North Parish of North Andover Unitarian Universalist Church, 190 Academy Road North Andover.
CELEBRATE! WITH LEN CABRAL (Feb. 22, 10:30-11:30 a.m.) Join storyteller Len Cabral for a morning of folktales and myths honoring Black History Month at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. This reading is a part of the museum’s Celebrate! series, which aims to emphasize cultural diversity through the arts for children ages 5 and up. Free. Columbia Point, Boston.
CELEBRATING BLACK FASHION BUSINESS OWNERS (Feb. 23, 9-11 p.m.) Introducing a Round Table Panel Discussion about the challenges and successes faced by Black women entrepreneurs in the Fashion sector, representation and diversity in the industry, and strategies for fostering more opportunities for Black-owned businesses. Online.
ART OF BLACK HISTORY ARTS & CRAFTS (Feb. 24, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) Come create art with us! This event is an opportunity for you to explore your own creativity as inspired by our weekly topic and to join other artists and artist-want-to-bes in the exploration. We show a short video on our topic at the beginning of the event then break out into smaller groups for independent creating and artful exploring in the media of your choice! Bring your art supplies - of any kind. Our participants have worked in pencil, watercolor, acrylic, oil, pastels of all kinds, collage, colored pencil, pen, you name it! All Skill levels are welcome. Online.
2024 BLACK HISTORY MONTH VIRTUAL GENEALOGY CONFERENCE (Feb. 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.) A free virtual conference sponsored by AFRICAN AMERICAN SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, Washington DC Family History Center - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society - Washington DC, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Central Maryland and Baltimore Chapters. Online.
BLACK VETERANS APPRECIATION LUNCHEON (Feb. 24. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.) oin Mayor Michelle Wu in honoring the city’s Black veterans at Florian Hall in Dorchester. The luncheon will feature multiple honorees who will be presented with Community and Outstanding Service awards. Free. 55 Hallet St., Dorchester.
HONORING THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE (Feb. 24. noon-2 p.m.) Head to City Winery for brunch to celebrate the Harlem Renaissance and the genres of music it helped inspire. Hosted by Opera on Tap Boston, the celebration of classical and opera music includes musicians Nina Evelyn, Douglas Sumi, and more. $25-$40. 80 Beverly St., Boston.
PAINTING WITH PURPOSE: WHERE COMMUNITY, CULTURE, AND EXPRESSION MEET (Feb. 25, 2-4:30 p.m.) Celebrate African American History Month with a family friendly art workshop. The workshop will begin with the reading of poetry of notable African Americans with the intent of cultivating a safe space to have meaningful conversation around building a diverse and inclusive community. Participants will be asked to create an image based on the poem or passage that is meaningful to them. At the end there will be time for participants to share their image and thoughts about the activity. This activity is appropriate for school age through adult. Event is limited to 20 participants. Stevens Memorial Library, 345 Main Street North Andover.
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OPEN HOUSE (Feb. 27, 2-4 p.m.) The Boston Public Library will host an open house featuring works not typically on public display from Black authors, creators, and artists. Pieces include photography from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 March on Boston Common, archives from Boston journalist and civil rights advocate George W. Forbes, and a signed edition of Langston Hughes’s first book of collected poetry, “The Weary Blues.” Located at the main branch, the showcase will be held in the Special Collections Reading Room. Free. 700 Boylston St., Boston.
VIRTUAL DOCUMENTARY NIGHT: IDA B. WELLS (March 17, 7-9 p.m.) Virtual Documentary Night is a monthly online event designed to give people the chance to discuss interesting ideas and topics explored in the documentaries that are free for anyone to access online. For this event we voted in honor of Women's History Month to talk about the documentary, Ida B. Wells: A Passion For Justice. This film documents the dramatic life and turbulent times of the pioneering African American journalist, activist, suffragist and anti-lynching crusader of the post-Reconstruction period. You must watch the film on your own BEFORE the event. You can watch the film for free at the link provided in the event details. Online.