5 Events and Activities to Take Part in for Black History Month

As celebrations for Black History Month begin, events across the U.S. are scheduled to be held in honor of the month. 

Here are five events and activities that will be celebrating Black excellence for Black History Month. 

1. AFROPUNK + Lincoln Center: Black HERstory Live: Scheduled to be held on both the 24th and 25th of this month, the creators of the AFROPUNK festival are collaborating with the Lincoln Center to offer the public a festival dedicated to Black women. With day one planned to be held at the Alice Tully Hall and day two set to be held at the David Geffen Hall, the festivities will center specifically around Black women who’ve found ways to express themselves through art, music and dance, amongst other performative ways. While day one will have a theme of agony, day two will focus on ecstasy. 

2. Poetry Workshop: Exploring the Senses: As a virtual event, the “Poetry Workshop: Exploring the Senses” is an event sponsored by the African American History and Culture Museum. Available for attendance at the cost of nothing, the workshop will be held by slam poet Anthiny McPherson. McPherson will lead attendees through lessons about ekphrastic poetry, a form of poetry that is inspired by works of visual art. 

3. Black Film Festival: Scheduled to be held on Feb. 7 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the Black Film Festival is back for its 34th year. The festival will focus on screening Black films and documentaries to depict the Black experience in the country. The first showings will be “James Baldwin: The Price of a Ticket” and “Emancipation.” Each Tuesday in the month, there will be more showings with screenings of “Lemonade,” “The Woman King,” and “Stange Fruit” planned, amongst others.

4. ‘Sula’ Book Discussion: The Logan Heights Branch Book Club has chosen Toni Morrison’s classic “Sula” as their pick of book of the month to celebrate Black History Month. The San Diego Library is inviting community members to join them on Feb. 28, the end of the month, to discuss Morrison’s 1973 classic novel. Known as her second published book, “Sula” follows the disintegration of the friendship of two Black women and their town known as “The Bottom.”

5. Journey Through Jazz: Part III: Set to be held on Feb. 16 all the way through Feb. 18, this concert features performances by jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. The concert will focus on celebrating the Black community by highlighting the impact of Black musicians on communities. The main setlist will be compiled of covers of tracks by jazz legends such as Count Basie, Budd Freeman and Sonny Rollins.