Black history is immortalized across New York City’s streets, museums, and parks, to name a few. But come February, the city will host more than a plethora of events, celebrations, and educational spaces for locals and visitors to deepen their knowledge of Black history, in which it transcends.
Below are events in New York City — listed in chronological order — to engage with Black history.
Citywide
New York Public Library’s Black History Month
Join The New York Public Library during Black History Month for events and programs including live author talks and panels, book discussions, trivia, STEAM activities for kids, and more. Explore events and programs below for adults, kids, and teens.
When: Starting Wednesday, Feb. 1
Where: NYPL locations across New York City
Manhattan
Central Park’s Arsenal Gallery: Heritage: Exploring the Past, Present, and Future in Black Art
This exhibition features artwork by NYC Parks’ employees who are exploring their Black heritage in a variety of media. The exhibition also includes selections from a collection of vintage hip-hop flyers and vintage invitations produced by NYC Parks’ Ebony Society. Artists included are Tuwanda Harmon, Preston R. Coston. Jr., Buddy Esquire (from the collection of Curtis Sherrod), Claudette Ramos, and Patrick Forman. Curated by NYC Parks’ Ebony Society.
When: Thursday, Feb. 2, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Where: Arsenal Gallery, 3rd Floor, Central Park, 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10065
Guggenheim’s The Color Is: I’mPOWER
The Color Is: I’mPOWER begins with a sneak preview of 376 Days, Nick Cave: ‘Keep it Movin’, a short documentary about The Color Is, an event combining art, fashion, and performance produced by Nick and Jack Cave at Chicago’s DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in 2022. Following the preview, the filmmaker behind 376 Days, Nick Cave, Claude-Aline Miller, will join the Cave brothers for a panel discussion moderated by Michaela angela Davis, writer, stylist, and creator and executive producer of The Hair Tales on Hulu. After the conversation, the Peter B. Lewis Theater will transform into a fashion runway showcasing looks from the Nick and Jack Cave collection.
When: Monday, Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Where: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128
The Schomburg Center presents the Harlem Chamber Players 15th Annual Black History Month Celebration. This live music concert will feature the world premiere of Aruán Ortiz’s Episodes in an Unforeseen Departure as well as solo works for piano and music by Valerie Coleman, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Terrance McKnight’s own juxtapositions of Langston Hughes’ poetry as spoken word over piano works by Beethoven.
When: Thursday, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Since its inception, Jazz at Lincoln Center has chartered a global mission to expand a multi-cultural community for jazz through performance, education & advocacy. It is Jazz at Lincoln’s Center distinct privilege to honor this musical genre with the inseparable DNA of Black artists & African-American musical traditions. Catch performances at the Center’s Rose Theater, Appel Room, Dizzy’s Club, Jazz Live video platform, or learn about jazz history through the Center’s Swing University.
When: Starting Feb. 2
Where: 10 Columbus Cir, New York, NY 10023
Hav & Mar’s Black History Month: Prix-Fixe
Chef Marcus Samuelsson and the Hav & Mar team will offer a delicious and unique prix-fixe menu every Monday in February. Ingredients from the menu will be sourced from Black-owned or managed companies. The restaurant will invite guest hosts for each dinner: Klancy Miller: Author of For the Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food on 2/6, Thelma Golden: Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem on 2/13, Dapper Dan: Harlem fashion icon on 2/20, Derrick Adams: Visual artist & Creative Partner who created Hav & Mar’s site specific work We Are From The Water Too on 2/27.
Guests can enjoy the Black History Month prix-fixe dinner for $85/pp (optional wine pairings at $55/pp or spirit-free beverage pairing at $35/pp).
When: Starting Monday, Feb. 6, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The Medgar Evers College Black History Month Opening Program, in partnership with the Center for Black Literature, presents a film and panel discussion on The Sun Rises in the East, directed by filmmakers Tayo Giwa and Cynthia Gordy Giwa. The Sun Rises in The East chronicles the birth, rise and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 by teens and young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Medgar Evers College, EOJ Auditorium, 1638 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 112245
Imani Rousselle, a Texas-born singer who has skills beyond her years when it comes to interpreting and delivering the healing powers of song. Whether covering jazz standards or performing her own contemporary compositions, the voice within Imani invites you to follow along as they fill the space between the silence with carefully crafted sound.
When: Friday, Feb. 10, 6 p.m.
Where: Hansborough Recreation Center, 35 West 134th St, New York, NY 10037
Museum of the City of New York: Celebrate Black History Month (Footprints: A Dance Workshop/Moonlight & Movies: Passing)
Join MCNY for an interactive dance workshop this Black History Month! Explore the stories of the pioneers in dance of the African Diaspora at this family-friendly event led by Harlem School of the Arts teaching artists Paris Jones, Jade Evans, and acclaimed percussionist Baba Don Babatunde. This program will feature a live short performance, discussion, and an interactive demonstration for participants, open to all levels! Co-presented by HSA (Harlem School of the Arts)
When: Sunday, Feb. 19, 11 a.m.
Join MCNY this Black History Month for a matinee screening of Passing, Rebecca Hall’s 2021 adaptation of the celebrated 1929 novel by Nella Larsen. Passing tells the story of two Black women, Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare Kendry (Academy Award nominee Ruth Negga), who can “pass” as white but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in late 1920s New York. The film will be introduced by Harlem style intellectual Lana Turner, and followed by a conversation with Turner and historian/curator Dominique Jean-Louis.
When: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
Join us on a 15-mile journey spanning the isle of Manhattan, from Wall Street to Washington Heights. Starting downtown in the heart of the Financial District, they’ll work their way uptown, tracing New York City’s development and honoring the richness of Black history from pre-colonial times to today.
When: Saturday, Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Where: 99 Wall Street, New York, NY, 10005
The Tenement Museum’s permanent initiative, Reclaiming Black Spaces, highlights stories of how Black and African Americans shaped this part of the city as they made homes, businesses, and communities in Lower Manhattan.
African Burial Ground National Monument
African Burial Ground is the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. It preserves and illustrates the historic role slavery played in building New York.
When: Ongoing
Where: African Burial Ground National Monument, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007
The Black history-themed tour of the United Nations will grant you a unique look at the Ark of Return, a permanent memorial in honor of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, located on the United Nations Visitors Plaza. The special tour will also include access to the Security Council Chamber, the Trusteeship Council Chamber and the General Assembly Hall. You will learn about the contributions of people of African descent to the work of the United Nations in fields such as peace and security and human rights, with a special emphasis on decolonization.
When: Starting Thursday, Feb. 2
Where: United Nations Headquarters, 801 1st Avenue at 45th Street, New York, NY 10017
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the most powerful cultural movement of our generation, hip-hop. Together with Mass Appeal, Fotografiska is creating the definitive destination for celebrating hip-hop’s global impact on visual expression – a traveling exhibition and immersive experience bringing together a community of artists who have documented this cultural phenomenon. The exhibition will premier in January 2023 across two floors of Fotografiska New York and will remain in view through May 2023.
When: Ongoing through May
Where: Fotografiska Museum, 281 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010
Over the last half century, hip hop has taken over the world. As the invention of Black and Brown working class youth, hip hop style has been criticized, stereotyped, and oversimplified in the ways that institutional racism affects most marginalized people’s cultural expressions. Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous focuses on several themes that have carried through hip hop style over the last five decades, from the expression of Black Pride, to the centrality of outerwear and denim, and the influence of sports, and, of course, celebrity style. The exhibition ends with Hip Hop Glam—a red carpet of the avant-garde styles that hip hop artists have showcased on the world stage.
When: Starting Wednesday, Feb. 8 – April 23
Where: Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, 227 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturday: Legacy
Ring in Black History Month and celebrate twenty-five years of First Saturdays! This month’s theme honors the legacy of Black artistic production in Brooklyn. The evening’s events vibrate with the creative excellence of Black artists who are shaping the borough’s culture today and of throwback performers who put First Saturdays on the map.
When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Where: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY, 11238
Central Library’s Classical Interludes: Harlem Chamber Players
The Harlem Chamber Players is an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high-caliber, affordable and accessible live classical music to people in the Harlem community and beyond. In addition, The Harlem Chamber Players builds diverse audiences for classical music in general through community and educational outreach, as well as through collaborations with Harlem’s other arts organizations, schools and cultural institutions, while creating opportunities for classically trained musicians of color.
When: Sunday, Feb. 12, 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Where: Central Library, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Frolic Burlesque at C’mon Everybody
Black history month is filled with Black art and we are excited to share the stage woth a beautiful all black burlesque cast. Featuring host Foxy Belle Afriq, Poison Ivory, Rain Supreme, Qualms Galore, Queerly Femmetastic and Susie Dahl. Black and POC vendors will be on site, and guests can enter a raffle with products from Black-owned businesses.
When: Thursday, Feb. 16, 8 p.m.
Where: C’mon Everybody, 325 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Shop Black: A Black History Month Pop-Up Shop
Come support small Black-owned businesses and artisans at this Pop-Up Shop for Black History Month.
When: Saturday, Feb. 18, 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: New Women Space, 188 Woodpoint Road, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s Black Future Festival
Join Brooklyn Children’s Museum for a week of reflection and future-forward fun inspired by the national celebration of peoples of the African Diaspora and Black History Month. Together with festival curator Àṣẹ Dance Theater Collective, experience interactive dance performances, storytelling, genealogy workshops, art-making in the ColorLab art studio, tasty food, and more.
When: Sunday, Feb. 19, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Where: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213
Drunk Black History Comedy Show
Comedians Brandon Collins (SXSW) and Gordon Baker-Bone (MTV) host this interactive show where prominent Black historical figures will finally get their due through drunken anecdotes from booked guests.
When: Thursday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m., doors at 7 p.m.
Where: The Bell House, 149 7th Street (Between 2nd and 3rd Ave) Brooklyn, NY 11215
Black Creatives + Culture Market: Black History Month Edition ’23
In celebration of Black History Month, DA SPOT NYC in partnership with City Point BKLYN will host its third annual Black Creatives and Culture MKT. This three-day weekend long event will feature local creative Black-owned and POC brands at City Point BKLYN on Prince Street and inside Brooklyn Studios. The curated market will include vendors in Fashion, Beauty, Wellness, Food and Lifestyle Goods as well as an art gallery, conversation series, special performances, exhibits and live DJ.
When: Friday, Feb. 24, 11 a.m. – Sunday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m.
Where: Da Spot NYC, 445 Albee Square W, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Green-Wood Cemetery’s Black in Brooklyn Trolley Tour
In honor of Black History Month, Green-Wood presents this celebration of the unique stories of Black lives in Green-Wood. While Brooklyn and New York City have long struggled with segregation and racism, they also have a history of diversity, progress, and activism. This trolley tour, led by Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman, will examine the life and accomplishments of many prominent Black New Yorkers, as well as several abolitionists who fought for freedom in America.
When: Saturday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: The Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Join the Brooklyn Public Library for this two-part series about the role of Brooklyn’s Black churches in the fight for social justice, presented in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Chapter of the NAACP. Part 1 takes place virtually. Part 2 takes place in-person.
When: Monday, Feb. 27, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Where: Central Library, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Fulton Art Fair: Black Resistance
Skyblue Gallery presents a celebration of Black History and Fulton Art Fair artists. Check out their other show just down the street at Weeksville Heritage Center, a historic site and cultural center in Central Brooklyn that preserves, documents and inspires engagement with the history of Weeksville, one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America, and the Historic Hunterfly Road Houses.
When: Starting Saturday, Feb. 4 – Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Skyblue Gallery, 1766 Bergen St., Brooklyn, NY 11233
Queens
Flushing Town Hall’s Black History Month Trilogy #1 – The Chuck Berry Rock & Roll Concert Part
Flushing Town Hall kicks off its 2023 Black History Month Trilogy by celebrating one of the founding fathers of Rock & Roll, Chuck Berry. His profound impact on the genre has named his music as the DNA of Rock & Roll itself. Enjoy an energetic night celebrating Chuck Berry’s music and legacy performed by Keith “The Captain” Gamble.
When: Friday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m.
Where: Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354
Queens Theatre’s Every Body Move
Queens Theatre, in partnership with the acclaimed Camille A. Brown & Dancers, welcomes girls and teens for a fun, 12-part series of freedance workshops. CABD’s Every Body Move program fosters and nurtures everyone’s innate creativity through social dance workshops, which joyfully celebrate the rich legacy and history of African American and African diaspora-based movement traditions found in social dance.
When: Saturdays, starting Feb. 4 to May 11
Where: Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave South, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368
King Manor Museum’s Hands on History: Supreme Black History
Come celebrate with King Manor Museum as they highlight Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice and lawyer in the Brown v Board of Education court case (1954), and current Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to be on the Supreme Court. Rufus King, like them, was a lawyer and has a collection of wooden gavels made from the trees in his yard. Come design your own gavel to hold your own mock trials and inspire a future career in the justice system.
When: Saturday, Feb. 18, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Avenue Queens, NY 11432
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning’s Queen Bess (The Bessie Coleman Story)
This special play will celebrate the life and career of Bessie Coleman. Coleman was the first African American, and the first Native American to receive her international pilot’s license. Queen Bess (The Bessie Coleman Story) By Tommie J. Moore was a hit in JCAL’s script development series Meet the Playwright, and will now be presented as a full length play.
When: Thursday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. to Saturday, March 4, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Where: Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, 161-4 Jamaica Avenue, Queens, NY 11432
Sedalia to Harlem: A Celebration of Black History Through Song
Join Musica Reginae Productions founder Maestro David Close as he returns to host and guide you through musical gems of the jazz, opera and African American Spiritual genres, tracing the rich tradition of black music, art and culture in America.
When: Saturday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Where: Church In the Gardens, 50 Ascan Avenue Queens, NY 11375
The Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives is open to the public, offering guided tours of Louis’ longtime home. On the tour, audio clips from Louis’ homemade recordings are played, and visitors hear Louis practicing his trumpet, listening to music, or talking with his friends. Visitors also get to enjoy an exhibit on Louis’ life and legacy, and the Armstrongs’ beautiful Japanese-inspired garden.
When: Ongoing
Where: The Louis Armstrong House Museum, 34-56 107th Street, Queens, NY 11368
The Bronx
Bronx Library Center’s Journaling: Reflecting on Black History
Join Bronx Library Center for their monthly journaling session where you will be given prompts and questions to help spur your writing which can help you reduce stress, gain confidence and find inspiration. Using a variety of prompts and tools you will explore the importance of Black history and celebrating Black history month, including built-in writing time and an opportunity to share at the end of the program.
When: Tuesday, Feb. 7, 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Where: Bronx Library Center, 310 E Kingsbridge Rd, The Bronx, NY 10458
When: Ongoing
Where: Universal Hip Hop Museum, 610 Exterior Street, The Bronx, NY 10451
New York Botanical Garden’s Rooted in Plants: Celebrate Black History Month
Come to the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden to explore ways in which people of the African Diaspora have contributed to our understanding and uses of plants around the world! Investigate seeds native to Africa, and learn about West African indigo dyeing by making your own dyed bag. Create your own pine cone bird feeder in celebration of NYC Black birder Christian Cooper.
When: Ongoing until Tuesday, Feb. 28, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Where: New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458
Staten Island
Sandy Ground Historical Museum
Staten Island’s Sandy Ground holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement in NYC, dating back to the early 1800s. The society helps preserve that history through exhibitions, activities and events.
When: Ongoing
Where: Sandy Ground Historical Museum, 1538 Woodrow Rd, Staten Island, NY 10309
Have an event to share? Send your submissions to [email protected]
