Black History Month 2021
This year, marking Black History Month will look different, but there are still plenty of ways to celebrate throughout the month.
From virtual events hosted by the City of Boston's Black Employee Network to Boston Public Library booklists, there are many meaningful and educational ways to celebrate Black History Month in Boston this year.
Honoring Black History
We continue to honor Black History as #MoreThanAMonth by lifting up the contributions of local legends, past and present, who have worked to create a thriving and vibrant Boston.
Black Employee Network Events
Watch: Kickoff virtual celebration
February 1, 6 p.m.
At our kickoff event, we honored community activists Mel King and Sarah Ann Shaw.
Well-being Week Series: 'Getting Centered' virtual mindfulness and yoga class
February 8, 2021, 6 – 7:15 p.m.
Practice daily mindfulness, yoga, and breathing tools with Instructor Mike "Yoga Mike" Massey. This is a safe space and judgement free zone. All levels of yoga are welcomed!
Well-being Week Series: 'Body!' Virtual at-home workout class
February 9, 2021, 6 - 7:15 p.m.
Learn some simple at-home routines with instructor Orville "OJ" Joseph of OJFIT. No gym, no worries!
Well-being Week Series: 'You are what you eat' virtual cooking class
Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 6 - 7 p.m.
Instructor Jodian Fuller will lead a virtual live cooking class to promote healthier eating habits based on the traditional foods of the African diaspora.
'America and the Reckoning' virtual panel
February 10, 6 - 7:15 p.m.
This virtual panel discussion was moderated by City of Boston Director of Public Safety Dr. Rufus Faulk. The featured panelists included local community activists.
Well-being Week Series: 'Surviving 2020' Black well-being virtual panel
February 11, 2021, 6 - 7 p.m.
In acknowledgement of the significant pressures that 2020 has had on communities of color, especially Black communities, this panel discussion provides Black employees a space to discuss how we move forward in a healthy way.
Dream Chasers - One Mic, Many Voices
February 18, 4 p.m.
This collaborative event will bring together youth performers from Boston neighborhoods alongside a panel of community leaders in celebration of Black History Month.
'Legacy Building' speaker series
February 25, 6 - 7:15 p.m.
This virtual financial empowerment speaker session includes four breakout sessions on home buying, life insurance, entrepreneurship, and retirement plans.
City initiatives
The 'Black Is...' booklist
The Boston Public Library honors Black History Month with its annual “Black Is…” booklist of 69 recent works that convey unique aspects of the Black experience. Copies are available at all library locations.
Boston Parks celebrates Black History Month
We're marking Black History Month by lifting up the stories behind the names of some of your favorite neighborhood parks.
Support for Black- and Brown-owned business
Interested in supporting Black and Brown businesses in Boston? We have information on how you can get involved.
'Real F.R.I.E.N.D.S' by Jamaal Eversley
On display this month in the fifth floor Mayor’s Gallery at Boston City Hall, "Real F.R.I.E.N.D.S." offers a counterpoint to current events with fun, colorful pieces focused on themes of friendship and love.
Support for Black-founded and Black-led arts and cultural groups
Last June, the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture compiled a public list of Black-founded and Black-led arts and cultural organizations across the City.
Boston Public Library Events
Roxbury Reads Book Club discussion: 'Caste' by Isabel Wilkerson
Monday, February 1, 2021, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
Roxbury Reads Book Club will be discussing parts of Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste: the Origin of Our Discontents".
"One of the Good Ones": An author visit with Maika and Maritza Moulite
Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 2 – 3 p.m.
Maika and Maritza will talk about their new book and be available to answer audience questions about writing as a team, where they find inspiration for their stories, and more!
Sybrina Fulton — "The Purpose of Power: We Are All Trayvon" — Lowell Lecture
Tuesday, February 9, 2021, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
The Boston Public Library welcomes author Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, for an online conversation moderated by Library President David Leonard.
"A Nubian Movement": African dance workshop featuring Wyoma
Saturday, February 13, 2021, 2–3:30 p.m.
Learn about and celebrate various African dance forms with local performance artist, Wyoma.
"Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trotter"
Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 6–7 p.m.
Synthesizing years of archival research, historian Kerri Greenidge reclaims William Monroe Trotter (1872–1934) as a seminal figure, whose life offers a link between the vision of Frederick Douglass and black radicalism in the modern era.
A Discussion with Jennifer Smith Turner, author of 'Child Bride'
Thursday, February 18, 2021, 7 – 8 p.m.
Join author Jennifer Smith Turner for a Zoom discussion of her new book, "Child Bride", which takes place in the segregated South of the mid-1900s.
Roxbury Reads Book discussion: 'Caste', by Isabel Wilkerson
Monday, February 22, 2021, 5 - 6:30 p.m.
Roxbury Reads Book Club will be discussing parts of Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents".
Anna Malaika Tubbs — 'The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation'
Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 6 – 7 p.m.
Join the Boston Public Library for an online conversation with Anna Malaika.
External events
External events- February 1, 2021: Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights, presented by the Massachusetts Historical Society
- February 4, 2021: Higher Laws: Black and White Transcendentalists and the Fight Against Slavery, presented by the Massachusetts Historical Society
- February 1-28, 2021: Black History Month Film Festival presented by The Boston Globe
- February 8, 2021: Black Histories, Black Futures presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- February 8, 2021: GBH Celebrates the Black Church
- February 10, 2021: Race in the Public Dialogue – The Coronavirus Exposes America's Public Health Crisis: Racism, presented by the Museum of African American History and the GBH Forum Network
- February 11, 2021: The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President’s Black Family, presented by the Boston Athenæum
- February 11, 2021: The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution, presented by the Massachusetts Historical Society
- February 1-28, 2021: Black History Month Film Festival presented by The Boston Globe
- February 18, 2021: Confronting Racial Injustice: Slavery, Wealth Creation, and Intergenerational Wealth, presented by the Massachusetts Historical Society
- February 18, 2021: Virtual Reading featuring Charles Coe and Danielle Legros Georges, presented by Grolier Poetry Book Shop
- February 1-28, 2021: Black History Month Film Festival presented by The Boston Globe
- February 22, 2021: Curator's Choice: Athlete Frank Hart and America's Walking Craze, presented by the Boston Athenæum
- February 24, 2021: Connections and Conversations - A Tale of Two Navy Yards: Washington D.C. and Boston, presented by the Boston National Historical Park
- February 25, 2021: The Hill We Climb: Art Collage Workshop presented by Parker Hill Library (email kgallagher@bpl.org to participate)
- February 1-28, 2021: Black History Month Film Festival presented by The Boston Globe
- February 26, 2021: We Will Rise Summit: Black Artists and the Soul of Our Music, presented by Berklee College of Music
