Black History Month is an important time of the year to reflect and appreciate the sacrifices and improvements that Black Americans have made throughout our nation’s history. The theme for Black History Month 2024 is African Americans and and the Arts. Check out the resources below for fun ways your match can celebrate Black History this month, together. Whether you’re in to movies and arts and crafts, being active and exploring, or listening and learning, we have an activity that you will enjoy and learn from!

1. Local Activities

Check out this Eventbrite Page with Black History events happening across the state all throughout February!

2. Museums ️

Have you visited all of these Massachusetts Black History Museums?

• Lewis Latimer Society and Museum, Chelsea, MA
• Museum of African American History, Boston, MA and Nantucket, MA
• National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture, Mansfield, MA
• The Robbins House, Inc., Concord, MA
• The W. E. B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy, Barrington, MA
• Winikur Productions, Boston, MA
• Boston African American National Historic Site, Boston, MA

3. Tours and Trails ️

Check out these virtual and in person tours you can take with your match!

• African American Patriots Tour, Boston, MA
• Virtual Black Heritage Trail® Tour
• African American Women in Cambridge Walking Tour, Cambridge, MA
• New Bedford Black History Trail, New Bedford, MA
• African American Heritage Trail, Martha’s Vineyard, MA

4. Film Festival

Check out The Boston Globe’s 4th annual Black History Month Film Festival for both virtual and in person film screenings. Learn more here.

5. Music

• Boston Conservatory Orchestra – Boston Conservatory Orchestra celebrates Black History Month in Boston’s historic Symphony Hall with a powerful program featuring historically important African American composers William Grant Still and Margaret Bonds, as well as a recent work by Valerie Coleman.
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo – With the power of gospel and the precision of Broadway, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the undisputed king of mbube, South African a cappella singing.

6. Reading

Boston Public Library’s “Black Is…” list is a collection of books published in the previous year for all ages, encompassing the African American experience. Choose a book to read with your Little!

7. Local Boston Parks

Have you visited or passed by some of these landmarks and didn’t realize the history behind their significance? Check out some of these local dedications and learn about the impact they represent in our nation’s history.

• The Embrace, Boston Common
• Dixon Basketball Court, Walker Playground, Mattapan
• Susie King Taylor Memorial, Mount Hope Cemetery
• Wilson Field, Harambee Park, Mattapan
• African American Veterans Memorial Park, Roxbury

8. Galleries

• The galleries at Boston City Hall promote and exhibit the work of local Black artists.
  • Mayor’s Art Gallery – 5th floor of City Hall
  • Scollay Square Gallery – 3rd floor/main lobby of City Hall
  • Mayor’s Neighborhood Gallery –  2nd floor of City Hall
  • The Emerging Gallery – 8th floor of City Hall
• The Museum of Fine Arts presents several exhibits that focus on the work of Black artists
  • Frank Bowling’s Americas
  • Touching Roots: Black Ancestral Legacies in the Americas

9. Support Black Businesses

• Shops and Businesses – City of Boston has put together a list of Black-Owned businesses. Filter by location, business type, etc. to find what you need!
• Restaurants – Here are 60+ Black-owned restaurants to support in the Greater Boston area