Top Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in and around Birmingham

With the state of Alabama being the hotbed of the Civil Rights Movement, it’s an ideal place to explore the top ways to celebrate Black History Month in and around Birmingham.

From touring the plethora of civil rights museums and landmarks to engaging in cultural activities, there is plenty to do. Show your support of a people and culture long overlooked for centuries in America despite their empowering contribution to the building of American society.

Photo: Oladimeji Odunsi via Unsplash

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A month-long celebration of the history, contributions, and achievements of African-Americans, Black History Month began nearly 100 years ago as merely a weeklong event known as “Negro History Week.” The idea to host this celebration to take place in the month of February was to honor the February birthdates of President Abraham Lincoln, for his signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, and Black activist and educator, Frederick Douglass, who escaped African enslavement in 1838.

It was in 1926 that Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a doctoral graduate of Harvard University, founded Negro History Week to highlight the vast contributions Blacks made to American society. During Negro History Week, Black educators would have their students participate in a plethora of plays, speech recitations, essay contests, and a host of pageants and events to pass along the contributions of these incredible icons to the community.

It would be another 50 years, following student protests at Kent State University, before America would respond to demands for Negro History Week to be extended into a month-long celebration. President Gerald Ford acquiesced and in 1976, designated February as the official, month-long observance of Black History in the United States.

The annual themes of Black History Month are selected by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), with the 2022 theme being Black Health and Wellness. As you move forward into this month, make plans to celebrate the people and the culture in one of the events taking place all around the city.

Here are a few great events FREE and cheap events that we’ve located so far. Be sure to check back in for updates throughout the month!

Tour the Galleries of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Plan a safe, socially-distanced visit to one of the most popular attractions in the nation that commemorate the struggles of African enslavement in America and the woes of the Jim Crow era, while highlighting the joys of Black achievement despite the horrors of history.

WHEN:

Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Closed Sundays & Mondays

WHERE:
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
520 16th St N.
Birmingham, AL 35203
(205) 328-9696

ADMISSION:

FREE – Jefferson County Youths, Grades 4-12 & Children 4 and under
$13 – Senior Citizens & College Students / Military with ID
$15 – Adults
Schedule Your Visit Here

Photo: Ashley Jones photographed by Amarr Croskey

Ashley Jones: Reparations Now!

The State of Alabama’s youngest and first Black woman to become Poet Laureate leads a poetic conversation through poetry.

WHEN:
February 2, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:
Birmingham Museum of Art
2000 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Blvd.
Birmingham, AL 35203
(205) 254-2565

ADMISSION:
FREE – Register Here

Photo: Yellow Bird Consulting

1st Inaugural Black Wellness Expo Hosted by Lady Woo

In keeping with the 2022 Black History Month theme, Yellow Bird Counseling presents Birmingham’s first Black Wellness Expo promoting health, wellness and business in the Black community.

WHEN:
Saturday, February 5, 2022 – 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Prodigy Events and Promotion, LLC
1612 3rd Ave. N.
Birmingham, AL 35203

GENERAL ADMISSION:
$50 plus $4.67 Eventbrite Fee (includes lunch and two drink tickets) – Register Here

Photo: Alpha Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Brother, You’re On My Mind: Virtual Mental Health Forum

Join the Alpha Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity for Part 1 of its Wellness Series, Brother, You’re On My Mind, which will focus on addressing the mental health challenges and wellbeing of Black men.

WHEN:
Saturday, February 5, 2022, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CST

WHERE:
Virtual Zoom Link

ADMISSION:
FREE – Donation Link Here

Black History Month Film Series at Homewood Public Library

Visit the Homewood Library to enjoy a FREE viewing of films that celebrate the legacies of African activists, like Harriet Tubman and the math geniuses behind NASA’s biggest strides in getting an astronaut to the moon.

WHEN: