We’ve updated our list on where to celebrate Black History Month this year | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
February 18, 2022
Celebrate Black History Month in a variety of ways, such as reading clubs with the Milwaukee Public Library. (File photo by Analise Pruni)
February is Black History Month, and we’ve updated our list of things of where and how to celebrate.
Here are some events you should know about in Milwaukee.
(Did we miss a Black History Month event? We tried our best but bet we did. Help us fill in the gaps by posting in the comments below or by sending an email to info@milwaukeenns.org with the subject line “Black History Month 2022.” You can always submit your news by clicking here.)
Black Out Vendor Event: Saturday, Feb. 19
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Shop Black-owned businesses at the Sherman Phoenix at this special pop-up event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. (and continue supporting Black-owned businesses after then as well!)
Black Liberation and Socialism: A Discussion: Saturday, Feb. 19
Join Freedom Road Socialist Organization Wisconsin and Frank Chapman for a discussion on the history of socialist and Black liberation movements. The discussion starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19 on the lower level of the African American Women’s Center, located at 3020 W. Vliet St. Food and drinks are provided, and masks are required when not eating or drinking.
Black History Month Pop Up: Sunday, Feb. 20
Continue supporting local, small Black-owned businesses at another pop-up event from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 6633 W. Mill Road.
Honor, Restore, and Protect Black Health: Wednesday, Feb. 23
Join the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Poverty Network and Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network in honoring health remedies Black families have historically used when denied access to quality health care. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Register for access by clicking here.
Lunch and learn: The Afro-Latino Creative Impact on the Arts: Friday, Feb. 25
Join this lunch and learn hosted by Latino Arts to learn more from local Afro-Latino artists, makers, and creatives about how their identity and roots inform their work and creative process. This event is both in-person and virtual, with the in-person event starting 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 25 at 1028 S. 9th St. and a livestream beginning at noon on Facebook. Tickets for the in-person event are $10 and include a light lunch. You can purchase here.
America’s Black Holocaust Museum “Grand Re-mergence”: Friday, Feb. 25
The wait is over, and America’s Black Holocaust Museum is back. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the museum at 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 25 at 401 W. North Ave. Following the ceremony, the doors of the museum will be open until 5 p.m. Click here for more information. In case you missed it: NNS Spotlight: As America grapples with racist past, leader of America’s Black Holocaust Museum looks toward the future
Black Lives Are Sacred MKE gathering: Saturday, Feb. 26
Continue the fight for racial justice with Black Lives Are Sacred MKE from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26 at the intersection of West North Avenue and North 6th Street. This is a peaceful, family-friendly event. Masks and social distancing will be observed. More information about Black Lives Are Sacred MKE here.
Ebony Ball: Sunday, Feb. 27
Marquette University’s Black Student Council presents this reliving of a day in 1920s Harlem. The show begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Alumni Memorial Union, 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. Click here for tickets and more details.
Milwaukee Film celebrates Black History Month: All month
Milwaukee Film presents a slate of films, conversations and events all month as part of its Black Lens MKE program. Click here to see the full list of events. In case you missed it: Post from Community: Milwaukee Film dedicates February to Black History Month 2022
Presence and Persistence: Visions of American Blackness: All month
The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design’s exhibition explores Black life in America, with work ranging from black-and-white renderings to paintings to assemblage collage work. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays at 273 E. Erie St. Click here for more information about the exhibition and related events.
Black History Month Reading Challenge: All month
Kids and adults are invited to join the Milwaukee Public Library’s reading challenge all month. Prizes for adults, teens and children are available. Click here for more information.
Black History Month free virtual programming: All month
In addition to the reading challenge, the Milwaukee Public Library is hosting a slate of Black History Month-related events throughout February. These include discussions on Black love, Black Americans in Milwaukee and the concept of home in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. More information here.