Celebrate Black History Month in Minneapolis
Black History Month is a time to reflect on the past, present and future of the Black experience throughout history. In Minneapolis we have many different ways to celebrate and learn about Black culture all month long. From special virtual events and discussions to musical performances, museum exhibits and more, here are some ideas for things to do during Black History Month.
Museums/Exhibits
Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery
This museum is dedicated to celebrating the history of African Americans by giving visitors a look at the achievements, contributions and experiences of Black people throughout the history of Minnesota.
Unbreakable
Celebrate the resilience of African Americans in Minnesota with this exhibit which explores African American early settlers and pioneers in the 1800s. Here you can learn about the struggles and successes of African Americans who moved to Minnesota from the South during the "Great Migration."
Okra and Indigo
Azania Tripp celebrates Black History Month with a culinary storytelling art experience that shares the story of historical chefs within the Black community and Black Minnesotan's relationships with food. Okra imagery is prominently featured in the exhibition as it is a foundation in Pan-African food culture. Okra and Indigo features stories from five local community members about their family food stories and their evolving relationships with foods they eat and grow. See this exhibit February 6 - March 30.
Somali Museum of Minnesota
The Somali Museum of Minnesota celebrates the traditions and heritage of the Somali people in a collection of more than 700 pieces of craftwork, paintings and sculptures, ranging from nomadic objects and a model nomad’s hut to contemporary art. This space gives young Somalis who have grown up in the United States a way to connect with their culture, as well as Minnesotans of other ethnic heritage to encounter Somali art and traditional culture for the first time.
The Dirios Exhibit
Showcasing many works from collector and preserver of Somali ethnography, Dr. Mohamud (Dirios) Mohamed's. The exhibit will feature his personal collections and artifacts from Somalia & the Somali Culture and Research Center.
Mia
American Gothic: Gordon Parks and Ella Watson
In the summer of 1942, during a yearlong fellowship in Washington, D.C., Gordon Parks photographed government worker Ella Watson across the varied landscape of her daily life. The resulting picture story presents Watson—a custodian, the head of a household, a deaconess at her church—as a vital figure within the civic sphere. At the same time, this intimate series reveals Parks’s experiences in coming to terms with the segregated city he once embraced as “the seat of democracy.”
This exhibition brings together nearly sixty photographs from their partnership and draws its title from one of the most celebrated photographs of the 20th century—an iconic portrait of Watson that Parks later titled “American Gothic.” Most importantly, it proposes new grounds for understanding Parks as an artist and activist, highlighting a unique professional collaboration between two Black federal employees at a crucial juncture in United States history.View this exhibit now through June 23, 2024.
Weisman Museum
Ebb/Flow: Pritika Chowdhry, Chotsani Elaine Dean and Courtney M. Leonard
Addressing the violence of separation, the practice of keeping memories and the invasive effects of colonialism, Pritika Chowdhry, Chotsani Elaine Dean and Courtney M. Leonard contemplate the past, the present and possible futures in their large scale, ceramic-based installation works. The individual works poetically contemplate the 1947 partition of India, the manual and psychological labor of enslaved and free African Americans and the changed environments and indigenous lifeways brought on by outside occupation and settlement.
Local Black-Owned Businesses
Black-owned businesses need your support and Minneapolis is filled with plenty of opportunities to do so.
Events
February 2-18, 2024
Select Dates
1900 Nicollet Ave
In the summer of 1964, a group of mostly white college students from the North headed to the Deep South to help register new voters; not fully aware of the hate and violence that they, and the families they were hoping to help, would face. Travel back on this poignant and eye-opening journey to witness the power of unity, resilience, and the unwavering fight for civil rights, and to meet the brave students who earned their place in history as… the Freedom Riders.
February 3, 2024
5pm
Modist Brewing Co
Release party for the Brewing Change Collaborative and Modist Brewing Co's Black History Month brew!
February 8, 2024
5-9pm
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Celebrate Black History Month at Mia with music, art-making, and more. This event is free and open to the public; food and drink available for purchase.
February 9-10, 2024
Orchestra Hall
Smetana, Prokofiev, two thrilling debuts and a Minnesota Orchestra first all at once! Conductor Ruth Reinhardt and saxophonist Steven Banks, a 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, make their debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra to showcase Billy Childs’ recently premiered Diaspora, a concerto for saxophone and orchestra. The work co-commissioned by the Orchestra highlights Black experiences in America, with inspiration from poets including Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Then: romance, drama and intrigue capture the evening with a suite from Prokofiev’s gripping ballet score.
February 10, 2024
Noon - 5pm
56 Brewing
Let's celebrate and have a good time at R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Makers Market & Music Fest on Saturday, February 10 - an exclusively Black-owned makers market highlighting Black-owned business, boosting the vibe & promoting Black joy in our local community!
February 10, 2024
2pm-5pm
Minnesota African American Heritage Museum & Gallery
The exhibition is a culinary storytelling art experience that shares the story of historical chefs within the Black/African American community and Black Minnesotan’s relationships with food. This show art exhibition is inspired by the book High on the Hog by Jessica Harris, and accompanying TV series by the same name. She is one of the artists in residency recipients at the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery for 2023-2024.
February 10, 2024
8:00pm
State Theatre
Black Violin, an American hip hop duo from Fort Lauderdale, Florida comprising two classically trained string instrumentalists, Kevin Sylvester and Wilner Baptiste, who go by the stage names Kev Marcus and Wil B., will play the State Theatre on Saturday, February 10 at 8 p.m. Classically trained, Will and Kevin developed an act covering hip-hop songs on their violins, which became popular in local clubs. Two years after sending in a tape to Showtime at the Apollo, they were invited to appear on the show—which they won, and kept winning.
February 16-18, 2024
The Cowles Center for Dance & Performing Arts
Get ready Twin Cities as “THE SOUND OF GOSPEL” returns to the stage 2024 for Black History Month at The Cowles Center. With an all-star musical lineup, this musical anthology is brought to life while depicting the richness of Gospel music – from the past to the present. This anthology will be comprised of drama, dance, music, and songs, as we explore the Gospel music rich history.
February 17. 2024
10:00am
Washburn Library
Learn about characters from African and African American folktales and the tradition of storytelling in the African American community in this lively performance by Master Storyteller Kristie Lazenberry. This program is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
February 17, 2024
11:30-12:30pm
Minnesota African American Heritage Museum & Gallery
Author Sideena Grace will read her book, Adventures with Sideena, ABC’s in Space, illustrated by Roo Taylor. Grace, a scientist and engineer, will take participants on a cosmic journey to space with captivating rhymes and mesmerizing illustrations. Grace will ignite curiosity and inspire interest in STEM education.
February 22, 2024
6pm-8pm
Minnesota African American Heritage Museum & Gallery
Dive into the exciting world of genealogy with Anders, who is a professional genealogist, and unlock the stories of your African American ancestors. In this workshop, Anders will introduce the tools you need to begin your family history journey, highlight uniquely African American sources, and help you uncover your family’s stories to honor their legacy.
February 22, 2024
6:00pm-8:00pm
North Regional Library
Join collaborator Humanize My Hoodie for a short gallery reception, followed by a documentary screening and Q&A. The photo exhibit and documentary are designed to foster critical conversations about threat perception and dismantle the stigma associated with race and certain types of clothing. Exhibit is on display at North Regional Library February 22-March 6. This program is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
February 24, 2024
11am-1pm
Minnesota African American Heritage Museum & Gallery
A zine (short for magazine) is a small, diy-created book about any topic you can think of. In this workshop, you will create your own zine while learning about the history of African Americans in Minnesota and how the art form of self-publication is being used as a form of protest. You will be encouraged to draw, write, and/or collage to create your zines.
At the end of the workshop, you will have the opportunity to exchange some of the zines you have created with other participants!
