Black History Month 2026 Events in Massachusetts

February 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month! Check out these events local to Massachusetts for a chance to celebrate this important milestone.

February 2nd

Black History Month Kick-off and Flag Raising

12-1:30 PM in City Hall Square, Boston

Join us as we begin Black History Month with a flag-raising ceremony and community gathering honoring the legacy, resilience, and achievements of Black communities in Boston and beyond. Established in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson as Negro History Week, this annual observance has grown into a global month-long celebration recognized across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. This year’s kickoff will feature speakers, cultural performances, and the raising of the Black Liberation Flag—a moment of reflection, celebration, and unity. 

February 5th

Reliquary of Blackness: Reclaiming, Retelling, and Reframing the History of Black folks in Holyoke

11am-12:15pm at Learning Collaborative, Frost 265 on the Holyoke Community College Campus

Join scholar and activist Erika Slocumb for an engaging presentation on the history of Black communities in the 413, with a particular emphasis on labor history. Follow the link for this and more Black History Month events conducted by HCC.

February 7th

Children’s Storytime at the Museum of African American History

1pm-2pm at 46 Joy St, Boston

Read along with us as we celebrate Black History Month at the museum. “We Go Slow” illustrates the story of a grandfather and his granddaughter exploring their neighborhood without the restriction of time. On their walk, they engage in all their senses and walk through the streets with wonder.

Celebrating the Intergenerational Power of Black Arts 2026

12:30-2:30pm at 27 York St, Nantucket

Join us on Saturday, February 7, from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM at the historic African Meeting House (27 York Street) for a joyful and inspiring gathering that highlights the voices, stories, and artistic traditions that connect generations. This interactive celebration features performances by Nantucket High School senior Danielle Lewis, the NHS Diversity Club, and Ecliff’s Jazz Trio, blending spoken word, music, and youth-led expression. The afternoon will also include a powerful keynote from Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson, whose work brings history, humanity, and hope together through the arts.

February 8th

New Guinea Joy – Walking Tour

2-4pm, starting at the West End Museum, Lomasney Way, Boston

The New Guinea Joy Tour is part of Boston Redline 88 (BRL88), a month-long Black History Month event series exploring Boston’s lost cultural hubs. Each stop reveals how redlining, displacement, and urban renewal shaped the city — and how communities continue to reclaim and restore their spaces.This tour is both a reflection and a celebration: honoring those who came before while inspiring a new generation to claim their space in Boston’s cultural future.

Hidden History of Black Boston with Joel Mackall

2-4pm at 800 Massachusetts Ave, North Andover

Join Joel Mackall, founder of Hidden Histories of Black Boston Tours, to learn Boston’s 400-year African-American history! Joel will delve into the rich narratives of neighborhoods and pivotal sites, events, and figures from the eras of Faneuil Hall and Long Wharf, which marked Boston’s connection to the Atlantic world, all the way to the vibrant Black communities that flourished in Beacon Hill in the early republic, and the South End and Roxbury in the early 20th century. His presentation is built on engagement and responsiveness – moving at a pace that allows for in-depth exploration and encourages participant interaction. Joel covers themes of Black organization and community formation across activism, religion, civil rights, and economics, connecting historical events to contemporary challenges. The big idea? It’s a conversation, and he definitely welcomes and encourages questions.

February 10th

Opening Night of Local Black Excellence in Lynn

6pm at 3 City Hall Square, Lynn

During Black History Month we recognize our ancestor’s greatest dreams, Local Black Americans and People of Color that are currently achieving greatly in community work or career! Join us to enjoy a speaking program, food, and a Black History Month celebration as we give flowers to those who pour into their families and communities while making our ancestors proud! They are our ancestors wildest dreams come true!

February 13th

Page-to-Screen Film Series: American Fiction

2-4:30pm at 1350 Blue Hill Ave, Mattapan

Celebrate Black History Month with our Page-to-Screen Film Series featuring acclaimed adaptations of books by Black authors. Our series continues with director Cord Jefferson’s Oscar-winning adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 satirical novel Erasure.

February 14th 

A Brief History of Piano Jazz

3-4:30pm at 30 South St, Jamaica Plain

What is jazz and where did it come from? Why is the piano so important to the history of jazz? Allen Morrison answers these questions, illustrating with film clips and audio recordings of the great players, including Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole.

February 17th

Massachusetts Historical Society: Waves of Biracial Cooperation & Discrimination at the Port of Orleans, 1962-1982

5-6:15pm, virtual online event

“Waves of Biracial Cooperation and Discrimination” problematizes the conventional southern labor narrative which suggests that black union leaders sought integration as a means of obtaining fair employment practices. Along the Port of Orleans, the segregated tradition of black and white longshoremen dated back almost a century and defined the terms of workplace democracy at the waterfront. From 1962-1965, the all-black Local 1419 and all-white Local 1418 of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) collaborated in four strikes to acquire increased wages and better fringe benefits. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act brought an end to decades of biracial cooperation as both black and white longshoremen resisted the notion of integration. Title VII prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The law also prohibits segregated union locals. The 1964 Civil Rights Act presented both opportunities and challenges for Local 1419, which struggled for better jobs but were steadfast in their attempts to stay ‘separate but empowered.’ This chapter chronicles both the militancy of the biracial alliance at the New Orleans waterfront as well as the extensive legal struggles that followed the longshoremen’s resistance to desegregation amid filing discrimination complaints.

February 18th

Cirque Kalabante

7-8:30pm at 2 Southbridge St., Worcester

Afrique en Cirque is a show by Yamoussa Bangoura, inspired by daily life in Guinea. This performance shares the beauty, youth and artistry of African culture. A colorful show beyond its scenery, costumes and staging, it makes any theatre vibrate with energy and represents the strength, agility and life’s joys of young Africans. The audience will see acrobats execute gravity-defying moves and human pyramids, accompanied by the contemporary sounds of live Afro-Jazz, percussion, and kora. Welcome to the universe of Kalabanté Productions, and prepare for an unforgettable journey.

February 21st

Afro Caribbean Black History Gala & Awards

6pm-11pm at 55 Hallet Street, Boston

The Afro Caribbean Black History Gala & Awards is a celebration of Massachusetts Caribbean American community on Saturday, February 21, 2026 in Boston, MA. The gala evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m. followed by a program at 7:00 pm with the Caribbean Diaspora members and friends of the Caribbean. The Gala & Awards reception is the highlight of our calendar of events. The gala awards provide recognition to our Caribbean American people in the State of Massachusetts who have contributed to the development of the Caribbean diaspora community which includes our Caribbean youths.

North Shore Concert Band Presents: Black History Month Concert

7pm at 50 Washington St, Salem

As part of Salem’s celebration of Black History Month the group will feature music composed or performed by such jazz greats as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Lester Young, Miles Davis and the North Shore Concert Band’s own jazz trombonist, composer and arranger, Clifford Weeks. We are especially excited to present Cliff’s beautiful arrangements of classics from the Great American Songbook. Come enjoy some great music in a wonderful space that is the Tabernacle Church in beautiful downtown Salem.

February 23rd

Black History Month Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon

4-5:30pm at 1497 Tremont St in Roxbury MA

Wikipedia is the most visited site on the Internet, as well as an open and free source of knowledge driven by a community of editors from all over the world! Join us for an event to create and edit Wikipedia articles about important activists, events, and community members who deserve to be highlighted on the world wide web. Learning how to edit Wikipedia can strengthen public writing skills while also making sure Wikipedia reflects the world around us. We will provide tutorials for beginner Wikipedians and reference materials.

February 26th

Finding Acceptance as LGBTQIA2S+ in the Black Church

6-7:45pm at 2300 Washington St, Boston

Finding Acceptance as LGBTQIA2S+ in the Black Church is a Black History Month community conversation event hosted by the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at the Bolling Building in Roxbury. This in-person event brings together affirming Black pastors and community partners to explore the intersection of Black identity, queerness, and spirituality, uplifting inclusive faith spaces and fostering connection and belonging within Boston’s Black LGBTQIA2S+ community.

Black Women at the Center of Revolution

7-8pm at 185 Salisbury St., Worcester

As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial, AAS brings together a panel of distinguished Black women scholars to reconsider how the nation defines “revolution” and whose struggles are recognized as revolutionary. Moderated by AAS Council member Deborah Hall, the panelists will examine how Black women have demanded freedom through social, political, and legal activism over the past 250 years, from early petitions and collective resistance to organized movements for justice and liberation.

February 27th

Opening Doors Presents: Black History Month Concert

7-8:30pm at 221 Concord Avenue, Belmont

An evening of poetry, music, and conversation with Regie Gibson and Reggie Harris presented by The Opening Doors Project. In honor of Black History Month, and in collaboration with the Club Passim Folk Collective and Belmont Against Racism, Opening Doors presents a free evening of poetry, music, and conversation with Reggie Harris and Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson.

February 28th

Mtali Banda Live in Concert

Doors at 6pm, show starts at 7pm at 114 Race Street, Holyoke

An inspiring evening of live music and cultural celebration featuring Mtali Banda and his band. The performance will take place at De La Luz Soundstage in Holyoke, closing out Black History Month with a soulful showcase of Black creativity, storytelling, and community connection. This event aims to celebrate the cultural legacy of Black music while also engaging the local community in a shared space of joy, identity, and reflection. By highlighting an artist with deep regional ties and universal messages, the event fosters cultural appreciation, encourages intergenerational dialogue, and strengthens Holyoke’s growing creative scene