January 2025 was the longest month ever lived. Texans faced the first assault of horrors chucked at us by the second Trump administration, that included the disorienting, badgering release of executive orders which eliminated federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, petrified millions with the threat of immigration raids, and enabled tech billionaires to raid our Treasury in the name of cutting government spending. Safe to say, every Texan was more than ready to turn over a new leaf by Jan. 31, 2025.
This February, we usher in another year of celebration for Black History Month, honoring the various and profound ways that work of all kinds intersect with the collective experience of Black people for the 2025 national theme, “African Americans and Labor.”
This remembrance is especially significant amid the growing amount of Black entrepreneurs and workers that contribute to 12% of our Texas labor force—as we endure the erasure of recognition for Black historical figures and achievements, a stomping out of current DEI initiatives in our government and education systems to provide equitable opportunities for future generations, and the dismantling of BHM’s celebration nationally by the new administration.
New Texas African American Monument
From Progress Texas Institute Board Chair and Staff Attorney for the DNC, Louis Bedford, “Celebrating Black History Month cannot just be a time to reflect on where we have been, but must be where we recommit ourselves to where we need to go. If we are to achieve a truly just and equitable society, we must reject the illusion of trickle-down diversity and demand systemic transformation. Representation matters, but it is only the beginning of the fight—not the end. And if we are unable to commit to dismantling these barriers that persist, the dream of equity and equality will remain just that: a dream.”
2025 as it stands currently, seems pretty bleak at times, but that’s why it’s more important than ever to find the light brought by us banding together and celebrating the multiplicity of what it means to be Texan: with Texas having the largest Black population out of any other state. Our shared commitment to uplifting Black voices and achievements does not end with the removal of federal recognition. Instead, we choose to champion the progress made and pave the way for a better Texas that values and uplifts its Black community, history, and future, despite, and in the face of, the fascist rhetoric that tries to divide and erase.
KSAT—Largest MLK march in the nation in San Antonio
Progress Texas staff compiled events observing Black History Month across our state, so you can remember the past, celebrate our future, and as the late Congressman John Lewis said, keep getting into “GOOD trouble!”
Events List:
Austin
- Feb. 12: Buffalo Soldiers Heritage and Outreach at the John Gillum Branch Austin Public Library.
- Feb. 20-March 1: Say That Again: A Collaborative Dance Production for Black History Month at the Dougherty Arts Center
- Feb. 22: 4th Annual Celebrate Black Austin
- Feb. 22: Black History Month Kid’s Day at the Carver
College Station and Bryan
- ALL MONTH: Brazos Valley African American Museum
- Feb. 17: Songs of the African American Soul: Jolie Rocke
- Feb. 25: Brazos’ African American Heavy Hitters
Corpus Christi
- Feb. 7: Lost Voices: Collecting histories in the Coastal Bend Kick off at the Mary and Jeff Bell Library at Texas A&M University
- Feb. 9: Skin Deep: Discussing the Impact of Colorism on Identity Development and Mental Health
- Feb. 8: Bravo! Series: Marian Anderson String Quartet at the TAMU-CC Performing Arts Center
- Feb. 19: Spirit of MLK Awards at the TAMU-CC UC Anchor Ballrooms A&B
- Feb. 21: TAMU CC Black Student Union Afro Fest at the TAMU-CC Oso Room
Dallas-Fort Worth
- Feb. 8: Family Day: Black History Month at the Skillman Southwestern Branch Library
- Feb. 16: Dallas Black History Food Festival at Lofty Spaces off Montgomery St
- Feb. 22: A Joyful Noise: Black History Choir Performance at the Kleberg Rylie Branch Library
- Feb. 22: 2025 “Taste of Soul” Cook-off at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center.
- Other Events Listed Here
El Paso
- ALL MONTH: Black History Month Storytime events
- Feb. 6: El Paso Black Arts Association Showcase
- Feb. 8: Black History Tour at the McCall Neighborhood Center
Houston
- ALL MONTH: Rice University's Black History Month series
- Feb. 7: 'Aint I A Woman!' at the Lone Star College's Tomball Performing Arts Center
- Feb. 8, 15: Films in Focus movie series at the Fort Bend County Libraries' Missouri City Branch Library
- Feb. 14: After Dark: The Labor of Love at the African American History Research Center
- Feb. 17: SOJES Black History Month program at the Fort Bend County's University Branch Library
- Feb. 22: Black History Month Family Day at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts
- Feb. 23: Jazzy Sundays in the Parks kickoff event at Emancipation Park, Discovery Green and Buffalo Bayou Park.
San Antonio
- ALL MONTH: Black History River Tour at the San Antonio River Walk
- Feb. 7: Black History Film Series: Miles of Smiles at the Carver Community Cultural Center
- Until Feb. 9: Black Cowboys: An American Story at the Witte Museum
Rio Grande Valley
- ALL MONTH: ‘Black Candle Woman’ by Diane Marie Brown
- Feb. 22: Heritage Gospel Fest at Village in the Valley
Resources
A podcast focused on bringing attention to underrepresented histories, thinkers, and activists.
Podcast: Black Austin Matters from NPR
A podcast hosted by Richard J. Reddick and Lisa B. Thompson that “highlights the Black community and Black culture in Central Texas,” with special features from Black Austinites to discuss perspectives on the changing city.
A glossary of dates involving prominent Black Texans, events, and issues.
Institutions
African American Cultural & Heritage Facility (AACHF)
This Austin group is dedicated to “protecting and enhancing the quality of life for African Americans.” They offer arts, business, cultural and entertainment programming.
Black Academy of Arts and Letters
This Dallas, multi-discipline arts institution is committed to “creating and enhancing an awareness and understanding of artistic, cultural and aesthetic differences utilizing the framework of African, African American and Caribbean Arts and Letters.”
Carver Community Cultural Center
This San Antonio historical institution, first founded as a community center for African Americans, has served as the “San Antonio Eastside’s foremost gathering place of cultural exchange and performance arts,” for over 75 years. Today, they provide “challenging artistic presentations, community outreach activities, and educational programs.”
Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC)
The HMAAC’s mission is to “collect, conserve, explore, interpret, and exhibit the material and intellectual culture of Africans and African Americans in Houston, the state of Texas, the southwest and the African Diaspora for current and future generations.”
Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture (TIPHC)
This Prairie View Institute works to document the complete history of African American Texans. They do this through collecting, preserving, studying, publishing, and sharing “research information, records, documents, artifacts,” and other historical items. You can view their online exhibit on The Black Family – Identity, Endurance, Perception now.
San Antonio African-American Community Archive & Museum (SAAACAM)
This museum collects, preserves, and shares “the cultural heritage of African Americans in the San Antonio region” through its digital archive, protecting cultural and physical African-American resources, enriching education programs, and producing cultural experiences.
Editorial Note: Progress Texas is not an organizer of the listed events. If you have more Black History Month events or celebrations you would like to add to the list, please send them to tatum@progresstexas.org.
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