2024’s theme for Black History Month honors the history and lives of African American arts and artisans. The event was founded almost 100 years ago in 1925 as a week-long celebration, started by Carter G. Woodson and his organization, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH.) 50 years later, President Gerald Ford expanded the tribute to a month which honors “the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Honoring Black Americans - most of whom live in Texas, more than any other state - is an imperative that requires the amplification and preservation of African American people, their history, and culture. Progress Texas has compiled a list of events, resources, and institutions to share the many intricacies of what it means to be a Black Texan, including, and especially focusing on expressions of that experience through art.
Please reference our list of celebrations and events focusing on Black Creatives, Culture, and History in Texas below.
BHM Events: Art and Artisans
Austin
- Feb. 1: Create & Heal: African Americans and the Arts
- Feb. 4: Free First Sunday at the Bob Bullock Museum: Black History Month
- Feb. 10: Hope is Like a Light: Music Therapy Concert Series
- Feb. 17: Black PRIDE: A Conversation for the Soul
- Feb. 24: 2024 Black History Month Kid's Day at the Carver Museum ATX
DFW Region
- ALL MONTH: African American Museum: Central Track: Crossroads of Deep Ellum
- Feb. 5: Mesquite Arts Center “Tote + Go” celebrating artists for Black History Month
- Feb. 6: Black Creatives Pop-Up
- Feb. 17: African American Read-In: A Community Celebration
- Feb. 18: Celebrating Black History Through the Eyes of a Poet!
- Feb. 24: Taste of Soul at the MLK, Jr. Recreation Center
Houston Region
- EVERY SATURDAY IN FEB.: Black History Culture Fest at Avenida Plaza
- Feb. 3: Comic and illustrator panel, spoken word performances, music, and dance
- Feb. 10: “Little Black Girl Joy'' Exhibit at the Ardest Gallery
- Feb. 16: Rhythms & Reflections: Echoes of Black Legacy
- Feb. 17: Black History Parade: Roll & Ride
- Feb. 17: Midtown Houston: history and culture through song, dance, and education
- Feb. 24: Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts Black History Month Celebration
- Feb. 24: Tour at the Houston Museum of African American Culture
San Antonio Region
- ALL MONTH: Prints by Contemporary Black Artists Exhibit at the McNay
- Jan. 24: Black History Film Series January – Gaining Ground: The Fight For Black Land
- Feb. 2: Black History Film Series February – How Does It Feel To Be A Problem?
- Feb. 22: Exploring Identity through Print: Printmaking Workshop at the McNay
- Feb. 25 - Mar. 3: Black Restaurant Week San Antonio
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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