Black History Month, which takes place in February every year, is celebrated throughout the metro Atlanta area with festivals, storytelling, performances, lectures, film, and much more.

It’s nearly impossible to talk about black history in America at all without mentioning Atlanta. Our city has seen remarkable achievements from the civil rights leaders, musicians, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who’ve called Atlanta home.

We’ve put together a list of some of the special events taking place around metro Atlanta for Black History Month in 2023, as well as a few places that focus on African American history and culture all year round.

This post is structured with highlighted events and venues first, followed by a chronological list of Black History Month events in a calendar format. Be sure to scroll all the way to the end to browse all events.

 

Things to do during Black History Month

We’re highlighting a few major events here — but please scroll down to the bottom for a calender listing of events happening at local libraries, community centers, parks, and more.

Check out new Black History Month murals

Feb. 1 – 28, 2023
Brook Run Park
4770 N. Peachtree Rd., Dunwoody

A series of new murals will be on display at the Brook Run Skate Park, along the perimeter fence. Enjoy this outdoor exhibit for FREE, all month long.
Read about the artists and the murals here

 

Dine on soul food at Paschal’s Restaurant

Paschal’s Restaurant was a common meeting place for civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King. It has moved from its original location to a spot at 180 Northside Drive, but the walls are still lined with framed photos of influential leaders from the past.

You can read a timeline of Paschal’s history on its website.
This restaurant is famous for its fried chicken.

 

See a show at Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company

Tony-award winning stage director Kenny Leon founded True Colors Theatre Company in 2002. The vision was to continue the rich tradition of black storytelling, while providing opportunities for African-American playwrights and performers.

This February, you can see the show Good Bad People, an emotional drama about a well-to-do Black family that loses their son in an incident with police.
It runs from February 14th to March 12th, 2023.
Face masks required.
The show is being staged at the Southwest Arts Center in Atlanta.
Buy tickets here

 

Attend the Roswell Roots Festival of Black History & Culture

February 1 – 28, 2023
Visit the website

During the month of February, the city of Roswell will feature a series of special exhibits, cultural performances, demonstrations, and events devoted to Black history and culture.

And just wow, there is so much to do in 2023!
You really need to check the website and the calendar to see it all.

Many of the events ARE free, including library story hours, art exhibits, and musical performances. The ticketed events are very affordable.
You can download a complete calendar of events and brochure on Roswell’s city website.

 

Explore “Black Church Music” at the Dekalb History Center

Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This is Dekalb History Center’s 15th annual Black History Month Celebration. The program will be filled with soul-stirring gospel music and riveting talks about the role Black Church music has played in Georgia’s social and political arenas. Catered lunch included with ticket purchase ($40).
Get more info and buy tickets

 

Enjoy a new comedy at the Alliance Theatre

Feb. 10 – March 5, 2023
The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre

This month, you can see the play The Hot Wing King, a comedy about the risks and rewards of being true to yourself. This play was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was praised by the Pulitzer judges as a “deeply felt consideration of Black masculinity and how it is perceived as filtered through the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family.”

Discount alert!
Get 25% OFF with promo code KING25, when you buy tickets by Feb. 9, 2023!

 

Participate in Gwinnett’s Black Heritage Night

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Gwinnett Justice Center
75 Langley Dr., Lawrenceville

This cultural festival is FREE and open to the public — everyone is welcome. Black Heritage Night features cultural performances, soul food, exhibits, art, and more.
Reserve a free ticket on Eventbrite

 

Go on a road trip

The National Park Service has created a We Shall Overcome travel itinerary, listing places of historic significance in 19 states. The landmarks include churches, homes, protest sites, and and other landmarks related to the Civil Rights Movement.

Oddly enough, only 4 sites are listed for Georgia — but we have many more venues you can explore around Atlanta, in our list below. But since the idea is to take a road trip, you can head to nearby sites in Alabama, including Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma. 

The website CivilRightsTrail.com also lets you explore significant sites by state, and is a better travel guide, in our opinion.

 

Experience Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at the Fox

Feb. 16 – 19, 2023
Five shows

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater was founded in 1958 by choreographer Alvin Ailey, to bring African-American dance traditions into mainstream theaters and entertainment venues, for all to experience. Tickets start at just $29 (before taxes and fees).
More info and tickets

 

Participate in free activities through Dekalb Public Libraries

Select libraries in Dekalb County hosting Black History Month events, including:
*Black History Month trivia
*Take-and-make craft kits for a Black History Month poster or bookmarks
*Free screenings of the movies Hidden Figures and The Woman King
*West African dance performances
*Bead weaving crafts – make your own bracelet
*Black History Month Scavenger Hunt
*Motown Music Review

There are too many of these free activities to list here — we invite you to browse them directly on the library Black History Month calendar online.

 

Places to visit & explore during Black History Month

National College Football Hall of Fame

Two new exhibits chronicles the history of racial integration in college football, tells the stories of the Black trailblazers that changed the sport, and explore the role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).  More info

 

The Herndon Home Museum

Completed in 1910, the Herndon Home was the residence of Alonzo Herndon, Atlanta’s first black millionaire. Herndon was a former slave who became a barber after the Civil War; he invested his income in real estate and later founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, located in Sweet Auburn. 

The house is a two-story, 15-room mansion in the French Beaux-Arts style, located in Atlanta’s Vine City neighboorhood. For more information, see the Herndon Home Museum website.
NOTE that tours have been suspended, but you can view the outside of the building.

 

Movies to watch & speeches to listen to

Whether you want to be inspired or entertained, you can put together your own watch list for Black History Month.

Black voices in film

Do you subscribe to  a streaming service? Several of them have curated collections of films that focus on Black history and stories, and feature Black actors and filmmakers.

Browse movies here:
Netflix — Black Lives Matter collection
Hulu — Black Stories collection
Amazon Prime Video — Amplify Black Voices collection
HBO — Celebrating Black Voices (these selections stream for FREE_

Don’t have a subscription to any of these?
Consider signing up for a free trial so you can binge-watch Black stories. The free trials range from one week to one month, but you have to remember to cancel, or you’ll be charged for the next month.

You may also be interested in our big list of FREE streaming services. You might browse the curated films in one of the collections above, find something you want to watch, and then look to see if you can find it streaming for free.

Reelgood.com is compiling a list of films that stream for FREE and showcase Black stories. (It’s not by any means complete.)

As Black History Month gets underway, there will likely be more free movies to stream, and we’ll keep you updated.

Notable speeches in Black history

These are worth a watch or a listen — especially the dramatic recreations of historic speeches.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Listen to the famous 17-minute I Have a Dream speech in its entirety, courtesy of NPR.

 

President Barack Obama
He’s known as one of the greatest presidential orators in modern history, so it’s hard to choose just one. But for Black History Month, we’re going with A More Perfect Union, a 2008 campaign address about America’s long struggle with race (37 minutes). But go ahead and watch the 3-minute Amazing Grace clip from the eulogy for Rev. Pinckney too.

 

Frederick Douglass
Listen to a trained voice actor read the words of the famous abolitionist, in the What to the Slave is the Fourth of July speech. It was delivered on July 5, 1852.

 

Sojourner Truth
Watch a Black actress deliver the Ain’t I A Woman? speech that Sojourner Truth delivered in 1851, as a freed slave. In this talk, she compares experiences of Black women to white women.

 

Black History Month calendar of events

NOTE: We’re still adding BHM events for February, so check back!

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Sunday, February 5, 2023

 

 

 

The post Things to do for Black History Month in metro Atlanta in 2023 appeared first on Atlanta on the Cheap.