Black History Month is an anticipated annual event that was started in 1915 in Chicago by Carter G, Woodson and it continues to be an important avenue for celebrating African American achievements across the country.
Dr. Margaret Burroughs, founder of the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center Courtesy of the DuSable Museum
Chicago’s extensive African American cultural history supplies a rich assortment of activities for this year’s celebration, which includes both virtual and in-person options. Check out our list of Chicago Black History Month events for 2025:
MUSEUM EXHIBITS
American Writers Museum
180 N. Michigan Ave.
Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice: Honoring the significant contributions of Black writers to American letters, the American Writers Museum’s virtual exhibit explores racial injustice through the work of Black writers from the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement. The online exhibit, Frederick Douglass: Agitator is also on view.
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Ave.
Arthur Jafa: Works From the MCA CollectionExplore Authur Jafa’s dynamic work that features film, video, photos and sculptures. His multidisciplinary pieces reflect the “full complexity, specificity, beauty and potentiality of what Black folks have made and continue to make.”
Photo courtesy of Museum of Science & Industry
Griffin Museum of Science & Industry
5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr.
Attend one of the longest-running annual exhibits of African American artists with the Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition. This year the show includes youth artists between the ages of 14 and 17, at the Griffin Museum of Science & Industry.
DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
740 E. 65th Place
Discover the cultural impact of the art from the iconic Johnson Publishing building with The Art of Our Storytellers: Selections From the Johnson Publishing Company Collection at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Other exhibits to explore include Freedom, Resistance, and the Journey Toward Equality,and The Harold Washington Story.
Chicago History Museum
1601 N. Clark St.
Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till exhibits the life of Emmitt Till, the Chicago teen whose brutal murder in Mississippi helped sparked the Civil Rights Movement, with photos of his joyful Chicago existence and his funeral attended by thousands along with sketches of the courtroom trial.
The Black History Month Family Event focuses on the theme of how art has played a role in social change for the Chicago African American community on February 22.
Events
Southside Community Art Center
3831 S. Michigan Ave.
Between Sound & Sight Symposium: Mapping the Sonic Imprints of Charles White’s Vision, examinees the sonic impact of influential Chicago painter and printmaker Charles White with a free one-day symposium in conjunction with the February 14th performance by pianist/composer Gerald Clayton of his original suite, “White Cities: A Musical Tribute to Charles White” at the Logan Center for the Arts.
The symposium will explore sound, image, and history, offering a deeper engagement with Charles White’s multi-dimensional legacy on February 15 at the Logan Center at 11:00. The event is free but reserve your seat here.
Black Makers Market at Navy Pier
Navy Pier
600 E. Grand
Browse a collection of one-of-a-kind art pieces, accessories, jewelry and more designed by Black creatives in honor of Black History Month at the free Black Makers Market every Saturday in February on February 1, 8, 15 and 22, 2025.
Chicago Symphony Center
220 S. Michigan
Experience the musical journey of the Black Diaspora during the thrilling Black History Month concert series: “Black Futures Concert Series: Afrofuturism: The Freedom Metropolis,” by Uniting Voices Choir on February 7, 10 and 11, 2025.
Munch through a variety of Black-owned restaurants serving everything from Jamaican, Japanese, Southern, and Vegan dishes during Black Restaurant Week from February 9-23, 2025.
More entertainment activities
