Chicago Black History Month Events

Dr. Margaret Burroughs, founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History. Courtesy of the DuSable Museum

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. Chicago’s extensive African American cultural history supplies a rich assortment of activities for this year’s events, which includes both virtual and in-person options.  Check out our list of  Chicago Black History Month events for 2022:

MUSEUM EXHIBITS

American Writers Museum

180 N. Michigan Ave.

Trace the significance of African American artists, activists, and innovators with an exciting array of exhibits hosted by Chicago cultural institutions. The American Writers Museums spotlights historic and contemporary Black writers with exhibits and author events. Explore the career and later life of writer and activist Frederick Douglass in the original online exhibit, Frederick Douglas: Agitator. 

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 as well as the work of past and present African American architects at the Black Creativity: Architecture exhibit at the Museum of Science & Industry. 

Art Institute of Chicago

111 S. Michigan Ave.

The Art Institue of Chicago unveils 3,000 years of art in the exhibit Life and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, opening on February 11 with sculptures, engravings, and artifacts that showcase ancient Egyptian traditions.

DuSable Museum of African American History

740 E. 65th Place

Experience the virtual interactive exhibit The March, about the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the DuSable Museum of African American History.  Learn about the unsolved cases that were re-examined under the Emmet Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act with the in-person installation Un(re)solved. Other exhibits to explore include Freedom, Resistance, and the Journey Toward Equality, Southside Stories: The Art and Influence of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs, and The Harold Washington Story. 

Southside Community Art Center

3831 S. Michigan Ave.

View artworks that examine the psychological and social afterlives of oppression at The Underworld: George Crump, at the Southside Community Art Center.

Chicago Cultural Center

78 E. Washington St.

Visit the Chicago Cultural Center to see Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott, a retrospective of his large-scale paintings that reflect cultural hierarchies and inequality in America. 

Chicago History Museum

1601 N. Clark St.

Walk through the winding gallery of photos that spotlight Dr. Martin Luther. King jr.’s activism in Chicago at the Chicago History Museum’s exhibit, Remembering Dr. King.  Take in the details of Chicago’s first generation of free Black people with the museum’s online exhibit, Concert is Power.

Note: All museums require proof of vaccinations and wearing masks inside.

CONCERTS

Chicago Children’s Choir

Virtual

Enjoy the magical voices of the Chicago Children’s Choir with a live-streamed Black History Month Virtual Concert on February 26, featuring music from Nigeria, Jamaica, and Peru to highlight the music of the African Diaspora.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

220 S. Michigan Ave.

Listen to the rarified classical melodies of Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Guadeloupes’ brilliant Black 18th-century composer who influenced Mozart and taught music to Marie Antoinette at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Midwest premiere of The Chevalier, on February 20.   

The Promontory Chicago

5311 S. Lake Park Ave.

The Promontory  Chicago hosts A Celebration of Black Excellence With Tweet, a live show by the beloved  R&B chanteuse on February 20.

Note: Proof of vaccination and wearing masks inside are required at all venues.

VIRTUAL TALKS

 Attend virtual author talks at the American Writers Museum and learn about the inspiration behind books that delve into topics about  motherhood, and the inequities of American society, on February 8,  how to fight against white supremacy on February 17, and Civil Rights icon Pauli Murray.  on February 22. 

FILM SCREENINGS & SHOWS

Second City

230 W. North Ave.

Second Floor, Judy’s Beat Lounge

Get ready to laugh and learn about the insanity of white supremacy with the Diversity Hires show, Everything Is All White.

The sketch show will examine Black history, HR training videos, and more. Performances on Thursdays, February 6-27 at 8:30 PM.

Chicago Public Library

Woodson Regional Branch

9525 S. Halsted St.

The Chicago Public Library hosts the documentary film screening of Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw at Woodson Regional on February 9. Registration is required in advance for the film.

Goodman Theatre

170 N. Dearborn St.

The Goodman Theatre presents a major revival of Gem of the Ocean, the play that starts August Wilson’s epic 10-story cycle chronicling African American life through every decade of the last century, through February 27.

Note: proof of vaccination and wearing masks inside is a requirement for all venues.