The Fisk Jubilee Singers
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
Nashville Public Library
The Civil Rights Room in the Nashville Public Library is a space for education and exploration of the Civil Rights Collection. The materials exhibited capture the drama of a time when thousands of African-American citizens in Nashville sparked a nonviolent challenge to racial segregation in the city and across the South.
Nashville Sites
Follow in the steps of those who took a stand by taking a seat. The Civil Rights Sit-Ins tour was written and narrated by Fisk University professor Linda Wynn. The Downtown Civil Rights Sit-Ins tour begins at Chuch Street and Sixth Avenue North and ends at Rosa L. Parks Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Visit https://nashvillesites.org/
The National Museum of African American Music
The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) officially opened to the public in January 2021. Discover the central role African Americans have played in shaping and creating all genres of American music. From classical to country to jazz and hip hop, NMAAM has integrated history and interactive technology to share the untold story of more than 50 music genres and sub-genres.Tours initially follow a weekend schedule and will be held on Saturdays and Sundays 11am-6pm.
Tennessee State Museum
Learn more about Black History at the Tennessee State Museum. The permanent exhibitions feature Black History from the early days of the state’s beginnings through the Civil War and Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movements in Tennessee. The current temporary exhibition, ”Then & Now: A Black Craft Symposium” will be a day-long event at the Tennessee State Museum devoted to honoring the legacy of Black craftspeople in Tennessee and examining the state of Black Craft in Tennessee today. Through a variety of programming, the event will highlight the voices of Black craftspeople from the past and present. This event encourages visitors to learn the history and heritage of Black Tennessee craftspeople and interact with contemporary Black crafts artists. The event is presented in partnership with Tennessee Craft to commemorate the Best of Tennessee Craft 2021 Biennial exhibition, which closes February 20, 2022.
Seating is limited for each talk. Those with tickets will be seated first, and then any available seating will be given on a first come, first serve basis on the day of the event. Register here via Eventbrite. These talks will also be livestreamed and available on the Tennessee State Museum website at TNMuseum.org/Videos. For questions, please contact Morgan Byrn, Public Programs Manager, at Morgan.Byrn@tn.gov.
United Street Tours
United Street Tours offers a series of 5-star rated, historical Nashville walking tours that are led and curated by locals. The Nashville Black History Walking Tour celebrates the past through storytelling about Nashville’s enslaved population by spotlighting people such as Robert “Black Bob” Renfro. While the Nashville Black History Walking Tour gives you a look into the past, on the Nashville Civil Rights Walking Tour you’ll experience the civil rights story and gain an inspiring new perspective of Nashville. Discover the murals, music, and local community of the Music City with the Nashville Black Neighborhoods Walking Tour. Unearth the fragments and piece them together with extraordinary stories that leave you more educated and inspired to become bridge builders in your community.
BNA 5th Annual Black History Month Music Series
In celebration of Black History Month, Nashville International Airport’s Arts at the Airport program is poised to delight travelers and guests with a spotlight on African American music.
The initial schedule for BNA’s Black History Month Music Series is listed below. Dates of additional performances by African American musicians will be listed at flynashville.com.
To date, the following performances are scheduled from noon – 2 p.m. at the pre-security area in the South Terminal near Green Beans Coffee.
February 24: The 474 Band featuring PMRnB
All performances are free and open to the public.
Scarritt Bennett Center
Prayers for Black History Month will be held on Tuesdays in the Chapel at Scarritt Bennett Center. A weekly 35-minute worship service hosted by the Soul Work program is offered each Tuesday at 12:30pm in the historic Wightman Chapel.
Nashville Reparatory Theatre
Nashville Repertory Theatre presents School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play from thru February 20. Paulina, the longest reigning Queen Bee of Aburi High School, has it all. With a team of teenage sycophants and the latest styles from the glamorous American boutique “Wal-Mart,” she’s a shoe-in for the Miss Ghana 1986 pageant. The game changes when new girl Ericka moves to Ghana from exotic Ohio, USA, on the same day the pageant recruiter arrives. Who will be chosen to compete for the crown?
Fisk University
Black History Month Speaker Series
Part Three: “Black Freedom Struggle – Activism, Organizing, and Social Justice” with guest speakers Diane Nash and Justin Jones. Tuesday February 22, 3 pm -4pm.
Register for Zoom at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Um87PO43Scmbfeo31_IVzA
Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
Held at The Hermitage Church, the Black History Month Memorial Service will feature music and special remarks, followed by a procession to the slavery memorial “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” There, 150 flowers will be laid by attendees, marked with the names of all those known to have been enslaved at The Hermitage.
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center presents African American Plays and Playwrights from February 28-March 7. interactive sessions will highlight different topics from modern musicals to famous choreography, creating characters, playwrights, and more for adults looking to explore their creative and artistic side through the lens of popular musicals and plays.
Black Chamber of Commerce
Please join the Nashville Black Chamber and our partners from Music City Baseball as we celebrate Black History Month with special guest Bob Kendric, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Tuesday February 22, 6 pm at TSU Avon Williams Campus, 330 10th Avenue North. NBCC, will also share exciting upcoming events and educational opportunities for the new year! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-social-kicking-off-2022-with-special-guest-bob-kendrick-tickets-264805238597
Fisk Jubilee Singers
The Grammy Award-winning Fisk Jubilee Singers will perform at the Bluebird Cafe for the first time ever on Feb. 22 to mark black history month.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers are vocal artists and students at Fisk University in Nashville, TN., who sing and travel worldwide. The original Fisk Jubilee Singers introduced ‘slave songs’ to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals.
Tickets are $10.
Audience members will be required to have a photo ID and proof of two COVID vaccinations or a negative COVID test from within 48 hours of the show.
