Celebrating Black History Month
Black History Month is underway. It’s an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Black Americans. It’s also a chance to explore the communities where local heroes, past and present, have left their marks in San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Sacramento.
*Operations will discontinue in the Sacramento HomeZone on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.
Here are a few events and destinations for you to check out:
SF Bay Area
Afro Soca Love
Friday, February 10 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (21+ only)
Saturday, February 11 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Open to all ages)
341 13th Street, Oakland
This two-day event combines a night carnival and market to build and strengthen the community. The night carnival is a culturally immersive music experience with multiple types of genres from all over the world. The market is a welcoming experience featuring Black-owned brands built with love.
Black Joy Parade
Sunday, February 26 starting at 12:30 p.m. PT
Parade begins on 14th and Franklin in downtown Oakland
This parade and festival celebrates the Black experience past, present, and future. There will be 200+ Black-owned vendors, including food, drinks, clothing, handmade items, and more. Two stages will be set up for performances and activities will be available for the whole family.
Mary Ellen Pleasant Park
1699 Octavia St, San Francisco
Once the site of Bell Mansion, a massive boarding house built for abolitionist Mary Ellen Pleasant. Pleasant, known as “the mother of civil rights in California,” brought the Underground Railroad to its western terminal in California and financed John Brown’s revolt. Her memorial plaque & eucalyptus grove is the smallest park in SF.
The Presidio
101 Montgomery Street, San Francisco
Sitting on the grounds of a 200-year-old military encampment, The Presidio was once the station of the Buffalo Soldiers, the famous brigade of Black soldiers that patrolled the ‘Wild West’ in the early 20th century.
Seattle
Call to Conscience Black History Month Museum
Wednesday February 1 through Tuesday, February 28
Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
4916 Rainier Avenue S, Seattle
Rainer Avenue Radio is converting the historic Columbia City Theater into a museum to celebrate Black History Month. The pop-up museum will recognize Black excellence in the PNW through a tour of exhibits and installations. Prices range from $15-$80.
Black History Month Keynote Program
Saturday, February 16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S Massachusetts Street, Seattle
NAAM will hold an in-person conversation with Dr. Damion Thomas, the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture Curator of Sports. Dr. Thomas will discuss his role, which explores the contributions of athletes both on and off the field.
Jimi Hendrix Memorial, Greenwood Memorial Park
350 Monroe Avenue NE, Renton
Watch out for the crosstown traffic as you make your way to this shrine memorializing the birth city of the legend himself – Jimi Hendrix. “If you listen closely here, you may hear the wind cry 'Mary.'
August Wilson Way
Lower Queen Anne
This monument to one of the most prolific playwrights of the 20th century can be found kitty-corner from the Pacific Northwest Ballet. A Seattle resident until his death in 2005, Wilson translated the Black experience to a mainstream audience with his 10 hit plays, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences (1985).
Sacramento
Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (A Black History Month Play)
Friday, February 10 through Sunday, March 5, times vary
The Guild Theater, 2828 35th Street, Sacramento
This premiere production shares the African-American experience of overcoming discrimination. The play will shed light on the historic events involving the nine Scottsboro Boys, which highlights racism and legal injustices they faced. Tickets range from $15-$23.
35th Anniversary Sacramento Black History Month Expo
Friday, February 24 through Sunday, February 26, times vary
Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1209 L Street, Sacramento
This free event is open to the public and will feature a Black History Parade, the Black Sports Hall of Fame Tribute to the "Original" Sacramento Kings, the From Harlem to Stardom Music & Film Festival, full nightly concerts, 100 exhibit booths, and much more.
The Nathaniel Colley Office
1810 S Street, Sacramento
Famed Black lawyer Nathaniel Colley’s former office is recognized as a formal Sacramento landmark. Colley fought for the desegregation of public housing in Sacramento. Built in 1967, the office was designed by James C. Dodd, the first licensed Black architect in Sacramento.
Florin Square
2251 Florin Road, Sacramento
Known as “Sacramento’s Black Wall Street,” this is the largest collaboration of Black-owned businesses in Northern California. It features a diverse group of service businesses, retailers, and non-profits. It is also home to the SoJourner Truth Art Museum, which displays renowned art, artifacts, and photography.
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