Black History Month Gatherings: February 2023
Reflect, empower yourself, indulge and confront your curiosities this month. Throughout February, this community hosts events with the notion of celebrating and honoring Black histories, issues, people, and their struggles. Here is a listing of gatherings – let us know if we’ve foolheartedly forgotten to list your program or event, and we will add – please see the form at the bottom of the page.
On Campus Events
How to Manage Money, Deal with Debt, & Create a Financial Legacy
Date/Time: February 16 @ 2pm
Location: Online Webinar
Description: Join leading Fidelity representatives and Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche, on Thursday, February 16, at 2pm, for a conversation you won’t want to miss. Listen in as they discuss pressing issues and propose real solutions; explore industry insights and deliver actionable information; and share personal perspectives that may help you get more out of your money. Topics include preparing your financial future for the short and long term, making decisions that may help you save more money today, and creating a financial legacy that you can pass onto future generations.
Date/Time: February 16 @ 5 – 7:30pm
Location: Howard Thurman Center
808 Commonwealth Ave, Brookline, MA 02446
Description: The FSCN, HTC and Senior Diversity Officer will host “Speak your Truth” – a spoken word event. This is an inclusive, social program that will be open to students of Color. The event will feature spoken word poetry by Rudy Cabrera, an open mic segment, music, and refreshments.
Against Heaven: Poetry reading
Date/Time: February 21 @ 6 – 7pm
Location: Howard Thurman Center – FLR 205
808 Commonwealth Ave, Brookline, MA 02446
Description: Kemi Alabi (they/them) is the author of Against Heaven, selected by Claudia Rankine as winner of the 2021 Academy of American Poets First Book Award. Kemi believes in the world-shifting power of words and the radical imaginations of Black queer and trans people.
Date/Time: February 22 @ 6 – 9pm
Location: College of Communication – Room 101
640 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
Description: COMGov will be hosting a screening of the film “Moonlight” which IS ON KANOPY for the COM Student Body. It is part of a DEI-film series in which we host movie watching events for films that deal with DEI topics.
Date/Time: February 23 @ 5:30 – 7pm
Location: Photonics Center – Colloquium Room
8 St. Mary’s St, Boston, MA 02215
Description: Please join Lectures in Criticism and the BU Center for the Humanities for our Spring lecture. The speaker, Tiya Miles, Michael Garvey Professor of History at Harvard and Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, will be presenting her lecture titled “Species Insurance: Black Women, Environmental Storytelling, and Survival.” This event is open to the public.
Off Campus Events
Date/Time: February 18 @ 7 – 10pm
Location: Wentworth Institute of Technology – Watson Auditorium
550 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02120
Description: Matìere Noire is an expression meaning “Black Matter” or “Black Material.” This year’s fashion show will take place on February 18th, in honor of black history month.
Gumbo Stories: A Black History Celebration Concert
Date/Time: February 23 @ 8pm
Location: Berklee Performance Center
136 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115
Description: Through historical stories from the musical melting pot of New Orleans, Gumbo Stories will present music ranging from second line and congregational to jazz and bounce. The concert will celebrate Black music from New Orleans and its educational and cultural importance today.
Date/Time: February 24 @ 7 – 9pm
Location: The Paseo
111 Harbor Way, Seaport Boston, MA
Description: The Artist Initiative for Revolution & SIDE presents From the Black Pool of Genius: Art, Music & Conversation. Join us for an evening of live musical performances by artists including Tricia Reed and The Sons of Issachar. Dr. Rich Blint, DJ Lynnée Denise and D. Danyelle Thomas (Unfit Christian) will join Imani e Wilson for wide ranging conversations about global African literature, ways of knowing, spirituality and song/dance. Reserve a spot here.
Date/Time: February 25 @ 8pm – 12:30am
Location: Artists for Humanity Center
100W Second St, Boston, MA 02127
Description: Umoja BU is planning to host a black tie black student gala as the last event celebrating Black History Month in February. We intend to ask a member from AFAM to give our opening speech, and Afrithms will perform a dance. Additionally a student singer will perform.
Additional Resources
Check out Black Owned Bos.’s Directory of Black owned businesses in Boston
Visit the Museum of African American History
Read a book from the Boston Public Library “Black Is..” Reading List
Engage with the resources provided by 21 Days of Unlearning Racism and Learning Anti-Racism
If you are hosting an event that is not listed on this page – please let us know by filling out the form below.