Celebrate Black History Month with these Philly events

Celebrate Black history in February with these great events.

Penn Museum is one of a number of places with Black History Month events in February.Read moreCourtesy of Penn Museum

by Jillian Wilson

Updated Feb. 10, 2021, 6:08 p.m. ET

Published Feb. 8, 2021, 10:27 a.m. ET

Black History Month feels more important than ever this year. Here are ways to celebrate it in the Philly area. We’ll update this calendar with more events as information becomes available. (Have an event to add? Email us.)

🖼️ Leaders and Legends of North Philadelphia at Smith Memorial Playground (Art / in-person / outdoors / kid-friendly / multi-day) For three weeks, the grounds of Smith Memorial will display large photos and descriptions of John Coltrane, Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Cecil M. Moore, Jill Scott, and more Black activists and educators from the neighborhood. All ages. (Pay-what-you-wish, through Feb. 28, smithplayground.org, 3500 Reservoir Dr. map, add to calendar)

📚 Storytelling Sundays for Black History Month at the Betsy Ross House (Storytelling / in-person / kid-friendly / free / multiday) Two of Philadelphia’s best-known Revolutionary-era Black heros — magnate and abolitionist James Forten and activist and teacher Caroline LeCount — star in true stories told in Betsy Ross’ courtyard on Sundays in February. Masks and 8-foot distancing required; capacity limited. Ages 6+ (Free, Feb. 7, 14, 21 & 28 11a.m.-4 p.m., historicphiladelphia.org, add to calendar)

🚨 Note: Coronavirus cases are higher than ever in the Philadelphia region and throughout the country as a whole. Even where indoor activities are allowed, we recommend doing as much as possible outdoors, socially distanced and masked, because indoor activities are inherently riskier for virus spread.

🌍 Adinkra Symbols and Proverbs at Penn Museum (Museums / virtual / kid-friendly / free) Learning a new language of symbols that, in some cases, only hint at their meanings, can’t be anything but cool, right? Penn Museum comes through again with a free African history lesson, this time, in traditional Ghanaian messaging, stories, and beliefs. Registration required. Ages 5-12 (Free, Feb. 9, 1-1:30 p.m., penn.museum, add to calendar)

📚 AAMP Presents Black History Month Virtual Workshop Series: ECBACC STARS (Comics / virtual / kid-friendly) As part of a special presentation for the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, the African American Museum hosts a virtual workshop on comic book storytelling, and how to get started in the industry. This event is ideal for kids ages 12 and up. Advance registration is required. ($7, Feb. 10, 12:30-1:30 p.m. aamp museum.org, add to calendar)

📚 African American Children’s Book Fair (Black History Month / virtual / books / kid-friendly / free) The literary event of the year won’t draw its usual thousands to the Community College of Philadelphia for a meet-and-greet with genre giants this go-around. Instead, founder Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati’s beloved fair and book sale has gone online, and features conversations with Ekua Holmes, Frederick Joseph, Gordon C. James, Renée Watson, Cheryl Willis and Wade Hudson, and other authors and illustrators, including a handful from Philadelphia’s own illustrious Pinkney family, including Caldecott-winning patriarch Jerry. Registration required. All ages. (Free, Feb. 6, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org, add to calendar)

✊🏿 The Penn Museum Presents Revolution (Museums / virtual / museums) The Penn Museum teams up with Black History Untold founder Sofiya Ballin for a virtual discussion about the power of storytelling and representation. The event starts with Revolution, a short documentary featuring interviews with 15 elders about the stories and experiences that have made up their life. (Free, Feb. 10, 6-7:30 p.m., penn.museum, add to calendar)

🇰🇪 Day in the Life of a Nairobi School Girl (Museums / virtual / kid-friendly) Penn Museum’s World Wonders program travels to Kenya’s capital with a beautiful film that captures a single student on a typical day. Commuting to school, playing on a playground, gets commentary from Penn researcher and Nairobi native Grace Ndicu. Ages 5-12. (Pay-what-you-wish, Feb. 17, 4-4:45 p.m., penn.museum, add to calendar)

🏛️ Black History Month at National Liberty Museum (Black History Month / virtual / kid-friendly) All weekend long, kids can go online to watch Drag Queen Brittany Lynn reading everyone’s favorite book about Black hair, Black pride, and family love, Matthew Cherry’s Hair Love, and a performance by Positive Movement, Philly’s omnipresent drumline with Elmo. On Sunday at 1 p.m., pre-registered guests can participate in the pay-what-you-wish workshop Beyond Wakanda: Black Superheroes from Comics to Real Life. Ages 3-17. (Feb. 20-21, libertymuseum.org, add to calendar)

Calendar contributors

Jillian Wilson writes about events, tourism, and wellness. Her work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, HuffPost, Eater Philly, Fodor’s Travel, and others. She studied communications at Temple University’s Lew Klein College of Media and Communication, and is based in South Philly.
Lauren McCutcheon is a Philadelphian, parent, and program director at Mighty Writers, a nonprofit that teaches school-age students to think and write with clarity. She writes about kids events for The Inquirer, including our Kids Calendar, which publishes each Sunday.