February is Black History Month, and here in Los Angeles County, there are many ways to celebrate the accomplishments of African-Americans in the United States.
Celebrating the heritage and achievements of Black Americans is something that doesn’t need to be limited to just one month, especially here in Long Beach and surrounding communities. There are several online events and many in person happening throughout the month.
Ways to Celebrate Black History Month:
LONG BEACH
Beats + Breathwork – Celebrating Black History Month
Feb. 12, 2023
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
3732 Pacific Coast Highway Long Beach, California
Beats + Breathwork is a weekly community healing experience for people of color. Breathwork is an “active” meditation that invites us into expanded states of consciousness, to surface and release stuck emotions and energies in the body. This breathwork event is lovingly reserved for those who identify as a Person of Color (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous)
Aquarium of The Pacific’s African American Festival
Feb. 25-26, 2023
9 AM – 5 PM
100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, California
The Aquarium of the Pacific will host its twenty-first annual African American Festival. The event features music, dance, storytelling, historical displays, and the Aquarium’s Heritage Award ceremony. The Aquarium will also announce and celebrate the recipients of its 2023 African American Scholar Program.
MAKING BLACK AMERICA: Celebrate Black Joy in Music, Dance & Community
Feb. 25, 2023
4 PM – 7 PM
4321 Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, California
Mix, mingle, and take in the festivities of this unique Black History Month event! Featuring an homage to rent parties, dance lessons, food inspired by the annual family reunion, and a children’s corner. Guests are encouraged to come in their favorite 1920s to 1970s attire. This event is Inspired by the stories and themes presented in the four-part PBS television series MAKING BLACK AMERICA, which chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people.
Compton
Feb. 8, 2023
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
The Compton Library – 240 W Compton Blvd Compton, California
Artist Jacob Lawrence used painting to tell the stories of significant individuals and events through his well-known works focusing on the African American experience. Attend this event to learn tips to tell a story through paint and canvas. For ages 13-17.
Sons Like Me – Compton Art & History Museum
Feb. 18, 2023
3:00 PM
306 W Compton Blvd #104 Compton, California
In honor of Black History Month, the Compton Art & History Museum invites you to their opening exhibit “Sons Like Me” by Anthony Lee Pittman. Anthony (@anthnyxyz) is a local artist from Compton, CA who focuses on traditional painting, floral design, and mural art. Their work reflects their lived experiences growing up in Compton as a queer Afro-Latino.
LOS ANGELES
Celebrate with the Los Angeles Public Library – Online or In-Person!
The Los Angeles Public Library system has a large number of resources available online and in-person to commemorate and celebrate African American History Month.
Be sure to check the website for more information about events happening at different branches.
Afro-Atlantic Histories Exhibit
Through Sep. 10, 2023
11 AM – 6:00 PM
5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California
“Afro-Atlantic Histories charts the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies in the African diaspora.” The exhibition features work produced in Africa, Europe, and the Americas within the last four centuries. The exhibition is “organized around six groupings: Maps and Margins, Enslavements and Emancipations, Everyday Lives, Rites and Rhythms, Portraits, and Resistances and Activism.”
Los Angeles Black History Month Festival
Feb. 19, 2023
11 AM – 6:00 PM
5001 Obama Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
Open Arms Food Pantry and Resource Center is proud to announce the 6th Annual Black History Month festival at the newly renovated Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex. This year’s event will highlight “Health & Wellness” as well as focus on “Literature.” Programming will include guest speakers for a in-depth community forum on topics that affect the mind and body within the African American communities today.
Annual Pan-African Film Festival
Feb. 9-20, 2023
3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, California
The Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival was established in 1992 and is “dedicated to racial tolerance through the exhibition of film, art and creative expression.” The Festival, which is “the largest Black film and arts festival in the United States” features artists, craftspeople, and filmmakers from over 40 countries and six continents.
Orange County
Black History Month Celebration
Feb. 2, 2023
10 AM – 4:00 PM
29 Hubble, Irvine, California
This event will allow children to learn about black historical figures who changed the United States for the better. They can explore different impactful figures through art and learn about their history, while also refining their fine motor skills, learning about cause and effect, and discovering 3D sculpturing.
43rd Annual Orange County Black History Parade and Unity Festival
Feb. 4, 2023
9 AM – 4:00 PM
205 W. Center St. Promenade, Anaheim, California
The 43rd Annual Orange County Black History Parade and Unity Festival is happening on Saturday, February 4th. This special event features music, vendors, arts, food, and much more. Morning Blessings begin at 9:00 am, the parade is scheduled for 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, and then the Unity Festival begins at 12:00 pm. Check the website for details and the parade route.
This month is the perfect chance to celebrate all the ways Black culture is woven through American history in music, literature, food, politics and more. We hope this list of events helps you find new ways to honor Black history this month, and beyond.
As an agency, in collaboration with our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, we will be celebrating Black History all month. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on this topic.