Black History Month, which takes place in February every year, is celebrated throughout the metro Atlanta area with festivals, storytelling, performances, lectures, film, and much more.
It’s nearly impossible to talk about black history in America at all without mentioning Atlanta. Our city has seen remarkable achievements from the civil rights leaders, musicians, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who’ve called Atlanta home.
We’ve put together a list of some of the special events taking place around metro Atlanta for Black History Month in 2023, as well as a few places that focus on African American history and culture all year round.
This post is structured with highlighted events and venues first, followed by a chronological list of Black History Month events in a calendar format. Be sure to scroll all the way to the end to browse all events.
Things to do during Black History Month
We’re highlighting a few major events here — but please scroll down to the bottom for a calender listing of events happening at local libraries, community centers, parks, and more.
Check out new Black History Month murals
Feb. 1 – 28, 2023
Brook Run Park
4770 N. Peachtree Rd., Dunwoody
A series of new murals will be on display at the Brook Run Skate Park, along the perimeter fence. Enjoy this outdoor exhibit for FREE, all month long.
Read about the artists and the murals here
Dine on soul food at Paschal’s Restaurant
Paschal’s Restaurant was the unofficial headquarters of the Civil Rights Movement, and Martin Luther King was frequently seen there.
Paschal’s Restaurant was a common meeting place for civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King. It has moved from its original location to a spot at 180 Northside Drive, but the walls are still lined with framed photos of influential leaders from the past.
You can read a timeline of Paschal’s history on its website.
This restaurant is famous for its fried chicken.
Head to the Black Heritage Festival in Duluth
Saturday, February 25, 2023
1 to 4 p.m.
Shorty Howell Park (inside the activities building)
Shop with Black-owned businesses, and enjoy food and music that celebrates Black history and culture. Admission is FREE.
Shorty Howell Park is located at 2750 Pleasant Hill Road, in Duluth.
More info
See a show at Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company
Tony-award winning stage director Kenny Leon founded True Colors Theatre Company in 2002. The vision was to continue the rich tradition of black storytelling, while providing opportunities for African-American playwrights and performers.
This February, you can see the show Good Bad People, an emotional drama about a well-to-do Black family that loses their son in an incident with police.
It runs from February 14th to March 12th, 2023.
Face masks required.
The show is being staged at the Southwest Arts Center in Atlanta.
Buy tickets here
True Colors Theatre Company celebrates a rich tradition of black storytelling.
Attend the Roswell Roots Festival of Black History & Culture
February 1 – 28, 2023
Visit the website
During the month of February, the city of Roswell will feature a series of special exhibits, cultural performances, demonstrations, and events devoted to Black history and culture.
And just wow, there is so much to do in 2023!
You really need to check the website and the calendar to see it all.
Many of the events ARE free, including library story hours, art exhibits, and musical performances. The ticketed events are very affordable.
You can download a complete calendar of events and brochure on Roswell’s city website.
Explore “Black Church Music” at the Dekalb History Center
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This is Dekalb History Center’s 15th annual Black History Month Celebration. The program will be filled with soul-stirring gospel music and riveting talks about the role Black Church music has played in Georgia’s social and political arenas. Catered lunch included with ticket purchase ($40).
Get more info and buy tickets
Support Black-owned businesses at the Atlanta Black Expo
February 11, 2023
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cobb Galleria Center
The expo will feature a wide range of Black-owned businesses in all industries. You’ll be able to walk around and shop, as well as enjoy workshops, speakers, a food court, a kids area, and more.
Buy advance tickets for $15
Have fun at Blackout: Open Mic Night & Pop-up Market
Friday, February 17, 2023
7:00 p.m.
Lawrenceville Arts Center
125 North Clayton St.
Now in it’s second year, Blackout is a FREE celebration of culture, creativity, and commerce. The event features fantastic local performers and artists, Black-owned businesses, and free delicious food.
Get more info or sign up for an open mic slot
Attend a Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church
Service on Sunday at 9 a.m.
Virtual service Sunday at 11 a.m.
Each Sunday, visitors from around the neighborhood and around the globe attend services at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The church has an open-door policy and welcomes anyone who wishes to visit.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Counse, under a Creative Commons license.
Enjoy a new comedy at the Alliance Theatre
Feb. 10 – March 5, 2023
The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre
This month, you can see the play The Hot Wing King, a comedy about the risks and rewards of being true to yourself. This play was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was praised by the Pulitzer judges as a “deeply felt consideration of Black masculinity and how it is perceived as filtered through the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family.”
Discount alert!
Get 25% OFF with promo code KING25, when you buy tickets by Feb. 9, 2023!
OR, use the Goldstar deal for discounted seats. Remember to read the fine print and check the service fees before you buy.
Participate in Gwinnett’s Black Heritage Night
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Gwinnett Justice Center
75 Langley Dr., Lawrenceville
This cultural festival is FREE and open to the public — everyone is welcome. Black Heritage Night features cultural performances, soul food, exhibits, art, and more.
Reserve a free ticket on Eventbrite
Go on a road trip
The National Park Service has created a We Shall Overcome travel itinerary, listing places of historic significance in 19 states. The landmarks include churches, homes, protest sites, and and other landmarks related to the Civil Rights Movement.
Oddly enough, only 4 sites are listed for Georgia — but we have many more venues you can explore around Atlanta, in our list below. But since the idea is to take a road trip, you can head to nearby sites in Alabama, including Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma.
The website CivilRightsTrail.com also lets you explore significant sites by state, and is a better travel guide, in our opinion.
Experience Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at the Fox
Feb. 16 – 19, 2023
Five shows
Alvin Ailey Dance Theater was founded in 1958 by choreographer Alvin Ailey, to bring African-American dance traditions into mainstream theaters and entertainment venues, for all to experience. Tickets start at just $29 (before taxes and fees).
More info and tickets
Participate in free activities through Dekalb Public Libraries
Select libraries in Dekalb County hosting Black History Month events, including:
*Black History Month trivia
*Take-and-make craft kits for a Black History Month poster or bookmarks
*Free screenings of the movies Hidden Figures and The Woman King
*West African dance performances
*Bead weaving crafts – make your own bracelet
*Black History Month Scavenger Hunt
*Motown Music Review
There are too many of these free activities to list here — we invite you to browse them directly on the library Black History Month calendar online.
Enjoy an in-person or virtual performance at KSU
February 20th and 21st — 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
February 24th and 25th — 8 to 9 p.m.
Bailey Performance Center at KSU
Kennesaw State University celebrates Black History Month with a series of live performances. You can either buy a ticket for an in-person event or RSVP for a link to join virtually.
For more info on specific events, visit KSU’s February events calendar and click on the performance you’re interested in.
Places to visit & explore during Black History Month
♦ The APEX Museum
APEX is an acronym for African-American Panoramic Experience. The mission of the APEX Museum is to accurately interpret and present history from an African-American perspective.
♦ National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Exhibits connect the American civil rights movement to the current global human rights movement.
This February, the Center will host story times, activities, and giveaways on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the month. All activities are included with a ticket purchase to The Center. If you are a family of 4, remember to take advantage of our Family 4-pack discount!
More info on Black History Month activities
♦ South-View Cemetery
Take a FREE self-guided walking or driving tour of South-View Cemetery, which was chartered after the Civil War by former slaves who were banned from white cemeteries. Martin Luther King was originally buried in South-View, before being moved to the grounds at the King Center.
♦ Oakland Cemetery’s African American Burial Grounds
Each year, Oakland offers FREE tours during Black History Month, but they fill up quickly– so if you’re reading this early, in January, RESERVE NOW.
If you can’t get a tour reservation, you can read about the African American Grounds online and then visit on your own. Oakland Cemetery is ALWAYS FREE. The best way to receive advance notice about when free tour reservations open up in January is to subscribe to our newsletter.
Ollivette Allison was executive director of the Carrie Steele-Pitts Home (the first orphanage for African-American children) from 1976 until 2009. It’s been estimated that she cared for more than 5,000 children at the orphanage.
♦ George Washington Carver Park (Cartersville)
This site on Allatoona Lake was established in 1950 as a Georgia State Park designated especially for Black people. It is now part of the Bartow County parks system.
On a warm day, you can walk along the water, or bring a picnic meal and use the pavilion or outdoor tables.
Read about the history of the park before you visit
♦ Atlanta History Center
A variety of special programming features the contributions of African Americans this February.
More info
Do you have a credit or debit card from Bank of America?
That gets you FREE admission to the History Center on Feb. 4th & 5th. through the Museum on Us program.
♦ Hammonds House Museum of African-American Art
Open Thursday thru Sunday
Adult admission $10
Seniors $7
Students $5
Under age 12 FREE
The Hammonds House Museum, in Atlanta’s West End, is dedicated to fine art created by people of African descent.
♦ Atlanta University Center Historic District
The Atlanta University Center District comprises a group of the country’s most important institutions of higher learning for African Americans. This national historic landmark in Southwest Atlanta includes Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse School of Medicine.
Many civil rights movement leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr., attended these schools, which have been a progressive force among Atlanta’s black community.
If you’ve never made a visit to this historic district, maybe it’s time to explore this February!
Benjamin Mays was a former sharecropper’s son who made the monumental rise to president of Morehouse College, where he is laid to rest. He is credited with laying the intellectual foundations of the Civil Rights Movement. (Photo made available through the Creative Commons Universal Public Domain Dedication)
♦ Martin Luther King Historic Sites
According to the National Park Service website, indoor tours of the MLK Visitor Center and the Birth Home of Martin Luther King, Jr. have been resumed, with Covid safety precautions in place.
You can also stop by the tomb of Reverend and Mrs. King, with its eternal flame. And the MLK World Peace Rose Garden is open, although there’s not much in bloom right now. Here’s a complete list of MLK historic sites under the National Park Service.
Dr. and Mrs. King are laid to rest at the King Center’s outdoor campus.
♦ National College Football Hall of Fame
The Hall will have temporary display cases with college football artifacts that celebrate Black History Month, and one of the cases will feature Eddie Robinson artifacts.
There is also a BOGO ticket offer for students of historically Black colleges and universities.
More info
♦ The Herndon Home Museum
Completed in 1910, the Herndon Home was the residence of Alonzo Herndon, Atlanta’s first black millionaire. Herndon was a former slave who became a barber after the Civil War; he invested his income in real estate and later founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, located in Sweet Auburn.
The house is a two-story, 15-room mansion in the French Beaux-Arts style, located in Atlanta’s Vine City neighboorhood. For more information, see the Herndon Home Museum website.
NOTE that tours have been suspended, but you can view the outside of the building.
The Herndon Mansion was home to Atlanta’s first black millionaire. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia contributor Keizers, under a creative commons license.)
Movies to watch & speeches to listen to
Whether you want to be inspired or entertained, you can put together your own watch list for Black History Month.
Black stories and voices on film
Reelgood.com is compiling a list of films that stream for FREE and showcase Black stories.
The major subscription-based streaming services also have curated collections of films that focus on Black history and stories, and feature Black actors and filmmakers.
Browse movies here:
♦ Netflix — Black Lives Matter collection
♦ Hulu — Black Stories collection
♦ Amazon Prime Video — Amplify Black Voices collection
♦ HBO — Celebrating Black Voices (these selections stream for FREE)
You may also be interested in our big list of FREE streaming services.
Notable speeches in Black history
These are worth a watch or a listen — especially the dramatic recreations of historic speeches.
♦ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Listen to the famous 17-minute I Have a Dream speech in its entirety, courtesy of NPR.
♦ President Barack Obama
He’s known as one of the greatest presidential orators in modern history, so it’s hard to choose just one. But for Black History Month, we’re going with A More Perfect Union, a 2008 campaign address about America’s long struggle with race (37 minutes). But go ahead and watch the 3-minute Amazing Grace clip from the eulogy for Rev. Pinckney too.
♦ Frederick Douglass
Listen to a trained voice actor read the words of the famous abolitionist, in the What to the Slave is the Fourth of July speech. It was delivered on July 5, 1852.
♦ Sojourner Truth
Watch a Black actress deliver the Ain’t I A Woman? speech that Sojourner Truth delivered in 1851, as a freed slave. In this talk, she compares experiences of Black women to white women.
Black History Month calendar of events
NOTE: We’re still adding BHM events for February, so check back!
Saturday, February 4, 2023
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Monday, February 13, 2023
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
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