Chicago Hosts Black History Month Events
Events celebrating Black History Month are being held across Chicago throughout February 2026. The city-wide celebration includes a variety of museum exhibitions, community workshops, and cultural performances for residents and visitors.
- The concept of Black History Month originated in Chicago in 1915 when Carter G. Woodson, an alumnus of the University of Chicago, was inspired by a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation. He and others then founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History at the Wabash Avenue YMCA. - Major cultural institutions are hosting special exhibitions, such as "Paris in Black" at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center and the "Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibit" at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. The Chicago History Museum is featuring an exhibit on the trial for the murder of Emmett Till. - The month features a focus on live musical performances, including a tribute to Marvin Gaye by José James and Lizz Wright, and Valencia Lacy's "Journey to Here," which traces the history of Black music. The Uniting Voices Chicago will also host a Black History Concert Series at the Auditorium Theatre. - The Chicago Park District is hosting numerous free community events across the city, including an UMOJA celebration, a "Roots to Runway" fashion show, and a "Girls in Sports Summit Track Meet" at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field Center at Gately Park. - Chicago is the city where Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian fur trader, established the first permanent non-indigenous settlement in the 1770s. The city is also home to landmarks such as the Ida B. Wells-Barnett House and the Monument to the Great Northern Migration. - The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is hosting events to support Black-owned businesses, including a roundtable at the Woodson Regional Library and a business tour in the Metro East area. - The Chicago Public Library, a key institution since the first "Negro History Week," is offering various programs including poetry workshops, film screenings, and story times for children. - The city's history includes being the home of many influential Black figures such as investigative journalist Ida B. Wells, pioneering aviator Bessie Coleman, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, and Harold Washington, the city's first African American mayor.
