Black History Month Events – Williamsburg, Yorktown, Newport News and Hampton Roads – February 2024
Celebrate Black History Month in the Historic Triangle and Hampton Roads by visiting the following events
Events are across Hampton Roads including Williamsburg, James City County, Yorktown, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Virginia Beach!
The Williamsburg Bray School Community Event
The Williamsburg Bray School is the oldest structure in the U.S. dedicated to educating young, Black children. On Saturday, February 17 at 11 am attend the Community Event at Bruton Heights School Education Center at 301 First Street. Meet the people connected to the Williamsburg Bray School Initiative, learn about ongoing discoveries, and find out how you can help shape how we understand and interpret the Williamsburg Bray School. Registration is strongly encouraged, https://go.wm.edu/nsDgtT
Recently Craig Melvin on the Today Show Show spotlighted the Williamsburg Bray School, watch the segment here. You might remember last February it was moved from the campus of William & Mary to Colonial Williamsburg, learn more about that move here.
2024 Black Artist Showcase at Jamestown Settlement
The 2024 Black Artist Showcase at Jamestown Settlement is connecting the past and present through contemporary art and 17th-century history. The showcase will be open daily in February from 8 am-5 pm.
Plan to attend the opening reception for the 2024 Black Artist Showcase at Jamestown Settlement, Saturday, February 3 from 6 to 8 pm. Enjoy a performance of original music by Akeylah Simone, singer, songwriter and recording artist from the Hampton Roads area. Meet some of the artists featured in this year’s showcase and view over 30 works of art while enjoying live music, heavy hor d’oeuvres and a cash bar. More info and tickets here.
Black History Month programs at Jamestown Settlement culminates on Saturday, February 24 with “After Angelo,” named for one of the first African women in Jamestown, celebrating modern African American life and culture through art, performance and community conversation. See the schedule of events and activities HERE.
Be sure to check out the immersive gallery exhibits, films and education programs at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown on the cultural legacies of West Central Africans brought to Virginia in the 17th century. More info
Here is the Programming for Black History Month at Colonial Williamsburg
More than half of 18th-century Williamsburg residents were African American. Join Colonial Williamsburg in February for Black History Month as they shine an even brighter light on our year-round African American programming and discover the untold stories of those who lived, loved, and strove to create a better future. Most of the programming can be accessed with your day pass, annual membership or Good Neighbor Pass.
Live Programming at the Hennage Auditorium in Colonial Williamsburg
There are many programs at the Hennage Auditorium this month celebrating Black History Month include A Taste of Freedom, God is My Rock, Measure of a Man’s Worth, All Things Are Possible, My Story; My Voice, To Purchase a Likely Man, Phillis Wheatley and the Music of Freedom and more. Learn more on Colonial Williamsburg’s Black History Month page.
Tour: Black Artists and Artisans at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
Tuesdays, February 6, 13, 20 & 27 from 10:30-11am
Tour the museum galleries, including the “I Made This” exhibition, to explore decorative and folk art made by Black American artists and artisans. Free reservations are required and can be booked by visiting a ticket office or calling 888-965-7254. Art Museums admission is required (or Good Neighbor Pass). More information on this exhibit and workshops.
Afro American Waterman’s Walk at York River State Park
Open daily February 1-29 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
African Americans have been a part of the Chesapeake Bay’s seafood industry since the Colonial era from pickers and shuckers to boat captains. Discover the communities built on harvesting fish and shellfish giving African Americans financial freedom even in the Jim Crow years. Find out how this heritage is still being kept alive and well in our special African American History Month display. More information at HERE .
2024 Cultural Heritage Series Sundays in February at 3 pm in the Williamsburg Library Theatre
February 4: Roy and his Music Makers
February 11: Let Freedom Ring Foundation
February 18: Saxophonist Charles Carter & Gospel Recording Artist Min. Angela Weddington
February 25: TEN Dancers Worldwide
More information on each event HERE.
Lecture at the Mariners Museum – Shipwrecked: A True Civil War Story of Mutinies, Jailbreaks, Blockade-Running, and the Slave Trade
February 22 at 7pm at The Mariners’ Museum and Park
The Mariners’ Museum in celebrating Black History Month as it presents a in person and virtual lecture. Historian Jonathan W. White tells the riveting story of Appleton Oaksmith, a swashbuckling sea captain whose life intersected with crucial moments of the mid-19th century, most importantly the extraordinary lengths the Lincoln Administration went to destroy the illegal trans-Atlantic slave trade. Additional information here.
Museum Admission is only $1 per person plus lecture fees (if applicable). Mariners’ Museum Members are FREE. Purchase tickets online here! All virtual programs are free. Pre-registration is required for both in person and virtual.
Experience the Hampton Black History Driving Tour
The 400 Years Forward driving tour explores Hampton Virginia’s African American heritage sites. Sites like the Emancipation Oak, Little England Chapel, Tucker Family Cemetary, Fort Monroe National Monument, Aberdeen Gardens, this historic neighborhood was built for “Blacks by Blacks” in 1935 and Hampton History Museum. Check out the Hampton Black History Driving tour this February.
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