The Madison Senior Center will host its second-ever Black History Month Festival as it works to add culturally relevant programming often lacking for the city’s older adult population.
The celebration looks to engage Madison’s seniors with a celebration for 100-years of Black History Month this year. Black History Month Festival returns for its second annual run as the Senior Center looks to increase diverse programming. It features performances, food, music, community organizations with resources and more.
“One thing we identified was that the Madison Senior Center, just our regular day-to-day programming, is predominantly white, so we wanted to bring in some more diverse programming,” said Ericka Booey, older adults program and outreach coordinator at the Madison Senior Center.
A need for better programming for Madison’s older adult population is something the city realized it needed — and especially for more diverse segments of the population.
The City of Madison found in a 2021 survey that previous services were not meeting everyone who needed them. In January 2025, the Common Council approved $950,000 in grants to 13 community agencies that serve older adults with an emphasis on older adults of color.
(Photo by Hedi Rudd)
The Madison Senior Center looked to bolster its own programming in recognition of the lack of culturally relevant programming, Booey said. At its previous Black History Month Festival, Booey noted that over 140 older Black adults, in addition to many more, showed up to its first celebration.
She plans to continue adding more programming, like a planned Juneteenth barbecue, lectures from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is working on more.
This year’s celebration also marks a significant milestone for Black History Month. Black History celebrations hit their 100-year anniversary, and Booey wants to highlight how the people that the celebration is geared towards make up that history.
“Our elderly is Black history. It’s very important to highlight the fact that it’s been 100 years that we are highlighting our Black beauty, our accomplishments of Black people in society and that we’ve been given the one month to celebrate Black history and how far we have come,” Booey said. “These are the people who have paved the way for us.”
The Black History Month Festival will be hosted at the Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St., on Feb. 27 from 1-4 p.m. It is free to attend, but is only open to those 55 years old and up. Registration is required via calling Booey at 608-266-6290.
