Black History Month celebrations hit their 100-year milestone in the United States in 2026 and Madison and Wisconsin are getting ready to celebrate all kinds of events to recognize the century of significant contributions in the nation’s history.
Celebrations initially started in 1926 with “Negro History Week” started by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who is considered the “Father of Black History.” It was proposed in 1969 by Black students and educators at Kent State University to have a full month-long celebration of Black history. In 1976 — 50 years after Negro History Week started — President Gerald Ford recognized the full month-long celebration. Ten years later, in 1986, Congress passed a law to officially recognize February as National Black History Month.
This year, the 50th year of Black History Month and 100th year of celebrations, is chock full of events to attend.
Check out a few of the many celebrations throughout the state Madison365 has compiled to help you plan your Black History Month.
(Photo courtesy of Ericka Booey/Madison Senior Center)
Black History Month Festival
The Madison Senior Center will host its second-ever Black History Month Festival near the end of February. It adds programming relevant to Madison’s elderly Black population with activities, food, performances and resources.
In thinking about the centennial anniversary of Black History Month, the Madison Senior Center’s celebration notes that these are the people who make up and experience Black History in observation of the month.
Black History Month Festival is free to attend and open only to people aged 55 and over. Registration is required via calling Ericka Booey, older adults program and outreach coordinator, at 608-266-6290.
It will be held Feb. 27 at the Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St., from 1-4 p.m.
Black Love Event
The Black Love Event will bring artists all to talk about the joys, complexities and challenges of Black love. It is now in its second year and will invite local artists to share their personal stories exploring the complexities, joys and challenges of Black love in their lives. It will feature performances, stories and a panel.
The Black Love Event will be held Feb. 13 at the Black Business Hub, 2352 S. Park St., from 5-8 p.m. It is free to attend; no registration is required.
Minding My Black-Owned Business
The Madison Black Chamber of Commerce brings another opportunity to highlight its member businesses. Minding My Black-Owned Business will feature more than 40 local Black- and Brown-owned businesses in a pop-up shop style market. It will also feature a raffle every 30 minutes that includes items donated from its vendors and gift cards.
Minding My Black-Owned Business will be held Feb. 21 at the Elver Park Neighborhood Center, 1201 McKenna Blvd., from 12-3 p.m. It is free to attend; no registration is required.
Black Love: Rooted, Radiant, Revolutionary at UW-Madison
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will host a series of events throughout the month of February dedicated toward Black History Month. Events are focused on love with events that range from pilates classes, painting, movie screenings, panel conversations and bingo night.
A full list of events can be found on its page along with its dates, locations and registration information.
Unjust Deeds
Throughout Black History Month, a banner-based exhibit will be placed throughout Madison Central Library. Fourteen pop-up banners have been traveling through libraries all over Dane County for the past year and will come to the Central Library as part of its programming for Black History Month.
The banners feature the history of racial covenants used as tools for segregation. It showcases covenants placed into property deeds to prevent non-Whites and non-Christians from buying or occupying land. While those covenants are no longer enforceable, the Dane County Historical Society researched them to find that they still very much so can be found in almost every single community throughout the United States — including Dane County.
The banners will be up all throughout Black History Month at Central Library 201 W. Mifflin St. A presentation on the banners will be held Feb. 19 in Central Library’s room 302 from 6:30- 8 p.m. The presentation is free; registration is encouraged.
Voices of the Black Press
Milwaukee-based positive news company Carvd N Stone has partnered up with Milwaukee Film for a screening of the documentary “The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords.” The documentary highlights the critical role of Black-owned newspapers in documenting history and advocating for justice in issues often ignored in mainstream media. A discussion after the screening will be held with local Black journalists.
Voices of the Black Press will be held at the Oriental Theatre on Feb. 11, starting at 6:30 p.m. It is free to attend; registration is required.
The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram
Wisconsin Book Festival will host a conversation with Ethelene Whitmire about her upcoming book, slated to be released on Feb. 3. Her yet-to-be-released book, “The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram,” tells the true story of a young Black man’s account of love during World War II. Whitmire, a respected historian and professor at UW-Madison’s Department for African American Studies, will have one of her first events following the book’s release right here in Madison.
It will be held at Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St., on Feb. 16 from 7-8 p.m. It is free to attend; no registration is required.
Annual Dzigbodi Akyea Art Show
The annual art show, now in its sixth year, is part of Madison College’s SOUL Affinity Group. The annual exhibit showcases work that exemplifies how Black women have shaped communities, culture and the future.
This year’s theme will be “She Carried Us: Legacies of Labor, Love and Liberation.” It looks at the invisible labor of Black women that has sustained and nurtured generations in the continued fights for liberation throughout the world.
The exhibit will be up from Feb. 2-27, but the opening reception will be held Feb. 5 at Madison College’s Truax Building, 1701 Wright St., from 5:30-8 p.m. It is free to attend; no registration is required.
Founder’s Day Celebration: Love in Action at America’s Black Holocaust Museum
The nation’s largest and only exhibit dedicated to the Black Holocaust in the United States will celebrate the legacy of its founder, Dr. James Cameron. Dr. Cameron, who is a lynching survivor, historian, advocate and the musuem’s founder, passed in 2006, but left a lasting legacy in his mission to document the atrocities since African enslavement.
The event will discuss Dr. Cameron’s life and mission; host conversations on truth, healing and advocacy; ceremonial reflection and opportunities for community commitment; and renew the honoring of the institution.
The celebration will be held Feb. 20-21 at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, 401 W. North Ave., Milwaukee. Registration information will be posted at a later date via its website.
Legacy & Libations: Stories of Campus and Culture
The Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Black Affinity Group will host an afternoon gathering recounting Black legacy within the UW-Madison campus community. It will feature storytelling, an opportunity to connect, a cultural presentation by the SoulFolk Collective on Black history on campus, and a spotlight on Black-owned wine producers and its cultural significance.
It will be held Feb. 1 at the Urban League, 2222 S. Park St. It is free to attend; registration is required.
Black History Month at the Overture Center
The Overture Center will host multiple family-friendly events in celebration of Black History Month with a mix of free and ticketed events.
Events range from dance performances with traditional and contemporary African traditions that tell the story about the Great Migration, Kids in the Rotunda, Drum Power, a tribute to New Orleans Jazz and more.
A full list of events, including dates, locations, registrations and costs can be found on the Overture Center’s website.
Cooking with Chef Angela
Owner and operator of Food Junkies Catering Chef Angela Morgan has been doing events where she showcases globally inspired recipes each month. For Black History Month, Chef Angela will go over how to prepare some Black cuisine staples. The full menu will be revealed two weeks before the session.
Cooking with Chef Angela will be held Feb. 21 at the Meadowridge Library, 5726 Raymond Rd., in Community Rooms A and B and the kitchen. Registration will open Feb. 7.
