Black History Month originally lasted only one week
The origins of Black History Month date back to 1915, when scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and established the first “Negro History Week” in February 1926. Woodson is considered the “father of Black History Month,” and credited for establishing what would become the month-long annual tradition.
According to the Library of Congress, Woodson chose February as the observation month because it included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, notable figures in Black history. It wasn’t until 1975 that President Gerald Ford formally recognized the then-Black History Week nationally. A year later, Woodson’s organization expanded it from a week-long observance to a month-long tradition, which was designated by Ford following the change.
Black History Month 2025
Ohio Statehouse
1 Capitol SquareColumbus, OH 43215
Cost: Free
Time: 12:12 PM to 1:00 PM
Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Tuesday
In honor of Black History Month, the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board is hosting a series of free, 60-minute presentations every Tuesday at noon in the Atrium in collaboration with different groups. Each session will include up to 15 minutes for Q&A with the speaker or performer.
It is free and open to the public! For larger groups, please call Ariana Glaser at 614-728-3726 to schedule.
Additionally, to learn more about the full schedule of Black History Month events at Ohio Statehouse in February, please use the link as follows:
Since its designation in 1976, the United States has celebrated Black History Month annually in February. Once again, the Columbus Experience has identified what’s and where throughout the year’s shortest month. For more details, please use the link follows:
Anti-Saloon League Museum/ Westerville Public Library
126 S State St, Westerville, OH 43081
Museum Hours
Monday-Saturday: 9 am-6 pm Closed on Saturday: 1-2 pm Closed on Sunday
Presented by Westerville Public Library
As the first Black graduate of Westerville High School and Otterbein University, William Henry Fouse (1868-1944) broke barriers. But these achievements are just part of his story.
Learn about how his early years were shaped by Ohio’s Black Codes, how he was inspired by other activists, and how he spent his life fighting for equal educational opportunities for Black children.
Regular Museum Hours-We are open Wed-Sat from 9 am – 4 pm. In addition to presenting exhibitions that explore African American History, the museum offers a combination of live and online programming. Go to the Ohio History Connection Events & Experiences for more information. To learn more about the Ohio History Connection, please use the link as follows:
550 East Spring St. Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 287-5353 information@cscc.edu
Here are some highlights:
Cougar Chats: Money Pulse – Diagnose Your Financial Health
Date: February 6
Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Mitchell Hall AEP Boardroom (Columbus Campus), Livestreamed to other campuses.
Description: An interactive workshop on financial health and wellness by Professor Reuel Barksdale1.
African American Read-In Chain
Date: February 8
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM (In Person), 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Virtual)
Location: Nestor Hall West Lounge (In Person), Online (Virtual)
Description: A celebration of African American literary tradition and literacy awareness1.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Originally scheduled for Jan. 22, this event will now be held on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, from 10 a.m. to noon Center for Workforce Development – 4th-floor ballroom 315 Cleveland Ave., Columbus, OH
Keynote Speaker: Reuel Barksdale
Professor, Business and Paralegal Program Columbus State Community College
Location: Library Media Studio (Columbus Campus), Moeller Hall Learning Commons (Delaware Campus), Lobby (Dublin RLC)1
Description: A collaborative transcription project of Frederick Douglass’ correspondence
For more information and a full list of events, you can visit the Columbus State Community College Black History Month page.
Are you planning to attend any of these events?
1www.cscc.edu
February 5, 2025, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST
We are thrilled to invite you to a remarkable event hosted by the VA Office of the Secretary, Center for Minority Veterans (CMV), in honor of Black History Month! This celebration promises to be both inspiring and enlightening, and we would love for you to participate — whether you join us online or in person! Join us for an inspiring session with Dr. Linda Singh, Retired Major General, Maryland’s first African American and female Adjutant General. With over 30 years of military service, she has held key positions including commander of the Maryland Army National Guard and director of the Joint Staff, Maryland National Guard. Additionally, we are excited to have Elizabeth Anne Helm-Frazier, Board Director of the Women’s Army Foundation, in partnership with VA’s Center for Women Veterans (CWV), as our special guest. She will discuss her significant contributions to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion Project, highlighting their incredible legacy during World War II. Her contributions to the military community and advocacy for women veterans will enrich our discussions.
Dates and times vary based on the event | Ohio History Center
The Ohio History Connection is hosting events at the Ohio History Center and its other locations honoring Black History Month. Check out the link below to view the full list, but a few we’re highlighting here are:
The Black History Month Webinar: “I’m the Family Historian, Now What?”
Thursday, February 6, 2025, 7 pm – 8 pm
Location: Online
Admission: Free
Presented by Cecelia McFadden, Family Legacy Coach and Black Genealogy Expert. Ms. McFadden is also the current president of the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society.
Planning a Family Reunion or compiling a family history can be rewarding and daunting at the same time. This webinar will show you how to create a step-by-step plan to communicate your family legacy using online and offline resources. Presented by: Cecelia McFadden, Family Legacy Coach and Black Genealogy Expert. Ms. McFadden is also the current president of the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society.
Kick off our 2025 program year with an interactive poetry discussion with professor John Getz and author Kareem Simpson discussing the work of Robert Hayden, one of the most influential American poets of the 20th century.
This event is free, though registration is required. Learn more and register here.
Each February, The King Arts Complex honors the life and legacy of one of Columbus’ most celebrated artists at the Annual Aminah Robinson Family Day. This special event is an opportunity for people of all ages to create art with local visual artists, enjoy music, and learn more about Aminah’s rich contributions to the world of art.
Surround yourself with inspiration and storytelling with themed projects inspired by the work of Aminah Robinson. Kick-start your imaginations with prompts designed for a wide range of ages, abilities, and materials. These workshops are free and supplies are provided.
The Ohio State Department of Athletics joins with the rest of the country to honor its past and present African-American student-athletes, coaches, and staff members throughout each year and during Black History Month in February.
Senior Vice President & Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletics Director
Newark Campus
Black History Month Kickoff
Date: February 6, 2025
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Warner 126 – Performance Platform
About this event
Start February with food, fellowship, and inspiration! Join us for the Black History Month Kickoff to connect with friends and learn about the history and significance of this empowering month. Don’t miss this chance to celebrate culture, community, and heritage! Hamburger, hotdogs, and tight refreshments provided.
The Department of Dance is thrilled to present Resilient Rhythms: Honoring Black Voices in Dance, a powerful Black History Month Celebration that shines a spotlight on the history, artistry, and contributions of Black dance worldwide. This event honors the trailblazing Black dance leaders who have shaped the art form and amplified the voices of Black artists within our student body, faculty, and the broader community.
FREE ADMISSION
MFA Film Screening: The Top Deck
February 20, 2025
February 21, 2025
February 22, 2025
7:00 PM – 7:30 PM
7:00 PM – 7:30 PM
7:00 PM – 7:30 PM
The Motion Lab at ACCAD, Sullivant Hall Room 350
The Motion Lab at ACCAD, Sullivant Hall Room 350
The Motion Lab at ACCAD, Sullivant Hall Room 350
MFA Student Kierra Williams premieres her dance film The Top Deck, which is a reimagination of a performance aboard the ships of the Middle Passage, where enslaved individuals were forced to dance for the gaze of Europeans. Through a disturbing chant, “It’s a Friday,” rooted in her childhood, The Top Deck transforms a narrative of objectification into one of resistance, self-expression, and celebration.
The Center for Latin American Studies and the Department of Dance invite you to the “Afro Diasporic Dances: Latin America and the U.S.” workshop series.
As part of the Black History Month events from CLAS, this series aims to celebrate the contributions of Afro-Latin and African-American cultural practices. The workshops will be facilitated by the Department of Dance Faculty members and guest teachers.
The event is open to the public and registration is required.
Please bring comfortable clothes to move in.
The workshops will take place at Studio 250 in Sullivant Hall, and Studio 247 will be available for stretching and warm-up.
Join special guest storytellers from our school community for a story and discussion about Black History and how young ones can engage in social justice in their school and neighborhood communities.
And the Tea Room: a series of poetry performances themed on “Black Womanhood.”
Saturday, February 15, 2025, 11 am – 1:30 pm
Ohio History Center
800 East 17th Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA
The Tea Room: A Journey Through Black Culture and Healing
This engaging program delves into the deep-rooted connection between tea and Black culture, exploring its historical significance, cultural practices, and medicinal properties. You will learn how tea has been a symbol of resilience, community, and healing within the African diaspora, tracing its journey from African herbal traditions to its role in Black households and social gatherings. Through storytelling, demonstrations, and tastings, The Tea Room celebrates the enduring legacy of tea as a bridge between heritage and health.
Please bring your favorite teacup.
Doors open at 11 a.m. and the program starts at 11:30 a.m. Registration is required.
In partnership with the Greater Columbus Arts Council, this trail explores sculptures throughout Columbus from African American artists Melvin Edwards, Chief Baba Shongo Obadina, Andrew F. Scott, Omar Shaheen, Bill Agnew, Barbara Chavous, Larry Winston Collins, LaVerne Brown. Each artist on this tour not only celebrates the African American culture but also contributes heavily to the progression of the arts by engaging young African Americans to make their own contributions to their communities and/or art history.
What happens when six men, wrongfully convicted of crimes they didn’t commit, reclaim their stories on stage? The Lynched Among Us is a powerful theatrical production that explores wrongful convictions, the trauma of reentry, and the journey of healing and redemption after years of unjust incarceration.
Join us during Black History Month on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the Lincoln Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, for this transformative performance, presented by Voices of Injustice. Directed by Al Cleveland, the play features the real-life stories of six men from Greater Cleveland who were wrongfully convicted and spent years behind bars for crimes they did not commit. The Lynched Among Us examines the emotional toll of wrongful convictions but focuses primarily on the challenges of reentry—the complex process of reintegrating into society after being wrongfully imprisoned.
Voices of Injustice is a group of men who have been through wrongful incarceration and are now using their personal experiences to process the trauma they’ve endured while navigating life after prison. Their work centers on the difficulties of reentry—rebuilding lives, reconnecting with family, and adjusting to a world that has moved on without them. This production gives them a platform to share those experiences and raise awareness of the ongoing struggles faced by those who have been wrongfully incarcerated.
The performance will share the powerful stories of men like Michael Sutton, who spent 15 years wrongfully convicted before his exoneration, and Charles Jackson, who spent 27 years in prison and later donated a kidney to his nephew after his release. These accounts highlight not only the devastating impact of wrongful conviction but also the long-term struggles of reentry, where each man must rebuild his life from the ground up.
Recently, Alfred Cleveland’s case gained national attention when his story was featured on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Cleveland, along with Benson Davis, John Edwards, and Lenworth Edwards, had been wrongfully convicted of the 1991 murder of Marsha Blakely. Their convictions were largely based on the testimony of a key witness who later recanted, admitting he fabricated his account to claim a reward.
In early December 2024, with no physical evidence linking the men to the crime, Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson filed a motion for a new trial, acknowledging that the convictions were based on unreliable testimony. If granted, Tomlinson intends to dismiss all charges. Defense attorneys hailed the decision as a crucial step toward justice, expressing hope for the men’s exoneration.
Presented during Black History Month, The Lynched Among Us draws attention to the continuing fight for justice, equality, and systemic reform, particularly in communities disproportionately affected by wrongful convictions and mass incarceration. The production serves as a reminder of the emotional and societal costs of incarceration and emphasizes the importance of supporting reentry programs for those who have been wrongfully imprisoned.
Celebrate Black History at the Columbus Museum of Art with this collective of multi-generational musicians of color performing high-quality jazz, classical, and hip-hop music.
In celebration of Black History Month, enjoy a free performance by the Columbus Cultural Youth Orchestra.
Join us! We’re celebrating with programs in all locations.
The Columbus Metropolitan Library has a plethora of events to recognize Black History Month, with activities happening at 23 different branches. More details to be announced.
Dates and times vary based on the Columbus Library branch | See the library locations and events list, please use the button below.
Take a stroll along the Long Street Cultural Wall on the bridge connecting the Near East Side to Downtown Columbus. This collaboration by local artists Kojo Kamau and Larry Winston Collins features a combination of photography and block prints providing an educational walk through Columbus’ Black History.
Visit the first park in the nation dedicated to the theme of social justice, located downtown at the corner of Broad Street and Cleveland Avenue. Designed to bring Columbus together to build the path to a better future through art, education, and constructive dialogues, the park serves as an introduction to Columbus’ social justice pioneers.
Learn about Benjamin Hanby, an abolitionist and composer, whose family lived in the home from 1853-1870. The family moved to Westerville because his father helped to establish Otterbein University. The Hanby House is managed locally by the Westerville Historical Society. To schedule an appointment to tour the site, please email:
