BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN PITTSBURGH 2021

It’s not an understatement to describe the events of the past year as historic, and particularly for Black Americans. The nation elected its first Black vice president, a woman and a graduate of a historically Black university, and Georgia send its first Black senator to the Capitol. (Both of these realities were possible through the tireless organizing efforts of women like Stacey Abrams of Fair Fight and LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter.)

This period also had Black Americans experiencing disproportionate deaths and job losses from Covid-19, police brutality and myriad race-fueled attacks. The killing of George Floyd, a Black man in police custody, ushered in a period of collective reckoning — one that prompted widespread protests, a push for racial justice and a re-examination of the education system’s failure to teach the accurate history of Black and Indigenous people.

As Black History Month kicks off, there may not be a physical coming together, but there are numerous cultural events in which to take part. To learn more read the New York Times article.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN PITTSBURGH 2021

BY: Katie Phillips, PUMP
The fight for racial justice must be part of our everyday practices. Here in the Pittsburgh region, there are many ways to learn about and honor Black history, uplift the Black community locally, and support Black leaders in the work of anti-racism. We’ve compiled many of them here. We hope you will find the opportunities that speak to you, and that you will continue this work beyond the month of February.

Events, Celebrations, and For more resources click here

Ongoing

• Black History Month: Pittsburgh Jazz Legends – City of Pittsburgh
• Black History Month at CLP – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

January 31-February 6

• Storytelling Event with Donna Washington – Carnegie Library – February 1
• Charlie Garlick and the Underground Railroad (School Program) – Heinz History Center – February 4
• AW Studio Sessions: Gerald Veasley and Carol Riddick – August Wilson African American Cultural Center – February 4

February 7-February 13

• Martin Delany and Pittsburgh Abolitionists (School Program) – Heinz History Center – February 11
• The Bonds of Family and Legacy – Heinz History Center – February 11
• Seizing the Moment: Teaching Race and Racism Today with Dr. Hasan Jeffries – Heinz History Center – February 12
• 7th Annual Black History Month Lecture – (Re)Making History: Memory, Mythmaking, and the Civil Rights Movement – Heinz History Center – February 12

February 14-February 20

• YWCA Action Conversation on Race – Untold History: Women of Color in Pittsburgh – YWCA Greater Pittsburgh – February 17
• Western Pennsylvania and the Great Migration (School Program) – Heinz History Center – February 18

February 21-Feburary 28

• We’re Better Than This by Elijah Cummings – A Virtual Conversation – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – February 22
• Black Feminist Film Screening and Panel – Just Films Series – February 23
• Pittsburgh and the Civil Rights Movement (School Program) – Heinz History Center – February 25