#BHFNW2026
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February 1 - February 28 - Youth Curated Displays
Multnomah County Libraries​
Visit your local library to see Black History displays curated by students from neighborhood schools. Displays will be up all month long! ​ Multnomah County Libraries where displays will be housed include: Central Kenton Midland North Portland Albina​
February 1 - 13 - Black Love Photo Competition
Black History Festival NW
Entering this competition is as easy as posting your pictures celebrating Black love on Instagram and tagging us @blackhistoryfestivalnw. The winner will win dinner for two and will be announced at the Black Love event. For more information, visit us on Instagram or email us at festival@worldstagetheatre.org
February 1 - Black Portland History Scavenger Hunt
Oregon Black Pioneers​
Kicking off Black History Month with the Black History Scavenger Hunt, led by Oregon Black Pioneers. Enter individually or with a group. Be the first to complete the scavenger hunt and win a cash prize of $500. This is an all-ages exploratory event. Starting Location: Albina Library Time: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-portland-history-scavenger-hunt-free-tickets-1980679109535
February 1 - Community Homecoming
1803 Fund
Join us at the Thelma Streat Johnson Black Arts Experience Gallery at the Portland Art Museum for a night of celebration! Time: 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm Register Here!: https://tjscommunityhomecoming.rsvpify.com/ Find more information on Instagram @1803fundcommunity.
February 2 - 6 - Black Lives Matter Week Of Action
Portland Metro Schools
February 2 - 6, 2026, is Black Lives Matter Week of Action in schools. For more information on how to get involved, email us festival@worldstagetheatre.org.
February 4 - The Wiz
Broadway Across America in Portland
Community night at the Tony award-winning musical The Wiz on February 4 at the Keller Auditorium. Following the performance, there will be a talkback with the cast. This event is in partnership with Broadway Across America in Portland. Student/Educator/Senior 65+ Rush will be available. 2 hours before curtain, in person only at Keller Auditorium Box Office. Simply present your student/educator ID or ID indicating you are 65+; you may purchase up to two tickets per ID at $35 each, based on availability. Time: 7:30 pm
Juneteenth Oregon
Join Juneteenth Oregon at the centennial commemoration gala as they honor six extraordinary Hometown Heroes - community changemakers who are igniting progress and transforming our city through leadership, innovation, and service. Find more information about how to attend this event at juneteenthoregonevents.com
February 11 - Unity Breakfast
Center for Black Excellence
The Center for Black Excellence's Unity Breakfast will take place on Wednesday, February 11th. This event is invitation-only.
February 13 - Black Love Day - Love Jones Poetry Night
Black Parent Initiative
Enjoy eclectic music, food, mocktails, and spoken word by Black artists at BPI's cafe Soulful Sips for a night of celebrating Black Love. The winners of our Black Love Photo Competition will be announced here! Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
February 20 - 21 - Who I Am Celebrating Me
World Stage Theatre
It's the 20th Anniversary of World Stage Theatre's Black History musical, Who I Am Celebrating Me. This show is a community of youth and adult artists exploring history through the arts. From soul-encompassing singing and dancing to heartfelt poetry and prose, the production highlights a montage of African-American figures and movements of past and present. Get tickets before they're gone!
February 4, 11, 18 & 25 - Gospel Line Dance Workshop
Led by Danielle & Daria Bradford
Get your groove on at one of the weekly line dancing workshops! Happening every Wednesday in February at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church Feb 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th at: 8501 N Chautauqua Blvd, Portland, OR 97217 No registration needed, bring your own water bottles and a towel.
THIS YEAR'S NATIONAL THEME FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS...
​2026 marks a powerful milestone, one hundred years of national commemorations honoring Black history. What began as a bold vision by Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson and fellow scholars in 1915 became a movement that transformed how the world understands Black life, culture, and history. Through the founding of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), they insisted on something radical and necessary: that Black history matters, and must be taught, studied, and celebrated.
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10 Years later, Dr. Carter G. Woodson would go on to organize the first Negro History Week in 1925. By centering historical research and scholarship, he sought to fundamentally alter how Black people understood themselves and how the nation understood Black life. Year after year, he expanded the observance, setting themes, producing educational materials, and highlighting the profound contributions of people of African descent to world history and modern culture. As W. E. B. Du Bois observed that Woodson built a national institution, one that compelled America to pause, reflect, and reckon annually with Black influence on its political, intellectual, and cultural life.
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​And a century later, the need to celebrate and reflect is still necessary and highly anticipated.​ In a time when democracy is strained and Black history is challenged in classrooms and public spaces, commemorating Black history is an act of truth-telling, resistance, and imagination.​ Black history is not a footnote; it is foundational. And its power lives not just in the past, but in the lives, creativity, and futures of Black people today.
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February is Black History Month! Although the month has been recognized in the United States of America since 1976, surprisingly enough there are still people, especially students who think February is simply the second month of the year. In 1915, Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, and minister Jesse E. Moreland founded the Association for The Study of Negro Life and History (ASNHL). Now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
This organization was dedicated to researching and promoting the achievement of African Americans that were not being taught in the classroom. During the second week in February 1926, ASNHL sponsored the national Negro History Week to coincide with the birthday of Federick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
Negro History week was intended to aid in teaching Black History in schools. It was growth and thanks to the Civil Rights Movement that brought attention to Black life and Black students and educators at Kent State University, Black History Week evolved into Black History Month and today is celebrated throughout the country.
For the past nineteen years World Stage Theatre has been educating communities about the rich tapestry of the African Diaspora through the arts. As the innovators of Black History Festival NW, the organization is elated about this year’s theme as we continue to uplift our community and bring people together. Black History Festival NW is the only of its kind in the North West region, reaching more than 30,000 people and partnering with more than 100 Black artists, leaders, organizations, and businesses in the Pacific NW.
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All month long people are encouraged to make note of the fact that Black history is American history. There are numerous ways people can support and participate:
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MAKE A DONATION
Black organizations, and businesses face financial inequalities including higher interest rates, lack of access to resources, denial of loans & more. Your donations no matter how big or small are always appreciated.
BE INTENTIONAL
About creating positive environments and opportunities to learn and share true American History.
SUPPORT BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES/ ORGANIZATIONS
Any time you can put your money into Black owned businesses you are actively contributing to bridging the gap.
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GET INVOLVED
Go to those community events, town halls, plays, or celebrations!
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VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME, SKILLS, & RESOURCES
Volunteering is an easy way to give back and make a difference.
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COME JOIN US DURING BHFNW26
There are plenty of events for you to participate in as we celebrate all month long.
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