1. Indaba African Ball
FEB. 7 | ST. ANN CENTER’S BUCYRUS CAMPUS
Celebrate with African and Caribbean food, a jewelry marketplace and live music from R&B band MuvGruv.
2. Celebration of Black Innovators in Science
FEB. 7 | DISCOVERY WORLD
Join Discovery World for a daylong celebration of scientific innovation. Alongside exhibitions that highlight Black innovators and a special spirograph project in the museum’s Design It! Lab, the Milwaukee Makers Market will host a Black-owned business market.
3. “Afrofuturism: Fates Beyond Fiction”
FEB. 7-21 | ORIENTAL THEATRE
In honor of Black History Month, Milwaukee Film has a new film series focused on “alternate or imagined future realities for oppressed Black individuals.” The six films in the series – such as Nope, Sorry to Bother You and Blade – incorporate sci-fi elements to comment on the real world.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
4. Ex Fabula
FEB. 12 | RADIO MILWAUKEE
This evening of tales and poetry celebrates Black and brown voices. At AfterDark: For The Culture, audience members will also have a chance to share their own stories.
5. MAM Free Day and Celebration
FEB. 12 FROM 10 A.M.-8 P.M. | MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
This month’s free day at the museum is dubbed “The Heart Edition” and will feature a celebration of love for those in our lives and for culture and history. Attendees can make art of their own inspired by artist Lois Mailou Jones and her painting Ascent of Ethiopia. Community artist Tia Richardson will lead activities aiming to turn negative messages into caring ones. The celebration also includes a children’s story time, an all-ages film screening, a singing bowls experience, and then two DJs spinning throughout the rest of the day.
6. Billie Holiday Tribute
FEB. 20 | STORY HILL FIREHOUSE
Experience the iconic and timeless sounds of Billie Holiday performed by a Milwaukee local. Marcya Daneille has taken her voice across the globe, bringing warmth and emotion to each performance that captures the spirit of Holiday’s work.
7. “The Sound of Gospel”
FEB. 22 | BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
This Black History Month concert will take listeners on a musical journey through the evolution and legacy of gospel music. The performance will channel joy, resilience and spirit in styles including spirituals, hymns, urban praise and more. Audiences can expect classic work songs, quartets, choirs and modern gospel.
8. Willie Cole
FEB. 26 | MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
Join Willie Cole for an artist talk at the Milwaukee Art Museum on Feb. 26. Cole transforms objects like shoes and bicycle parts into works that explore consumer culture and African American heritage and identity.
9. Milwaukee Black Business Expo
FEB. 28 | ZOOFARI CENTER
Discover and support dozens of local Black-owned businesses showcasing products and services ranging from fashion to tech. Business leaders will share advice during panels, and workshops will teach about loans and grants.
10. Milwaukee’s Black Heritage Walking Tour
FEB. 28 | FOREST HOME CEMETERY
This walking tour at the historic Forest Home Cemetery shares local history by telling the stories of several Black Milwaukeeans who made significant contributions to the city’s development and identity, dating back to the 1800s.
11. Explore Bronzeville
The historic core of Milwaukee’s Black community remains vibrant. View art at Gallery 507, learn about past and present injustices at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, and browse over 40 local creators at Bronzeville Collective.
