Local Art Exhibits, Virtual Performances, and More Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in Dallas

February is Black History Month and Dallas has plenty of event to keep the celebration going all month long. From local museum exhibits to virtual performances, these are the best ways to honor Black History Month.

Visit a Local Exhibit

Until May 31, the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is featuring The Fight for Civil Rights in the South. The exhibit includes “two prestigious photography exhibitions covering the African American struggle for civil rights and social equality in the 1960s — Selma to Montgomery: Photographs by Spider Martin and Courage Under Fire: The 1961 Burning of the Freedom Riders Bus. Reserve tickets here.

On this Thursday, February 4, the museum will also be hosting a free, virtual event: A Journey for Justice: Freedom Rider Betty Daniels Rosemond, where you’ll be able to hear Rosemond speak about her time as a Freedom Rider during the Civil Rights Movement. Register here.

Get to the African American Museum of Dallas quick to see Hair Story: Myths, Magic, and Methods of Black Hair before it closes on February 13. The exhibit features Dallas artist LaShonda Cooks work as she explores the economical, physical, spiritual, and political aspects of black hair in the world. You can also see Vicki Meeks’s 3 Decades of Social Commentary, on display until March 1.

Black is Beautiful DFW Art Exhibition is currently on display at Galleria Dallas until February 29. The free exhibition features 30 black-and-white portraits of people in the Black community taken by photographer Yesi Fortuna.

Virtual Events

Oak Cliff Cultural Center is hosting a free virtual chat on February 10 at noon with author Nancy Churnin and illustrator Felicia Marshall. Moderated by manager of South Dallas Cultural Center, the talk will focus on the book Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring. Waring was “an American artist and educator known for her paintings of prominent African Americans that she made during the Harlem Renaissance.”

On February 20, tune into the Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s Cultural Awareness Series online. The virtual event begins at 7 pm on Saturday and costs $30 per household to watch. The first performance, The Mourner’s Bench, is choreographed by Talley Beatty — a solo created in 1974 and portrays the struggle of social inequity in the South after the Civil War. Next, set to the music of Odetta Holmes, Odetta is choreographed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing. Purchase tickets here.

Also on February 20 at 7 pm (with a recording available until March 6), the Dallas Museum of Art and Kera are presenting Selected Shorts presents Toni Morrison Remembered. Hosted by award-winning author Yaa Gyasi, the tribute to Toni Morrison will feature a commentary about her legacy, along with actor readings by Joe Morton (Scandal), Anika Noni Rose (Little Fires Everywhere), Charlayne Woodard, and Brandon J. Direden of “The Dancing Mind.” Tickets cost $12 for non-members and $10 for DMA members.

Celebrate Black Entrepreneurs

Dallas classic Smokey John’s BBQ is spotlighting black-owned businesses past and present. The Black Entrepreneur Edition of their Shoebox Lunch is available exclusively online (purchase for $49.95), featuring products from Frisco-based Cookie Society, Dallas-based Olphactory Candles, and more.