2023 Black History Month Resources

February is Black History Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the contributions of African Americans in the United States. While Mississippi is home to some of the most well-known civil rights activists and events in our country, we are also the birthplace of innumerable black artists, musicians, actors, educators, athletes, authors, and others who have changed history with their words, talents, and actions. Continue reading below to find detailed info regarding 2023 Black History events and historic civil rights landmarks in Mississippi.

Event DateName of EventEvent TimeEvent LocationEvent DescriptionEvent Link
Month of FebruaryBlack History Events at MSUVariesVariesMississippi State is commemorating Black History Month throughout February with a variety of events, including a book signing and talk by the daughter of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer.Click here
Month of FebruaryA Variety of Black History Events at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeVariesMGCCC CampusesMississippi Gulf Coast Community College will celebrate Black History Month during the month of February at each of its campuses and centers. Events focus on the recognizing and celebrating the central role African Americans have made in U.S. history.Click here
Month of FebruaryMaking Spaces: Celebrating Black History Month1-4 PMLucile Parker Art Gallery – William Carey University 710 William Carey Pkwy Hattiesburg, MSVixon Sullivan and friends will be showing a collection of art from African-American artists. Their artwork will be on display at the Lucille Parker Art Gallery. The public is invited to attend.Click here
02/01UNVEILING CEREMONY FOR NAPAC SELF-GUIDED AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY TOUR1:30301 Main St. Natchez MS, 39120The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture and the city of Natchez will kick off Black History Month 2023 with an unveiling ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, for its Self-Guided African American History Tour. The project will consist of 27 historical markers related to African American history that will be posted throughout Natchez. The ceremony will be held at the museum at 301 Main St., Natchez.Click here
02/03Mississippi School of the Arts Black History Month 2023 Art Show and ProductionArt Show Opening Reception: February 3, 2023 @ 5:30-6:30pm Black History Month Production: February 3, 2023 @ 7:00pm Enochs Art Gallery (MSA) 355 W. Monticello St. Brookhaven, MississippiMississippi School of the Arts invites you to a Black History Month art show and production. The art show will be available for viewing February 3 through March 19, 2023. A school-wide community cookout will take place February 3rd.Click here
02/07MSU Black History Choral Concert7:00 PMFBC Starkville, 106 E Lampkin St, Starkville, MSIn recognition of Black History Month, Schola Cantorum will perform music composed and arranged by Black and African composers, both idiomatic and “non-idiomatic.”Click here
02/13Black History Month Celebration Concert7:30-8:30 PMKossen Auditorium, The WJoin the W Department of Music as we celebrate Black History Month – featuring performances by the W Ensembles, Students, and Faculty!Click here
02/18Pops II – NOTHIN’ But the Blues7:30-9:30 PMThalia Mara Hall 255 East Pascagoula Street Jackson, MSHer credits swing from Broadway to backup for Bette Midler, Rhianna and Kelly Clarkson all the way to successful albums of her own. Singer, songwriter and knockout performer Shayna Steele, whose voice the London Jazz Times says “unleashes enough voltage to light up the West End,” once called Biloxi home. And now, she delivers a full-throated treatment of the blues in this tribute to such venerable blues legends as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey and more.Click here
02/24PEACE FOR ALL!4-5 PMRidgeland Public Library Highway 51 N. Ridgeland, MS, 39157 Come celebrate Black History Month with the library and create a handprint peace flower craft! For ages 6-11.Click here
02/25Legends Celebration 2023 Concert – A Musical Tribute to Black History Month7 PM207 Jefferson St.
Natchez, MS 39120		The city of Natchez will host the Legends Celebration 2023 Concert as a musical tribute to Black History Month at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at the Natchez City Auditorium at 207 Jefferson St. The entertainers will represent a wide range of Mississippi music, which includes gospel, blues, R&B and jazz. The event will include a tribute to Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum.Click here
02/25Celebrating Black History Through Art2-4 PMPontotoc County Library,
111 N Main St.
Pontotoc, MS		Come celebrate our local artists as we celebrate Black History Month!Click here
02/25Bravo IV – JAZZ Redefined7:30-9:30Thalia Mara Hall
225 East Pascagoula St.
Jackson, MS		The incredible impact of Black culture on the nation’s and the world’s music is presented in Grammy Award-winning New Orleans jazz trumpeter and composer Nicholas Payton’s Black American Symphony, which traces the story of Black American music from its roots to modern day. MSO pairs this with one of the earliest efforts to fold Black melody into the classical realm — Dvorak’s visionary and popular New World Symphony.

Black American Symphony (2012) (Payton) Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95, “From the New World” (1893) (Dvorák)

Pre-concert lecture with a fascinating look at the evening’s music led by Dr. Timothy Coker, Professor Emeritus of Music at Millsaps College, at 6:30PM on the Mezzanine.		Click here
ResourceLinkDescription
CELEBRATE BLACK EXCELLENCE AND BLACK HISTORY IN JXNClick hereA detailed list of black-owned businesses and restaurants in Jackson, along with information about historical landmarks and educational opportunities.
Mississippi Civil Rights MuseumClick hereThe Mississippi Civil Rights Museum is a museum in Jackson, Mississippi. Its mission is to document, exhibit the history of, and educate the public about the American Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. state of Mississippi between 1945 and 1970.
Museum of Mississippi HistoryClick hereThe Museum of Mississippi History is a museum in Jackson, Mississippi. The museum opened December 9, 2017, in conjunction with the adjacent Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in celebration of Mississippi’s bicentennial. The theme of the history museum is “One Mississippi, Many Stories”
5 Important Places to Visit in Mississippi to Learn About Black HistoryClick hereA detailed list of Mississippi landmarks that are important for learning about MS Black History.
African American Military History MuseumClick hereThe African American Military History Museum provides educational programs and resources in history, the arts, and STEM.
Natchez Museum of African American Culture and HistoryClick hereThe Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture is a museum located in Natchez, MS, United States. The museum chronicles the history and culture of African Americans in the southern United States. 
Medgar and Myrlie Evers’ HomeClick hereThe Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, also known as Medgar Evers House, is a historic house museum at 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive within the Medgar Evers Historic District in Jackson, Mississippi.
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural CenterClick hereRestored building housing art exhibits, photos & artifacts exploring local African-American history.
Delta Blues MuseumClick hereThe Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States, is a museum dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing public access to and awareness of the musical genre known as the blues. 
BB King MuseumClick hereThe BB King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center is a museum in Indianola, MS dedicated to the Delta Blues and music legend BB King.
Mississippi Blues TrailClick hereThe Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) the state of Mississippi. 
Emmett Till Interpretive CenterClick hereThe Emmett Till Interpretive Center exists to tell the story of the Emmett Till tragedy and to point a way towards racial healing.
African American Mississippi HistoryClick hereResources for learning about African American History in Mississippi from MDAH.
5 Places to Learn about Black History Along the Natchez TraceClick hereA detailed list of Black History landmarks and information along the Natchez Trace.
Discover Coastal Mississippi’s African American HeritageClick hereA detailed list of Black History landmarks and information on Mississippi’s Coast.