Black History Month 2024 Events Planned In Natick

NATICK, MA — Several events are planned in the Natick area this February to observe Black History Month, which this year celebrates “African Americans and the Arts.”

Black History Month begins Thursday and continues through Leap Day on Feb. 29. Since 1976, every U.S. president has set aside February as a month to celebrate the achievements of African Americans and their role in U.S. history.

African American art is infused with multiple cultural influences, including African, Caribbean and the Black American lived experiences, according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the founder of Black History Month.

These influences are seen in the visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression.

In the Natick area:

• Framingham State University's Danforth Museum curated a display of five art pieces from Black artists in the school's Center for Inclusive Excellence.
• The poet Michael Brown will host an event titled "Sugar Honey Iced Tea" that will share queer Black experiences.
• Technically a few days into March, the Natick Historical Society is hosting "Who Framed Rosa Parks?: The Media Representation and Legacy of a Civil Rights Icon" with Wellesley College historian Dr. Brenna Greer.

Related: Black History Month 2024: 5 Things To Know

The first Black History Month observance was held nearly 100 years ago. Called Negro History Week at the time, it was established by Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson, the son of illiterate former slaves, who believed that the important contributions of Black Americans had been largely overlooked in published accounts of U.S. history.

Revered as the “father of Black History Month,” Woodson established the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in 1915 to create a social scientific collection recording and publicizing the accomplishments of Black Americans.