Honoring Our Shared History — Imagining a Space for Justice
Black History Month 2026 — February 1 to 28
BHCC Library and Learning Commons
Explore the collections from the BHCC Library and Learning Commons that honors and celebrates the achievements by African Americans and the important role of Black people in U.S. history. Search the library's new database, African American History, which covers over 500 years of history and includes primary source documents, images, videos, and articles.
BHCC Cultural Partnerships: Museum Passes
www.bhcc.edu/artgallery/museumpasses/
Visit this page to view our current community memberships and pass reservation policies. Use the links provided to log into partner sites to see their current exhibits and programming.
Institute of Contemporary Art
www.icaboston.org
AAMARP
Through August 2, 2026
Explore the extraordinary legacy of the first Black artist-in-residence program in the U.S. This exhibition showcases nearly 50 years of African American aesthetics and AAMARP's vital role in Boston’s cultural history. A commemorative catalogue is available to further explore the program’s rich archival history.
Museum of African American History
www.maah.org
Celebrate Black History Month 365
Please visit the link above for a full schedule of programming and events.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
www.mfa.org
Black Power in Print – Beyond the Gallery
Image Gallery
In the late 1960s and ‘70s the Black Power movement utilized graphic imagery to promote its political platform and communicate the Black experience to broad communities. The images tell fragments of the story.
On-Line Resources
Explore oral histories, interviews, archival materials, essays, and more related to the Black Power movement in art.
Black Power in Print: Dana Chandler in Boston
On-Line Video Discussion
Nell Painter and Black Power in Print
On-Line Video Discussion
In this virtual discussion, originally hosted live by the MFA’s Contemporaries Curators Circle, scholar and artist Nell Painter speaks with curators from the Museum’s Department of Contemporary Art about “Black Power in Print.”
BHCC Mary L. Fifield Art Gallery
www.bhcc.edu/artgallery/
Medicine Joy: Spaces for Dreaming, Places for Healing
Works by Robin M. Chandler
Through April 17, 2026
An immersive experience in the oneness of humanity and the healing power of arts, featuring a tribute to Celia Cruz.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 12 – 4 p.m.
Contact: kwery@bhcc.edu or dwturner@bhcc.edu
Admission to the Art Gallery and related events are free and open to the public.
2026 BHCC Black History Month Lecture Series
The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin
Tuesday, February 3 | 1 p.m. | C-202
In collaboration with MLK, Jr. Programming
Explore the legacy of the principal architect of the March on Washington and advisor to MLK, Jr. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Rustin’s contributions are essential to understanding the Civil Rights Movement.
Presenter: Lee Santos Silva, Professor, English Department
Black Storytelling: From Harlem to Wakanda—and Unanimous Goldmine
Wednesday, February 4 | 6 p.m. | Online
In collaboration with MLK, Jr. Programming
A look at the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Panther films and Saul Williams’ movie, Neptune Frost, as tools for archiving the past and envisioning the future.
Welcome: Vengerflutta Smith, Assistant Dean of Students, Student Affairs
Presenter: Arthur Onipede Hollist, Ph.D., Professor of English, University of Tampa
Join by Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82249006969
Meeting ID: 822 4900 6969
Passcode: No
Dial by your location: 1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
Experience Couched in Poetic Expressions: Society & Me
Thursday, February 5 | 1 p.m. | C-202
In collaboration with MLK, Jr. Programming
Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermon "A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart," this program explores life as a "creative synthesis of opposites. Through a poetic analysis of the self, society, and the human condition, the presentation examines our collective angst for justice, dignity, and equality. This session features selected readings from Dr. George Walters-Sleyon’s book, Nuggets from The Night: An Anthology of Poetic Expression.
Presenter: Dr. George M. Walters-Sleyon, Professor, Behavioral Science Department
Selma
Tuesday, February 10 | 12 p.m. | C-202
In collaboration with MLK, Jr. Programming
See the story of the movement that couldn't be silenced and learn how local activists and student leaders organized one of the most significant protests in history.
Movie snacks will be provided!
Thursday, February 19 |1 p.m. | A-300 Art Gallery Lobby
When It was Okay and Now It Is Not Okay. But We Are Living With "It."
A Black History Month Presentation and Discussion
Join us for an engaging and participatory discussion based on the analyses in The Rush for Black Diamonds (Vols. 1 & 2). This presentation explores the explicit and implicit legacies of the transatlantic slave trade, tracing the evolution from chattel slavery and colonialism to the post-modern era of penal slavery (post-1970). "Black Diamonds" serves as a metaphor for enslaved Black Africans.
Welcome: Denise Turner, Manager, the Office of College Events and Cultural Planning
Presenter: Dr. George Walters-Sleyon, Professor, Behavioral Science Department
Sponsored by: The Division of Behavioral, Social Sciences and Global Learning
Afrobeats, Nollywood, and Speculative Fiction Go Global
Thursday, February 26 | 6 p.m. | Online
Discover how African music, film, and fiction are reshaping global culture through streaming and viral media.
Welcome: Vengerflutta Smith, Assistant Dean of Students, Student Affairs
Presenter: Arthur Onipede Hollist, Ph.D., Professor of English, University of Tampa
Sponsored by: The Office of the Associate Provost-Charlestown, the Office of Access and Opportunity, the Office of the Dean of Students and the Office of College Events and Cultural Planning.
Join by Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82648439506
Meeting ID: 826 4843 9506
Passcode: No
Dial by your location: 1 646 876 9923 US (New York)