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AccessibilityBlack History Month
This February, join us we reflect on the Black experience in New York City and celebrate the legacies of Black trailblazers. Check out our virtual and in-person exhibits and join us for Urban Park Ranger-led tours, concerts, and more in celebration of Black History Month!
Black History in NYC Parks
Learn about parks, sculptures, and other green spaces in New York City that highlight and honor the black experience in the United States.
Power to the People: Protests and Demonstrations in Parks
This exhibition highlights a sampling of protests, marches, rallies, parades, and other demonstrations in our parks, most notably protests by the Black Lives Matter movement, nominated for a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
Black History Month Events
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Hands-on Black History: Oysters!
at King Manor Museum (in Rufus King Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Join us as we dive into the history of Black oystermen and the legacy of Thomas Downing, the oyster King of NY!
Free!
Kids
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Black History Month Virtual Zumba
at Virtual/Online Events
7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Zumba is a fusion of Latin, International and popular music dance themes creating a dynamic, exciting, effective fitness system!
Free!
Friday, February 7, 2025
Cultural Fashion Showcase
at Multi-Use Room B (in Pelham Fritz Recreation Center), Manhattan 
5:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Cultural Fashion Showcase
Free!
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Black History Month: Nature Poetry
at Fort Greene Park Visitor Center (in Fort Greene Park), Brooklyn
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers for a spoken word and poetry session at the Fort Greene Visitor Center. Learn about Black History in Fort Greene Park and take part in creating poetry.
Free!
Concert: Richard Clements-Solo Piano
at Multi-Use Room B (in Pelham Fritz Recreation Center), Manhattan
5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Join the Jazz Foundation of America as we celebrate Black History Month with a Solo Piano concert by Richard Clements
Free!
Sunday, February 9, 2025
Black History Month: Brooklyn and the Abolitionist Movement
at Corner of Furman and Old Fulton Streets (in Brooklyn Bridge Park), Brooklyn
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a walk discussing Brooklyn's significant history to the abolitionist movement in the United States.
Free!
Black History Month: Langston Hughes and Love Potion Brews
at Crotona Nature Center (in Crotona Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Craft your own color-changing love potion while enjoying the jazz poetry of Langston Hughes, and learn about his impact on the Harlem Renaissance.
Free!
Black History Month: Seneca Village
at West 81st Street and Central Park West (in Central Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Celebrate Black History Month with NYC Parks! Learn about the lives of Seneca Village's residents in the 1800s and the community's place in pre-Central Park.
Free!
Thursday, February 13, 2025
The Legacy of Former "Colored" School No. 4, a talk by Eric K. Washington
at Van Cortlandt House Museum (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
This illustrated talk by historian Eric K. Washington visits an unassuming building in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood that, in shedding light on 19th-century Gotham’s forgotten past, has excited wide media attention. Hidden in plain sight on West 17th Street is the former “Colored” School No. 4, the last of a network of racial-caste public schoolhouses that once were relegated to New York’s African American teachers and students.
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Farmhouse Family Day: Fabrics of the Diaspora
at Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum (in Fidler-Wyckoff House Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Find your creative resistance by learning about the history art of Adire Eleko, a wax resist dying technique practiced by the Egba People of Yorubaland (Nigeria, Benin and Togo).
Free!
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Black History Month: Science Fiction and the Natural World
at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
4:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Celebrate Black History Month with NYC Parks! Explore the connection between the natural world and science fiction with this storytelling hike featuring the works of Octavia Butler.
Free!
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Mid-Winter Break: Blast Off- Discovering Space and Black History
at Entrance - Springfield Lane and 149th Avenue (in Idlewild Park)
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
During Mid-Winter Break, have your kids join us at to explore the solar system, stars, and the future of space and learn of the contributions of Black scientists and astronauts.
Free!
Kids
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Mid-Winter Break: Blast Off- Discovering Space and Black History
at Entrance - Springfield Lane and 149th Avenue (in Idlewild Park)
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
During Mid-Winter Break, have your kids join us at to explore the solar system, stars, and the future of space and learn of the contributions of Black scientists and astronauts.
Free!
Kids
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Mid-Winter Break: Blast Off- Discovering Space and Black History
at Entrance - Springfield Lane and 149th Avenue (in Idlewild Park)
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
During Mid-Winter Break, have your kids join us at to explore the solar system, stars, and the future of space and learn of the contributions of Black scientists and astronauts.
Free!
Kids
Friday, February 21, 2025
Concert: Mala Waldron
at Multi-Use Room (in Jackie Robinson Recreation Center), Manhattan
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Join the Jazz Foundation of America as we celebrate Black History Month with a solo piano concert with vocalist/pianist/composer Mala Waldron!
Free!
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Black Month Silent Disco
at St. John's Recreation Center
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join Shape Up NYC in celebrating Black History Month at a free fitness silent disco at St. John's Recreation Center.
Free!
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Black History Month: Audre Lorde
at Forest Avenue and Silver Lake Park Road (in Silver Lake Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join us on the Audre Lorde Walk at Silver Lake Park as we honor the famous poet and draw inspiration from our surroundings as we practice creating our own poetry.
Free!
Black History Month: Black Pioneers in STEM
at Lewis H Latimer House, Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Learn about prominent African Americans who helped shaped the course of history and the sciences at the house of the person who gave us the carbon filament light bulb– Lewis Latimer.
Free!
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