Mark Your Calendar

How to Celebrate Black History Month in Seattle

Readings, performances, and exhibits on Black history fill this month with reflection and learning.

By Seattle Met Staff February 1, 2024

X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at Seattle Opera

We shouldn't need to wait until our calendars hit February to honor and learn from the experiences of Black Americans, but Black History Month in Seattle comes with a lot of wonderful programming: from lectures to movies to an opera about the life of Malcolm X. 


Always Prepared—Building the Road For Equality

Feb 1 | Washington State History Museum

University of Washington Tacoma professor Dr. Luther Head leads a discussion on Black military service, and how it paved the way for increased democracy and Civil Rights in America. In conjunction with Tacoma's Buffalo Soldiers Museum. 

MLK Series: I am Black History

Feb 1 | Highline College

Dr. AK Sterling presents an alternative vision for Black History Month, expanding its focus beyond well-known figures and events to explore "the history of identification, accomplishments, innovation, and excellence within the Black culture."

A Seattle History Worth Preserving: Buffalo Soldiers

Feb 1–28 | Seattle Center Armory

Back when Discovery Park was still known as Fort Lawton, hundreds of Black soldiers were stationed there as part of the US Army’s 25th infantry. This ongoing exhibit at Seattle Center looks at the history of the revered Buffalo Soldiers and their contributions to the region. On February 5, a jazz performance showcases their musical legacy.

Call to Conscience Black History Museum

Feb 1–28 | Columbia city theater

Rainier Avenue Radio continues its tradition of celebrating Black excellence with a popup museum and a full month of programming. Expect events ranging from a talk by members of the Ezell's founding family to a performance by the Total Experience Gospel Choir Alumni. 

Art Opening at Wa Na Wari

Feb 3 | Central District

The new show at Wa Na Wari, a Black cultural center located in a historic home in the Central District, features airbrush pieces, photography, and more from artists Marin Burnett, Brandon Donahue-Shipp, DK, and Christopher Iduma. Live music and refreshments from 6–8pm. 

Black Ice: An American Sitcom Improvised

Feb 4–25 | Unexpected Productions' Market THeater

Improvisers from Unexpected Productions will get together every Sunday to create an on-the-spot sitcom in the style of Norman Lear classics like All In the Family  and The Jeffersons from scratch in front of a live studio audience: you. Sunday nights. 

The Life of Bessie Coleman

Feb 4 | Museum of Flight

Bessie Coleman was one of the first female aviators to earn a pilot's license, and the very first African American woman to earn one. She couldn't get a license in the United States so she saved up money to move to France by working as a manicurist in Chicago. Her great-niece Gigi performs a historical reenactment of her life. 

The Life and Legacy of Malcolm X with Tamara Payne

Feb 7 | Town Hall

Tamara Payne, whose father Les authored the Pulitzer-winning biography The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X, and who served as primary researcher on the book, discusses the reporting and research behind a modern classic work of American history. 

The Sound of Black Music

Feb 7 | Kirkland Performance Center

This one-act, Afrofuturist reimagining of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic The Sound of Music was hailed by the New York Times when it premiered in 2021. Iconic songs like Edelweiss and Do-Re-Mi get new life as a "a soulful music kaleidoscope of jazz, gospel, blues, soul, funk, and Afro-beat. "

An Evening with Tina Campt

Feb 8 | Town Hall

Dr. Tina Campt, a professor of humanities at Princeton and a founding scholar in the field of Black European Studies, convenes a discussion on Back feminist visual culture as part of the University of Washington Office of Public Lecture Series. 

Soul of Seattle 

Feb 10 | Block 41

Sample food and beverages from a wide range of Black chefs at this fundraiser meant to shed light on and create connection for Black creators in the city.  More than 20 chefs will share their favorite dishes, and DJ Twilight will bring the music. 

Candle Pouring with Noir Lux

Feb 11 | MOHAI

Noir Lux, a local Black woman–owned candle company, will host a pouring bar at MOHAI Mercantile. Participants will get a lesson in candle-making, and the chance to pour their own soy wax candle. 

Revisiting Dr. King's Lost Speech

Feb 13 | Rainier Arts Center

Part of the Advancing Racial Equity series, this program will feature a discussion of a lost speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The panel includes Eighth Generation CEO Colleen Echohawk, County Councilmember Jorge Barón, Glover Empower Mentoring's Marcus Boston, and moderator Gordon McHenry, Jr., of the United Way. There will also be a performance by the Rhapsody Project. 

Black History Month Keynote Program

Feb 15 | Northwest african american museum

The Northwest African American Museum hosts Dr. Doretha Williams, of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture for a discussion on Black family history and genealogy. 

X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X

Feb 24–Mar 9 | Seattle Opera

This modern opera telling the complicated story of Malcolm X's life through a series of biographical vignettes has been hailed as a "riveting and uncompromising work" by The New Yorker. It's scored by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Anthony Davis. 
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