KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — In honor of Black History Month, there are events being celebrated throughout East Tennessee. Participate in events that discuss and celebrate the historic movements, arts, music, writings, testimonies and teachings of Black History.
From starting off as a week in the past, the event grew into a month of celebration and remembrance, take some time to visit some of these events.
Beck Cultural Exchange Center
Watching live taping of “A Conversation with our Grandparents”
• Date: Feb. 3, 2023
• Location: Beck Center, 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 4 p.m.
Trouble In Mind By Alice Childress
• Date: Feb. 8, 2023
• Location: Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Avenue, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
Live – Black Cemeteries: Loosing our History “Crestview”
• Date: Feb. 10, 2023
• Location: Beck Center, 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 4 p.m.
Live – Racial Justice Part XXII, Justice for a Young Black Girl: Commissioner Dasha Lundy Speaks
• Date: Feb. 17, 2023
• Location: Beck Center, 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 4 p.m.
Live – The Creation of Wealth in the Black Community
• Date: Feb. 24, 2023
• Location: Beck Center, 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 4 p.m.
Black History Month Talent Show
• Date: Feb. 24, 2023
• Location: The Central Collective, 923 N. Central Street, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 6:30 p.m.
Black History 101 Mobile Museum
• Date: Feb. 25, 2023
• Location: Beck Center, 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Beck at the Bijou, “The Dream”
• Date: Feb. 27, 2023
• Location: Beck Center, 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; Show starts at 6:30 p.m.
Cross That River: The Story of a Runaway Slave Who Became a Black Cowboy
The Athens Area Council for the Arts will present their story of Black cowboys who settled in the West. The story is set in the 1860s when Blue, a man who was enslaved, escapes to Texas to become America’s first Black cowboy.
Tickets start at $20 for students and $30 for adults at the Athens City Middle School Auditorium.
• Date: Feb. 9, 2023
• Location: Athens City Middle School, 200 Keith Lane, Athens, Tenn.
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
The African American Moviegoing Experience in Knoxville’s Segregated Era
Listen to Robert J. Booker as he talks about the history of the African American moviegoing experience in Knoxville, Tenn., at the East Tennessee History Center. Booker will discuss the city’s segregated Black theaters from the 1900s-1960s. He will also share his experiences at the Bijou Theatre.
Admission is free and open to the public.
• Date: Feb. 15, 2023
• Location: East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 12-1 p.m.
Black History Month Festival
An event based in Chattanooga will honor African Heritage during a festival. You can visit a museum to paint and listen to poetry. Also, participate in the music, crafts and giveaways at the event.
Admission is free.
• Date: Feb. 18, 2023
• Location: Stove Works, 1250 E 13th St, Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Time: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Black Appalachian Storytellers of TN CONCERT
Visit Knoxville College to hear about myths, legends and folktales, and historical stories. Celebrate this Black History Month through story and song with Kelle Jolly, Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, Linda Parris-Bailey and Obayana Ajanaku. For more information about the event, click here.
• Date: Saturday, Feb. 25
• Location: 901 Knoxville College Drive Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 1-3 p.m.
Genealogy Workshop: Historic Roots–A Guide to Understanding & Tracing African American Lineage
This free event will help those explore strategies for tracing African American lineage. Instructor Dr. Dationa “Day” Mitchell will host a discussion that centers on how DNA testing, maps, oral interviews, family reunions, church records and research trips may assist in your historic journey.
The workshop is open to the public. No RSVP is required.
• Date: Saturday, Feb. 25
• Location: East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 1 p.m.
Green McAdoo Cultural Center
This cultural center honors and preserves the legacy of the Clinton 12. Visit the center to learn more about what happened during desegregation and civil rights. Also, get the chance to learn about the desegregation of Clinton High School and read the biographies of the Clinton 12 who played a role in the historic moment.
• Date: Monday-Saturday
• Location: 101 School Street, Clinton, Tenn.
• Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments and Stonework
See the work of William Edmondson who was known for craving out the grave markers for African American families. “Featuring twelve of his sculptures, photographs by noted photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe, and ephemera, the exhibition draws upon new scholarship to contextualize Edmondson’s sculpture,” according to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville website.
• Date: Throughout the month
• Location: Frank H. McClung Museum, 1327 Circle Park, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Time: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.