Black History Month Events Around Nashville

Tennessee State Museum

The Tennessee State Museum is a great educational resource for all events in Tennessee history, and admission is completely free! On February 8th, you can join for a lunch and learn about how female Black Tennesseans used blues music to express their new autonomy after Emancipation. Through their lives and their music, women like Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie challenged ideas of what was socially acceptable for women and created public discourse specific to the experiences of working-class Black Women. Predating the feminist movement of the 60’s and 70’s, these women provided early examples of advocacy for women and female independence. After the program, visitors are invited to explore more music history with a self-guided tour of the exhibition, The Tennessee Playlist: The People, Places, and Roots of Our Music.

There are also many exhibits that are beneficial in understanding the history, such as the Civil Rights and Reconstruction exhibit, and the Change and Challenge exhibit.

United Street Tours

United Street Tours offers a series of 5-star rated, historical Nashville walking tours that are led and curated by locals. The Nashville walking tours embrace those pieces of black history in Nashville that have been ripped apart and buried beneath the bricks of the mainstream. They will unearth the fragments and piece them together with extraordinary stories that leave you more educated and inspired to become bridge builders in your community.

The Discovery Center- Murfreesboro

To celebrate Black History Month, we explore black scientists, engineers, and innovators!
February 1-3: George Washington Carver & Soil Erosion
February 4-10: Marie Maynard Daly & Heart Health
February 11-17: Gladys West  & the Earth Model
February 18-24: Neil deGrasse Tyson & Nebula Art
February 25-29: William Conan Davis & Surface Tension

Turnip Green Creative ReUse 

Turnip Green Creative Reuse diverts usable material from our landfill for creative endeavors.  Each day, we take in an average of 1000 pounds of donated hard-to-recycle materials and redistribute them back to community members through a shopping center and education programming.

In February, they are hosting 2 classes honoring Black History Month.

February 13th: Freedom Quilt Squares at the Goodlettsville Library: In this workshop, participants will learn about quilt patterns that were significant in navigating the Underground Railroad and finding freedom. This workshop is intended for adults, with no sewing background required. Call the Goodlettsville Library at (615) 862-5862 to register!

February 15: Jean Michael Basquait at the Richland Park Library
Participants will learn about the legacy of Jean Michael Basquait and his contribution to American Contemporary Art. All ages are welcome, call the Richland Park Library at (615) 862-5870 to register!

Nashville Predators Black History Celebation Night 

Black History Night: Wednesday, Jan. 31: As the Nashville Predators continue our year-round celebration of Hockey Is For Everyone, we are excited to host our annual Black History Celebration Night on Wednesday, Jan. 31 versus the L.A. Kings at 6:30 p.m.

The night will feature:

• Pregame plaza Battle of the Bands featuring three local high schools
• In-game recognition of Nashville’s four Historically Black Colleges & Universities: Tennessee State University, Fisk University, American Baptist College, and Meharry Medical College
• National anthem and in-game performances by black musical artists
• Jerseys for auction designed by local Tennessee State University Professor, Kaleena Sales, and Nashville Predators graphic designer, Tayshuan Hassell
• Lanyards featuring the jersey art for the first 5,000 fans in attendance courtesy of Nissan

Join us for the celebration, purchase your tickets HERE.

Black History Month Expo

Jefferson Street Sound Museum

In celebration of Black History Month, the Jefferson Street Sound Museum is proud to present “Black History In Music: Work, Worship, and Celebration.” This exclusive art exhibit aims to revive the memory of those thriving times while also honoring the businesses and entrepreneurs that made Historic Jefferson Street a musical haven.

Join us in this unique exhibit that not only celebrates the musical geniuses of the past, but also underscores the importance of revitalizing the businesses and cultural fabric of Historic Jefferson Street. Be part of this journey to remember, honor, and reignite the legacy of a street that once was the heart and soul of Nashville’s black community.

Date: Every Saturday in February 2024 (February 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th)

Time: 1 pm to 4 pm CT

Location: Jefferson Street Sound Museum, 2004 Jefferson Street, Nashville, TN 37208

Featured Artists: Benneth Wilson, Elisheba Israel-Mrozik, James Threalkill, Karen Coffee, Michael Mucker, Morgan Hines, Michael McBride

Interesting Facts

1. Nashville is home to four Historically Black Colleges & Universities that gave educational opportunities for many African Americans who were once legally denied an education – American Baptist College, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College, and Tennessee State University.
2. Fisk Jubilee Singers- Fisk treasurer George Leonard White assembled a group of nine members in 1871 and booked a tour to raise money for the school. It introduced the world music Black Americans made for themselves. They had raised $50,000 for the university and with it, they constructed Jubilee Hall, the South’s first permanent structure built for the education of Black students, the Fisk Memorial Chapel, completed in 1892, and more. A century and a half later, the group still survives, rejuvenating itself with new student members each year. After hearing the Fisk Jubilee Singers perform at a show in Great Britain in 1873, Queen Victoria coined the title “Music City.”
3. In 1951, Nashville lawyers Z. Alexander Looby and Robert Lillard were the first African Americans to be elected to the city council since 1911. Looby also represented the students arrested during the Nashville sit-ins.
4. Jefferson Street was the heart of Nashville’s African-American community. From the 1940s to 1960s, Jefferson Street attracted musical artists from all over. Artists like Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles played at the clubs Del Morocco, Club Baron and Club Steal-Away. And just over on Charlotte, Etta James recorded a live album at New Era Club.
5. In 1893, Dr. Georgia E. Lee Patton became the first African American woman to graduate from Meharry Medical College, making her the first African American woman to become a licensed surgeon and physician in Tennessee.
6. The first Nashville sit-in took place at Harvey’s Department Store — formerly located at Sixth and Church — and was led by civil rights activist James Lawson.
7. On May 10, 1960, Nashville became the first city in the segregated South to desegregate its lunch counters, thanks to the many efforts of civil rights activists like Diane Nash.
8.  In January of 1794 an enslaved man, Robert “Black Bob” Renfro, was permitted to sell liquor, making him Nashville’s first African American entrepreneur. He would remain legally enslaved until Nov. 10, 1801.
9. While in high school, Oprah Winfrey received a full scholarship to Tennessee State University after winning an oratory contest. She began working in the local media and became the youngest and first African American female news anchor on Nashville’s WLAC-TV — now WTVF-TV.
10. In 1992, Jesse Russell received a patent for his work in the area of digital cellular base station design, inventing the digital cellphone.

Be sure to get out and check out the many historical places and events around Nashville this month!