Black History Month Events & Activities 2023
Black History Month 28-Day Challenge (virtual) from Genesis Community Foundation is designed to educate, motivate and engage people in learning more about the contributions and experiences of Black people throughout history. Beginning February 1st and ending on the last day of the month, registered participants in the daily challenge will have the chance to win prizes.
Click here for details.
Feb 1
Bishop and Gags Black History Edition- Come on down to your favourite Mile End pub for an awesome all black lineup headlined by Andrew Searles!
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, English
Fugitives” (Virtual exhibition) – Commission on Human Rights and Youth Rights- An exhibition about the presence of people of African descent in Quebec and their resistance to slavery.
Click here for details.
Virtual, Free Admission, Bilingual
Feb 1, 8, 15, & 22
The Earth Center Montreal presents Black Mystery, Black History- What existed before the colonial paradigm that dictates the modern system that we are currently living in? What was the model of education? What defined our identity? What principles did we live by? Who were we before slavery? This is what we will be presenting and discussing in this series of lectures organized by the Kemetic Mystery School of Montreal – the Earth Center.
Click here for details.
In Person, Paid, Bilingual
Feb 2
Filmmakers Panel- Follow this panel discussions with Black filmmakers about the process of creating a film and the journey behind every production.
Click here for details.
Livestream Event, Bilingual
Feb 2 & Feb 5
BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES celebrates American jazz from this mythical label and its star musicians from past and present eras. This documentary allows us to discover this important page in the history of jazz, as if we were pulling a few titles from Jean Michel Basquiat’s impressive vinyl collection.
Click here for details. In Person, Paid, Bilingual
Feb 4
Poetry Slam: Thow Poetry Collective. Open Mic spots available. Le Basement, Montreal.
Click here for detailsIn Person, Paid, Bilingual
Feb 5
Launch of the Month in Laval- A dozen artists exhibit their paintings. Presentation of a slice of Black History by Professor Alain St. Victor. Presentation of the books of our writers Fred Doura and Louis Celestin. Musical animation by Stanley Colimon. Creole buffet by Gladys Lopez.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, Bilingual
Feb 6
LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER The premiere screening of this mesmeric deep dive into Black civil rights organizing in America’s south provides the pre-history to the Black Panther Party and the 1960s Selma to Montgomery marches.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, English
Feb 10
Fondu au Noir/ Fade to Black is proud to present the 12 Francophone and Anglophone short documentaries of Being Black in Montreal from the 2021 edition of the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Being Black in Canada program.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, Bilingual
Feb 11
Film Screening of Legacy– West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA) in collaboration with Concordia University, brings new life to the lasting impact WIBCA has made in the community by sharing stories from some of its earliest members to the ‘legacy’ membership that keeps the organization going strong today.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, English
Feb 11
When The Village Meditates welcomes you to Out For Joy, a 1-day intergenerational wellness retreat designed to enhance your mental, physical and spiritual health. Through storytelling, meditation, yoga, dance, self massage and much more you will have an opportunity to connect with yourself and participants of all ages in the most uplifting ways.
Click here for details.
In Person, Bilingual, Paid
Feb 13
Join Cinema Politica Concordia for the Montreal premiere of BLACK ICE with special guests! This stunning film about systemic discrimination in Canadian sports-in particular anti-Black racism in hockey-is an astounding work of political art that moves gracefully between athletes’ lived experiences and their inspired responses and resistance.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, English
Jan 13- Feb 21
Forces et Couleurs- An exhibition inviting you to discover the works of artists of diversity who promote new artistic perceptions on Black History Month.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, Bilingual
Feb 14
Loving in Black Open Mic Night- Project 10 invites you to celebrate an exclusive 18+ BLACK ONLY Open Mic Night curated for you to express, be heard, laugh, cry and kiki in good company. This event encourages you to meet others in our 2SLGBTQ+ Black community, a space designed for you to dance (if you feel called) and witness the beauty and brilliance of Black artists and creatives in our lovely Montreal community.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, English
Feb 15
Black History Month live Q&A with director Cheryl Foggo about her documentary JOHN WARE RECLAIMED. The one-hour discussion will be live streamed on the NFB’s YouTube channel. A unique opportunity to interact with the filmmaker. Attendants are encouraged to watch the film online at nfb.ca and then join the Q&A event to ask questions and explore the process of creation, together.
Click here for details.
Virtual, Free, Bilingual
Feb 15
Blackenstein at Cinémathèque – “Eddie is a Vietnam veteran who loses his arms and legs when he steps on a landmine. A brilliant surgeon manages to transplant him with new limbs, but his jealous assistant reverses the DNA injections, turning him into a gigantic killer.” To celebrate Black History Month, the Cinémathèque québécoise will present 15 iconic Blaxploitation films. This film genre, which had its golden age in the 1970s in the United States, in a volatile and contested political, economic and social context, breaks color codes.
Click here for details.
In Person, Paid, English
Feb 17
Come celebrate Black History Month at the first ever AI Black exhibition. We will also celebrate the opening of our pop-up store where products from several black businesses will be on display. Our goal is to showcase the talents and products of black women and create a unique experience to rediscover the greatest black characters through artificial intelligence.
Click here for details.
In person, Free, Bilingual
Feb 17
Blacula at Cinémathèque – “In 1780, after visiting Dracula, Prince Mamuwalde is transformed into a vampire. Destined to live in a coffin, he wakes up in 1972 and sows panic in Los Angeles.” To celebrate Black History Month, the Cinémathèque québécoise will present 15 iconic Blaxploitation films. This film genre, which had its golden age in the 1970s in the United States, in a volatile and contested political, economic and social context, breaks color codes.
Click here for details.
In Person, Paid, English
Feb 18
Animated Black FIlm Festival- BCRC hosts an Animated Black Film Festival dedicated to showcasing new talent and networking with members of the industry.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, English
Feb 18-19
THE BLACK WELLNESS SUMMIT- The Black Wellness Summit is a two-day event organized by the Black Healing Centre during the month of February (Black History Month).The goal of the Black Wellness Summit is to encourage a deeper social commitment to addressing the profound and systemic harms of anti-Black racism on the mental health of Black Canadians.
Click here for details.
In Person, Free Admission, Bilingual
Feb 19
The Kingdom Choir, founded in 1994 by award-winning conductor Karen Gibson-nicknamed”Britain’s godmother of gospel”-has created a unique sound reflecting the spirit of community that unites its members. The program will include moving interpretations of traditional gospel classics and contemporary pop music.
Click here for details.
In Person, Paid, English
Feb 20
Friday Foster at Cinémathèque – “At the Los Angeles airport, magazine photographer Friday Foster witnesses an assassination attempt on billionaire Blake Tarr and is drawn into a dark political conspiracy.” To celebrate Black History Month, the Cinémathèque québécoise will present 15 iconic Blaxploitation films. This film genre, which had its golden age in the 1970s in the United States, in a volatile and contested political, economic and social context, breaks color codes. Click here for details.
In Person, Paid, English
Feb 22-26
Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers – February 26, 2012, Florida. A 17-year-old Black boy wearing a hoodie leaves a 7/11 carrying a bag of Skittles and an iced tea. He never makes it home. Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers invites us into the infamous world of one teen, into his last moments, and into his intricate dance to the afterlife. A play at Black Theatre Workshop.
Click here for details.
In Person, Paid, English
Feb 23
The Untold Story of Guadeloupean Domestics in Quebec- Black history in Canada has an international dimension. In 1910-1911, in the context of a crisis in domesticity, women and a few men were recruited from the French colony of Guadeloupe to be placed as domestics and placed as domestic servants in Quebec. This story is interesting in more than one way and also concerns the life of French Canadian families in Montreal as well as in Terrebonne, Beloeil or Trois-Rivières. Click here for details.
In Person, Free, Bilingual
For an extensive list of programming in both French and English in Montreal and the province, click here to consult the Mois de l’histoire des noires calendar.
To share your events or resources, please contact communications@quebec-elan.org
