Black History Month 2024 in Phoenix — Black River Life Media

Can’t decide where to celebrate BHM 2024 in the Valley? Here’s help.

(Phoenix AZ) – We’ve all heard it before. Naysayers complain that Arizona has “no Black culture.” We beg to differ! This February, for instance, is veritably packed with Black History Month festivities.

To help you sort through it all, we took time to curate our own roundup of events that we’re particularly excited to see. This is not an exhaustive list. If you want us to feature more picks next time, please take a moment and hit the ‘donate’ button at the bottom of this page. 😉 Become a monthly sustainer, if you’re a real one.

In the meantime, we were able to pick out a few faves, and we encourage you to pull up for a meaningful time. Remember: Black History is Every Day.

Owner Ali Nervis at Grassrootz Bookstore in downtown Phoenix. Image: NBC News / Matt York / AP

Here’s our lineup:

1. “Young, Black & Thrifted” is an event presented by @resaletherapytempe, a new Black-owned thrift store located in downtown Tempe. Pull up for Afrobeats DJ music, live art, Jamaican food, rap battles and more. Sat. Feb. 17 at 2-7pm.

2. The Black African Coalition at Arizona State University (ASU) has an extensive slate of Black History Month programs that looks amazing - Follow @blackafricancoalition to see details and the complete lineup, which includes gymnastics, basketball, films and networking opportunities.

3. Led by former WNBA player @iambridgetpettis, the Bridget Pettis Foundation works to create positive community impact through sustainable gardening. Join them for poetry, African dance, kids art and more on Sat. Feb. 10 at 9am, live in their South Phoenix garden space.

4. Speaking of gardens... @Centered.PHX is a live storytelling series hosted and curated by our fave Ebone "Muse" Johnson. The BHM edition will celebrate African Americans in the arts, in the lush setting of the Desert Botanical Gardens, Feb. 16 at 6-9pm.

5. Black Future Sounds is a proud, Black, queer DJ series. Join the super talented folx of @CrispusThrift gender-neutral fashion collective in the cozy setting of Skoden Coffee, every Sunday this month at 12 noon.

6. What does it mean to be Afro-Latino? Hear from internationally renowned law professor Tanya Katerí Hernández as she signs her book “Racial Innocence: Unmasking Latino Anti-Black Bias and the Struggle for Equality” at @CarverMuseumPHX on Feb. 24 at 10am.

7. Arizona's only Black-owned bookstore @GrassrootzBookstore has an exciting Black History Month celebration planned. Authors, vendors, performances, poetry and more are on deck for Sat. Feb. 17 at 12-4pm in downtown Phoenix.

8. This one isn't in Phoenix but we LOVE what @queer.af.az has planned for BHM: Join them at Temple Bar in Tucson for an open mic with a twist: Participants can peruse printouts of poems and other works by Black Queer writers, then choose one to share on the mic. We might have to make the drive to Southern Arizona for this one! Event goes down on Sat. Feb. 24. Signup starts at 6:30 pm.

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And that’s it! We’re excited that there’s so much happening. Check out phxsoul.com for a detailed community calendar with plenty more options for your Black History Month agenda.

Do us a favor: Be sure to click the linked IG handles in the list above to follow the organizers of these events. You can also zoom in on the flyers below for more specifics.

Important note: This is not a sponsored post. This list was compiled by the team at Black River Life, an emerging nonprofit media platform and arts collective based in Phoenix. These are our real opinions!💯 Learn more and donate to support our work at www.blackriver.life.