There are a number of events celebrating Black History Month in San Antonio. Here’s what’s still to come.
February 6-12:
“Nina Simone: Four Women” - The Public Theater of San Antonio. Times vary.
- A theatrical piece set the day after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham in 1963 that killed four little Black girls. It explores the racial identity, self-hatred, and healing of four different women using the music of Nina Simone.
Tuesday, February 7:
“Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts—Film Screening, Poetry, and Dance” - San Antonio Museum of Art, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- San Antonio Poet Laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson will perform a poem and present a dance performance inspired by the artwork of Bill Traylor — a Black artist born into slavery now recognized as one of the most significant American artists of the 20th century — followed by a screening of the documentary “Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts,” which details his life and art.
February 9-26:
“Fences at the Little Carver” - Carver Community Cultural Center. Times vary.
- A Pulitzer-prize winning play about a Black father struggling with his past of being kept out of the all-white major leagues as his son now pursues his own baseball dreams.
Thursday, February 9:
“Walk On The River: A Black History Of The Alamo City” - Virtual, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- First released in 2018, this independent film explores the contributions of the Black community to San Antonio from Emancipation to the Civil Rights Movement.
Saturday, February 11:
“Family Movie Time” - Collins Garden Branch Library, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- The Collins Garden Branch Library is screening Black Panther “in honor of Black History Month and Chadwick Boseman.”
“A Musical Program of Negro Spirituals by Allee Wallace” - Central Library, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Allee Wallace is the official photographer for the San Antonio MLK March and San Antonio Juneteenth Coalition and is currently creating his first full-length album of spirituals.
Sunday, February 12:
“Black Luv Film Showcase: ‘You’ve Matched’” - Carver Branch Library, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- The showing of the short film “You’ve Matched” is part of the San Antonio Black International Film Festival, which is highlighting filmmakers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
February 13-19
February 13-March 16:
“Black Resistance at the Lunch Counter” - IKEA Live Oak
- In partnership with the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, a display about Black community efforts to eliminate segregation will be up at IKEA Live Oak for a month; on February 13, there will be a complimentary breakfast at 8:00 a.m. to celebrate the opening of the exhibit.
Friday, February 17:
“Threading History: An Artist’s Reflection on Textile Art with taylor barnes” - virtual, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- A conversation with textile artist taylor barnes about her discovery of the art form, her early career, and the significance of quilting and textile art in African American history.
Saturday, February 18:
“San Antonio Black History Bus Tour — Eastside” - Carver Branch Library, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- A bus tour at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. that will take riders through some of the most prominent African American landmarks and locations on the East Side of San Antonio.
“Remembering Geraldine Smedler” - Carver Branch Library, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Carolyn James, Smedler’s daughter, will share stories about her mother, who was a “decorated civil servant and civil rights activist” who donated a collection of funeral programs to SAPL dating to the 1940s and who died in 2022.
“The Yellow Rose of Texas Re-Examined” - Carver Branch Library, 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
- Award-winning investigative journalist Denise McVea will talk about her research into the legend of the Yellow Rose and Emily West de Zavala and explore whether they are the same person.
“A Musical Program of Negro Spirituals by Allee Wallace” - Pruitt Branch Library, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Allee Wallace is the official photographer for the San Antonio MLK March and San Antonio Juneteenth Coalition and is currently creating his first full-length album of spirituals.
February 20-26
Wednesday, February 22:
“San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum Green Book Historic Marker Unveiling” - SAAACAM at La Villita, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- In partnership with UTSA and Texas A&M San Antonio, SAAACAM will be unveiling historic markers around San Antonio highlighting safe places for Black motorists during the Jim Crow era.
Saturday, February 25:
“4th San Antonio African American Book Festival” - Carver Branch Library, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- The family-friendly event will include speakers, discussions, an author pavilion, and activities that “celebrate the power of Black voices in writing and storytelling.”
February 26-March 6:
“Black Restaurant Week San Antonio”
- Black Restaurant Week San Antonio celebrates over two dozen Black-owned restaurants around San Antonio, including The Jerk Shack, Little Jamaica on Wheels, and A Chicago Bite.
