Celebrate Black History Month in Music City

Nashville makes a great destination to celebrate Black History Month due to its key Civil Rights Movement contributions, Black-owned businesses, museums and more.

Nashville was a crucial location during the Civil Rights Movement, and visitors can learn more about the stories and sites critical to that era at the Civil Rights Room at Nashville Public Library, a free educational space focused on the city’s leadership in the movement. Witness Walls honors the events and people who fought for racial equality in Music City, while the Historic Woolworth Theatre is a site of successful sit-ins and nonviolent activism. Tennessee State Museum’s online and permanent exhibits highlight pivotal moments in the state from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement.

© Courtesy of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation

Nashville is also home to four Historically Black Colleges & Universities: American Baptist College, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College and Tennessee State University. Explore the campuses to learn more about notable alums like Oprah Winifrey, Rep. John Lewis and W.E.B. Du Bois.

During the 1940s, 50s and 60s, Nashville’s Jefferson Street boasted jazz, blues and R&B clubs, and Jefferson Street Sound Museum today preserves that area’s music and cultural history. National Museum of African American Music recently opened its doors, as well.

Stop at Black-owned and co-owned business in Nashville, including Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria, Sinema Restaurant & Bar, 8^th and Roast, Swett’s, Willie B’s Kitchen and Lounge, Woodcuts Gallery and Framing, Minerva Avenue, pH Craft Cocktails, Southern V and Downtown Candle Co.

© Courtesy of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation

Check out these Black History Month events in Music City:

• 4: 17^th Annual All Black Affair at Brooklyn Bowl
• 7: Black History Month Night: Nashville Predators vs. Vegas Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena
• 9–11: Dancing in the Street: Music of Motown with the Nashville Symphony at Schermerhorn Symphony Center
• 11–12: Nashville Black Market BHM Expo at Nashville Fairgrounds
• 18: Black History Month Expo at C.H. Dixon Life Center and Royal Comedy 2023 at Nashville Municipal Auditorium
• 21: Black Voices at Fisk University
• 22: Black Voices at Tennessee State University
• 25: Enslaved Memorial Service at Hermitage Church
• 25: Black Fashion Coalition Gospel Fashion Show at Milele Dance Academy