Join us for in-person and virtual events and exhibits around the state!

*More events will be added soon. To view Ohio History Center ongoing programming, click here.

Not Your Grandmother’s Black History Lecture Series “Who needs Black History Month?” (WEBINAR)

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

Online

Feb. 1, 2024

Is Black History Month still necessary? Relevant, even? This conversation compels a reconsideration of the historical experiences and contemporary legacies associated with being Black in America. Join us online for a lively webinar that will bring a fresh perspective on the value of Black History Month, and why Black History happens 365 days a year! Learn more and register here.

Voices for Truth–Early Black Abolitionists

Harriet Beecher Stowe House 

Event takes place at Walnut Hills Branch Library (Cincinnati) and online

Feb. 7, 2024

In the first full week of Black History Month, we listen to the voices of two early Black abolitionists–Olaudah Equiano and David Walker. View details and suggested reading here.

Paul Robeson Concert with Poindexter Village Museum & Cultural Center

Ohio History Center 

Feb. 10, 2024

Join us for a look into history as we present the great music and environment into which the great Paul Robeson (1898–1976) was born.

A Madman's Will: John Randolph, Four Hundred Slaves, and the Mirage of Freedom

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

Online

Feb. 15, 2024

Few cases in American history are as riveting as the controversy surrounding the will of Virginia congressman John Randolph (1773–1833). On May 4, 1846, the people enslaved at Randolph’s Roanoke Plantation were officially freed. 383 newly emancipated people attempted to disembark on the Miami and Erie Canal in Mercer County, Ohio—this was one of the single largest emancipations in American History. Join us as author and historian Gregory May reveals this surprising story. Learn more and register here.

The Tea Room featuring Black Women Rise Poetry Collective

Ohio History Center

Columbus, Ohio

Feb. 17, 2024

Join us for a series of poetry performances themed on "Black Womanhood" meant to elevate and empower. Entertainment will be provided by Urban Strings and the Ohio Village historical interpreters. Learn more and register here.

Loving Muses: Explore how Alice and Paul wrote about their relationship

Paul Laurence Dunbar House

Dayton, Ohio

Feb. 17, 2024

Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Dunbar-Nelson used their relationship as inspiration for many of their works. Follow their relationship through the pair's writing during their courtship, marriage, and separation. This program is free and open to the public. Learn more here.

The Underground Railroad in Ohio

Ohio History Center 

Columbus, Ohio

Feb. 22

Did you know that Ohio played a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad? Thousands of freedom seekers traveled through Ohio, yet these stories have been obscured. Join us as we speak with Kathy Schulz, author of The Underground Railroad in Ohio, as she shares the stories she’s uncovered and the research she delved into to learn about the past. Learn more here.

Documentary–Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond The Mask

Harriet Beecher Stowe House (event will take place at Walnut Hills Branch Library)

Cincinnati, Ohio

Feb. 24, 2024

Join us for a screening of Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond The Mask, a documentary on the life and legacy of the first African American poet & writer to gain international fame. Learn more here.

1906 and Beyond: Discover how Alice Dunbar Nelson and James Weldon Johnson kept Dunbar's work in the public eye

Paul Laurence Dunbar House

Dayton, Ohio

Feb. 24, 2024

Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Dunbar-Nelson used their relationship as inspiration for many of their works. Follow their relationship through the pair's writing during their courtship, marriage and separation. This program is free and open to the public. Learn more here.

Hearing Our Voices: Discovering Black Youngstown

Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor

Youngstown, Ohio

This exhibit is chaired and created by Dr. Donna DeBlasio, professor emeritus of Youngstown State University and will remain through February 2024.

Queens of the Heartland

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

Wilberforce, Ohio

Since the 1800s, Ohio was at the heart of social change led by African American women. Queens of the Heartland features 30 of these pioneering women and their stories through panel text as well as three-dimensional objects. This exhibit also features portrait illustration by New York artist Nichole Washington, whose work focuses on identity and celebrates the African American woman.

African Art: Form, Function, and Fraught Histories

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

Wilberforce, Ohio

Although often misunderstood by the West, African art has had an enormous impact on the world. This exhibit presents the relationship between the aesthetic and cultural functions of African art objects and the historical context of their global influence. It also addresses modern questions of cultural appropriation, representation and repatriation.

African Americans Fighting For a Double Victory

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

Wilberforce, Ohio

Explore the many ways that African Americans served our country in the military and on the home front during World War II and learn more about the impact that African American veterans had on the Civil Rights Movement after the war.