The city of Bloomington is holding multiple events this month in honor of Black History Month.
Black History Month is a time to celebrate, educate and recommit to inclusion and justice, not just in February but year-round, said Shatoyia Moss, the director of the Community and Family Resources Department.
This year’s celebration theme is “A Century of Black History Commemorations,” which reflects this year’s national theme of Black History Month, Moss said. The theme marks 100 years of the U.S. having official celebrations for Black history.
It also is a way to challenge individuals to think what’s next in a century of progress, she said.
“Because history doesn't just exist in the past, our lives, our systems, how our policies and our daily experiences are reflected in that. This month gives us a time and a space to tell that and (in a) fuller, more accurate depiction,” she said. “It talks about resilience. It talks about innovation. It talks about leadership.”
The kick-off celebration is Saturday at City Hall. The event will showcase local students, artists and performers including Indiana University African American Choral Ensemble, Fairview Elementary School Show Choir and Drummers, Bloomington Montessori School Chorus, poet Jada Chivers, and Black, Brown and Beigh Theatre Troupe.
Nia I’man Smith, ethnomusicology doctoral candidate and WFHB’s Sonic Blacknuss’s host, will emcee the event. Doors will open at 3:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The event is free and open to the public.
The month-long celebrations is for everyone to have an opportunity to get involved, to learn and to be a voice in the community, Moss said.
“There's just so many opportunities to be impactful, and this is definitely one for us here in southern Indiana,” Moss said.
Here are the other events this month:
Black Market will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 14 at City Hall. The public market will feature Black-owned businesses, artists and organizations. The market is also a way to honor the city’s original Black Market, which was firebombed on Dec. 26, 1968.
Black History Month Poster Board Contest Ceremony will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Feb. 21 at City Hall. The ceremony will recognize elementary, middle and high school students’ artwork created to represent a variety of historical individuals and places such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, and Lonnie G Bunch III.
Black History Month Gala will be on Feb. 28 at One World at Woolery Mill. The Gala will honor the 2026 Living Legend recipients and recognize the Commission on the Status for Black Males’ Outstanding Black Leaders of Tomorrow. The reception and silent auction will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the program at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available until midnight on Feb. 25.
