Celebrate Black History Month with these events in Nashville, Middle Tennessee

Nashville and Middle Tennessee will host a variety of events in February 2023, aimed at promoting thoughtful discussion, education and entertainment during Black History Month. Highlights include events headlined by scholar Cornel West, journalist Jemele Hill, Ilyasah Shabazz, (the daughter of Malcolm X) and NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace.

Here are some of the local Black History Month events scheduled throughout the month.

Belmont-Fisk Social Justice Collaborative

Feb. 9, 3 p.m. — The public is invited to the Belmont-Fisk Social Justice Collaborative, a joint event hosted by the Nashville colleges. The keynote speaker is Bernard Lafayette, Jr., the co-founder of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. Tours of the Civil Rights Room and Votes for Women Room will be available. The program will begin at 4:30 p.m.

RSVP by Feb. 7: Call 615-460-6241 or email canesha.conger@belmont.edu.

Click here to view the full list of events at Belmont.

Fisk events

Feb. 15, 11 a.m. — Fisk students and the Nashville community will discuss race relations in the medical field at All Of Us Black History/Health. The event will be held on campus at Jubilee Hall.

Feb. 9, 6 p.m. — At Red Table Talk: Krimson and Kreme Black Love, a collaboration with the Alpha Delta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternitywill lead to conversations centered around acceptable forms of love andrelationships. The event at Spence Hall is hosted by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. — Alpha Beta.

Vanderbilt events

Emmy Award-winning sports reporter Jemele Hill kicks off a series of Black History Month events at Vanderbilt University.

Feb. 1, 7 p.m. — Hill is the featured speaker at the annual Murray Lecture in Sarratt Cinema. The event is free and open to the public.

Feb. 2, 6 p.m. — The university's Student Center for Social Justice and Identity, Bishop Johnson Black Cultural Center, Peabody College and Blair School of Music are partnering for "An Evening of Art and Hip-Hop" at the National Museum of African American Music. The event will introduce the practice of "artivism," an expression of social justice work through art.

RELATED:What kids of all ages should be reading for Black History Month (and all year)

Feb. 13, 2 p.m. — The Black Cultural Center and K.C. Potter Center will hold a documentary screening of "A Litany For Survival: the Life and Work of Audre Lorde." The documentary will explore Lorde's body of work as a poet and activist and the connections between the Civil Rights movement, the Women's movement and LGBTQ rights.

The documentary will be screened at the BCC Auditorium.

For a list of more events visit www.vanderbilt.edu/bcc/bhm-events.

MTSU events

Middle Tennessee State University has the entire month planned with many free and public Black History Month events.

Feb. 15, noon — A performance by Yeli Ensemble will be punctuated by a discussion of music, dance, history and culture with AfricaNashville in Cantrell Hall in the Tom Jackson Building.

Feb. 24, 7 p.m. — Cornel West, an activist and professor emeritus at Princeton University, will give his "State of the African American Union" address in the Tennessee Room of MTSU's James Union Building.

Feb. 27, 7 p.m. — Ilyasah Shabazz, author and daughter of Malcolm X, will give the Black History keynote address in the Student Union's second-floor ballroom.

For a full list of events visit https://bit.ly/MTBlackHistory2023Calendar.

All Black Affair

Feb. 4, 8:30 p.m. —The 17th Annual All Black Affair will kick off at The Brooklyn Bowl with live entertainment.

Entertainment will be provided by Josh Mundy, DJ Cwiz, DJ Crisis and Dj Sean Mac.

A dress code — upscale and fashionable — will be enforced, according to organizers.

Tickets can be bought at www.allblackaffair.net.

Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture

Feb. 10, 9 a.m. — Tennessee State University and the Metropolitan Historical Commission are teaming up for the 42nd annual conference.

The virtual conference will bring together historians, students, educators, community leaders and others interested in African American history and culture to explore public, oral and written history in Tennessee.

The TSU Meistersingers chamber choir and Fisk University Stagecrafters will perform during the half-day event.

There is a $20 registration fee for the event. Anyone interested in registering can do so at https://events.eventzilla.net/e/2023-nashville-conference-on-african-american-history-and-culture-virtual-2138601938.

Health is Wealth retreat

Feb. 10, 8 a.m. — Black Enterprise and Walmart are teaming up for a wellness retreat aimed at closing the health equity gap for Black Americans.

The retreat will feature doctors, financial professionals, trainers and a celebrity appearance by NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace.

"The retreat will provide a fun, uplifting and life-affirming experience focusing on lifestyle changes to improve physical fitness, daily nutrition, emotional wellness, and mental health," organizers said.

Anyone interested in attending can register at www.blackenterprise.com/healthiswealth/#registration.

Nashville Black Market

Feb. 11, 12 — The Nashville Black Market returns to the Fairgrounds to a two-day event Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The market will spotlight more than 100 black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.

"Come dance, drive, and shop, all while empowering black businesses," event organizers said.

For more information, visit https://www.thenashvilleblackmarket.com.

Black History Month Expo

Feb. 18, 1 p.m. — More than 40 venders will be onsite at the C.H. Dixon Life Center selling their goods and services at the Black History Month Expo.

The event will feature a DJ, selfie station, entertainment, poetry, giveaways, food and a bartender.

The event is open to the public and free.

Nashville SC

Feb. 21, 5 p.m. — CJ Sapong, a Nashville SC forward, will headline Nashville SC Black History Month Discussion Panel. Sapong is also a representative of Black Players For Change, an organization focused on creating equitable stakes in soccer and society. Also scheduled to attend: Nashville historian David Ewing; Ashford Hughes, the chief diversity and inclusion officer at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools; Metro At-large Councilmember Zulfat Suara; and Desmond Armstong, a former U.S. Men's national team player and National Soccer Hall of Famer.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Black History Month in Nashville: Events honor African-American history