Black History Month in Pittsburgh 2020

PUMP Author Active + Engaged Residents, Advocacy, Diverse + Connected Region, Featured Advocacy, General

February is Black History Month – an opportunity to recognize, centralize, and celebrate the role of black people in U.S. history. As we celebrate this month, we must continue having hard conversations and finding solutions to the interpersonal, institutional, cultural, and structural racism that black people face in Pittsburgh and beyond.

Here in the Pittsburgh region, there are many ways to learn about and honor black history, uplift the black community locally, and support black leaders in the work of anti-racism. We’ve compiled many of them here. We hope you will find the opportunities that speak to you, and that you will continue this work beyond the month of February.

Ongoing Events and Series:
  • “Pittsburgh Negro League: Hall of Fame” – City-County Building
  • Guided Tours: From Slavery to Freedom – Heinz History Center
  • Too Heavy for Your Pocket – Falk School/University of Pittsburgh
Events, Discussions, Performances, and More:
February 1-8
February 9-15
February 16-22
February 23-29
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Celebrates Black History Month:
More Ways to Learn about Black History:
  • Underground Railroad: Learn about the history of the Underground Railroad and visit significant sites in the Pittsburgh region.
  • From Slavery to Freedom: Visit the Heinz History Center exhibit or explore the online collection.
  • Teenie Harris Archives: View the archives of Charles “Teenie” Harris, who photographed the African American community in Pittsburgh from approx. 1935-1975, at their new permanent home at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
Invest in Black Businesses and Communities:
  • Cocoapreneur – Visit Cocoapreneur to view a directory of black-owned businesses in Pittsburgh. Cocoapreneur provides support to businesses through advertising, marketing, and consulting. The mission of Cocoapreneur is “to foster an environment of economic prosperity in order to ensure more sustainable neighborhoods for the historically African American communities and neighborhoods around Pittsburgh, PA.”
Support Black Leaders and Organizations:

There are so many black-led organizations working to end racism, uplift black communities, and create positive change in our region. Here are a few groups that are black-led and/or work closely with the black community that you can connect with, volunteer for, donate to, and support:

We will continue to update this list throughout February. If you know of an event, organization, or resource that we missed, please submit it to our community calendar or email katie@pump.org. Thank you!