We have more than 50 special programs planned for Black History Month! Enjoy arts and crafts, author talks, concerts, panel discussions, art exhibits, and so much more.

Here is a selection of our Black History Month programs. Visit the QPL Calendar to see the full list!

Black History Month: A Labor of Love Art Exhibit (In-Person)

This special showcase of art celebrates the profound contributions of African Americans and the role of labor in shaping their experiences across the U.S., Africa, and the Diaspora. From the agricultural labor of enslaved Africans to entrepreneurship, and from organized labor’s fight for justice to voluntary acts of service, this exhibition honors the transformative power of Black labor.

Saturday, Feb. 1-Friday, Feb. 28
Central Library (during regular hours of service)
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

Black History Month: Art Exhibition by Audrey Dove (In-Person)

We are pleased to present Listen to the Drum...Ancestors, an art exhibit by Flushing resident Audrey Dove! Her paintings have been exhibited in person and virtually at the Flushing Town Hall Members Exhibition, the Bayside Historical Society Winter Exhibitions, and the Queens County Fair, Blue Ribbon Exhibition. Ms. Dove’s paintings are acrylic-based, and usually depict “the gifts of nature” and themes of the African American Diaspora.

Saturday, Feb. 1-Friday, Feb. 28
Flushing Library (during regular hours of service)
41-17 Main Street

Black History Month: Family Storytime (In-Person)

Join us on Saturdays this February to celebrate Black History Month with picture books written and illustrated by Black authors and artists!

Saturdays, Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22, 11am-11:30am
Ridgewood Library
20-12 Madison Street

Sunday Concerts Presents Atiba Kwabena Wilson & Songhai Djeli (In-Person)

This concert will pay tribute to our ancestors with a performance of Afrikan music and dance! Atiba Kwabena Wilson is the founder and artistic director of Songhai Djeli, a folkloric ensemble based upon traditional Afrikan approaches to music, poetry, and storytelling.

Register here: https://QPLFeb2025.eventbrite.com/?aff=website

Sunday, Feb. 2, 3pm-4pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

African Americans and Labor with Mary Dono (Virtual)

This two-part presentation will explore the efforts by African American leaders to regulate conditions and equalize opportunity. Photographs, paintings, posters, and other works of art will be used to demonstrate practices, protests, and progress.

Join us on Zoom: https://queenslib.org/3Cm2e
Meeting ID: 863 2176 0447
Passcode: 236179

Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2pm-3:30pm
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2pm-3:30pm

Black History Month: Arts & Crafts (In-Person)

Children and their caregivers will get to enjoy age-appropriate arts and crafts in celebration of Black History Month!
Wednesdays, Feb. 5, 19, 26, 4pm-5pm
Rosedale Library
144-20 243 Street

The Contemporary African Kitchen with Chef Alexander Smalls (In-Person)

Celebrate Black History with the world-renowned, James Beard Award-winning chef, author, and Renaissance man, Alexander Smalls! Over the past three decades, Chef Smalls, the co-owner of the acclaimed restaurants The Cecil and Minton’s, has traveled the world studying the cooking techniques and foodways of the African diaspora. He will talk about his new cookbook, The Contemporary African Kitchen: Home Cooking Recipes from the Leading Chefs of Africa, and share how music, world travel, and his Low Country, South Carolina roots have inspired and influenced his restaurants and his life in the food industry.

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 6pm-7pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

An Evening of Art with Cambria Heights Library (In-Person)

Celebrate the artists of the Cambria Heights Library community at their 6th Annual Artists Exhibit! An array of creative expressions will be presented during Black History Month and beyond, including yarn crafts, watercolor, acrylics, jewelry, line art, photography, quilts, and sewing projects.

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 6pm-7:30pm
Cambria Heights Library
218-13 Linden Boulevard

Culture Bridge: James Baldwin Centenary Celebration Featuring the Richie Nick Band (In-Person & Virtual)

In celebration of the 2024 centennial of author and civil rights activist James Baldwin, join the Richie Nick Band for this special performance of songs honoring his enduring legacy.

Join us on Zoom: https://queenslib.org/3T5C
Meeting ID: 890 7767 0421
Passcode: 020625

Thursday, Feb. 6, 4pm-5pm
Flushing Library
41-17 Main Street

Black History Month: Bingo (In-Person)

Join us for a fun Bingo event! As you play, learn about trailblazing African Americans in sports, science, the arts, and more!
Friday, Feb. 7, 3:30pm-4:15pm
North Forest Park Library
98-27 Metropolitan Avenue, Forest Hills

Shining a Light on Black Innovation (In-Person)

Let’s celebrate the brilliance of Black inventors! Kids will learn about Garrett Morgan, the inventor of the traffic signal, and Katherine Johnson, the brilliant mathematician who helped send astronauts to the moon. They will also create fun crafts inspired by these amazing figures.

Friday, Feb. 7, 4pm-5pm
Glen Oaks Library
256-04 Union Turnpike

Langston Hughes Day Celebration 2025 (In-Person)

Visit the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center and celebrate our Annual Langston Hughes Day with us!

Saturday, Feb. 8, 12pm-5pm
Langston Hughes Library
100-01 Northern Boulevard, Corona

Celebrating Hair Braiding 101 (In-Person)

In this hands-on program, teens will learn the basic techniques for creating box braids and cornrows, starting with the foundational steps to master these stylish and cultural hairstyles. This session offers a fun and creative way for beginners to explore hair and tradition.

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2pm-3pm
Cambria Heights Library
218-13 Linden Boulevard

African Dancing and Folktales (In-Person)

Audience members will become storytellers in a series of African folktales, as our facilitator guides you through this interactive African dance class, which will be accompanied by live percussion music. Your whole family will get to try new steps and rhythms, learn about African percussion instruments, and experience stories from different cultures! This program is funded by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

Tuesday, Feb. 11, 4pm-5pm
Baisley Park Library
117-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica

Black History Month: Stories & Activities (In-Person)

Join us for books and activities featuring influential Black writers, artists, and activists. This program is for children of all ages!

Wednesdays, Feb. 12, 19, 26, 3:30pm-4:30pm
Far Rockaway Library
1637 Central Avenue

Black History Month Concert with Matthew Fishteyn (In-Person)

In honor of Black History Month, Queens Public Library is pleased to present a special concert with Matthew Fishteyn. Join us as he performs songs in different genres like Ragtime, Stride, Boogie Woogie, and New Orleans Blues. Hear how they imparted their influence on Swing, Country, Rock ’n’ Roll, and other musical styles that forever reshaped how we think about music.

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2pm-3pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

Shades of Truth Theatre Presents Mothers of the Movement (In-Person)

In this dramatic presentation, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and Mamie Till-Mobley — three iconic Black women — are summoned to reflect on their legacy and contribution to the struggle. One by one, they reveal their pain, their resolve, and the unspoken respect and affinity they have for each other.

Thursday, Feb. 13, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Flushing Library
41-17 Main Street

Literary Thursdays: Gregory P. Downs, Author of Nat Turner, Black Prophet: A Visionary History (Virtual)

Nat Turner, Black Prophet: A Visionary History is considered to be the fullest recounting to date of Turner’s 1831 uprising, and the first that refuses to tame or overlook his divine visions. With this work of narrative history, the late historian Anthony E. Kaye and his collaborator Gregory P. Downs have given us a new understanding of Nat Turner’s rebellion — one of the nineteenth century’s most decisive events — and its aftermath.

Join us on Microsoft Teams: https://queenslib.org/4fv2

Thursday, Feb. 13, 6pm-7pm

African Americans & the Industry of Fashion (In-Person)

African Americans have significantly influenced American fashion. Their impact is evident in various historical and contemporary contributions, including Elizabeth Keckley’s designs for Mary Todd Lincoln, Mary McLeod Bethune’s establishment of the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers, Dapper Dan’s fusion of couture and Hip Hop styles, and many more milestones. Join our discussion featuring industry insiders and experts who will share their practices, processes, and sources of inspiration. Our panelists include historian Dyese Matthews, PhD; clothing designers Cassandra Bromfield and Douglas Says; milliner Lisa McFadden; and Jackie Love, founder of the Jacqueline Love Fashion School of Etiquette.

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 6pm-7pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

A Colorful History for Grades 4-6 (In-Person)

Celebrate Black History Month with our engaging coloring book! Kids will learn about inspiring African American heroes and significant events while coloring beautiful illustrations and having fun. Our coloring pages feature Booker T. Washington, General Colin Powell, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, The Underground Railroad, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, the Tuskegee Airmen, and many more!

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 3pm-4pm
Whitestone Library
151-10 14 Road

Women and Labor Fashion Show (In-Person)

Please join us for our 2nd Annual Black History Month Fashion Show, curated by Jackie Love and hosted by QPL Hip Hop Coordinator Ralph McDaniels!

Thursday, Feb. 20, 4pm-7pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

Literary Thursdays: Preston Lauterbach, Author of Before Elvis (Virtual)

In Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King, Preston Lauterbach examines the lives, music, legacies, and interactions with Elvis Presley of the four innovative Black artists who created a style that would come to be known as Rock ’n’ Roll: Little Junior Parker, Big Mama Thornton, Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, and Calvin Newborn. He also explores the injustices of copyright theft and media segregation that resulted in Black artists living in poverty as white performers, managers, and producers reaped the lucrative rewards of their work.

Join us on Microsoft Teams: https://queenslib.org/49Tw

Thursday, Feb. 20, 6pm-7pm

Author Talk with Cassidy Bridges (In-Person)

Cassidy Bridges, the author of Thank You, It’s an Afro, will be honored during Black History Month. She will share her journey of becoming an author with children and their families. Cassidy will read from her book and showcase her afro-mations! A hands-on craft activity will be available for everyone to enjoy and take home.

Saturday, Feb. 22, 1pm-2pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 4pm-5pm
Langston Hughes Library
100-01 Northern Boulevard, Corona

Shades of Truth Theatre Presents Madam C. J. Walker (In-Person)

Watch the exciting story of Sarah Breedlove, aka Madam C. J. Walker, in a live theatrical and multimedia exposé into the life of an extraordinary, entrepreneurial, innovative, and savvy Black Woman — as told by friends and associates who knew her best and by the Madam herself!

Thursday, Feb. 27, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

Literary Thursdays: Prithi Kanakamedala, Author of Brooklynites (Virtual)

Prithi Kanakamedala’s Brooklynites is a cultural and social history told through four ordinary families from Brooklyn’s nineteenth-century free Black community. Her book illustrates the depth and scope of their activism, cementing Brooklyn’s place in the history of social justice movements. Their lives offer valuable lessons on freedom, democracy, and family ― both the ones we’re born with and the ones we choose ― and their powerful stories continue to resonate today.

Join us on Microsoft Teams: https://queenslib.org/4fv7

Thursday, Feb. 27, 6pm-7pm

Afrofuturism Puzzles (In-Person)

This Black History Month, let’s explore how we look at our futures. This Afrofuturist family activity will provide new perspectives as we expand our knowledge and redefine what’s to come.

Friday, Feb. 28, 4pm-5pm
Baisley Park Library
117-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica