Efforts setting aside time to recognize Black culture, achievements, and history date back further. In 1975, President Gerald Ford issued a call for all Americans to observe the contributions of Black citizens to our country by formally acknowledging a long-standing week of commemoration observed since 1926. This original event was first marked by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. He chose the week of February containing the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass to remember the hardships and celebrate the progress of Black Americans. 

Receiving government recognition is a milestone in itself, but Black history is a vital part of American culture that goes back to the country’s colonial origins. This year, as the United States marks its 250th anniversary, we also honor the 40th formal recognition of Black History Month. While Black Americans’ story is longer and far more complex than can be represented over the past four decades, this month is a time for all people to get better acquainted with our shared American history. 

Here, we’ve listed a few historical sites you can visit and events happening in and nearby each Mast General Store community throughout February where you can expand your understanding of Black history in the United States and join in the celebration of Black culture. Blog photo courtesy of Visit Winston-Salem.

High Country – Boone and Valle Crucis 

The Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University will host Dr. Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum, an Ethnomusicologist at Illinois State University, as she performs her award-winning, one-woman performance piece entitled, Walking with My Ancestors: Cape Coast Castle. Dr. Laurie Semmes and Dr. Stephanie Tsakeu Mazan will introduce Dr. Oforiwaa Aduonum and join her for a pre-performance discussion, while Appalachian State faculty and the audience will be encouraged to participate in a post-performance dialogue. 

This event, sponsored by the Hayes School of Music and High Country Humanities, will be held 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., Friday, February 20. For more information, visit this LINK. 

Asheville 

The Young Men’s Institute, better known to Asheville locals as the YMI Cultural Center, is one of the oldest and most unique Black cultural centers in the United States. It hosts numerous Black History Month events and also provides excellent programming and educational resources about Black culture throughout the year. On February 22, for instance, you can attend the inaugural Black Tie Expo, which promotes Black-owned businesses focused on weddings, proms, and other special events, and stay around until 3 p.m. for a fun afternoon of cake decorating at the Black History Month Cake & Sip. Tickets are required. For more information, check out YMI’s events page. 

You can also get your entire family involved in the celebration by taking the kids to The Hop Ice Cream with Sweet Storytime on Merrimon Avenue, 2 p.m., Sunday, February 15, for a read-aloud with Ms. Ann of BooksAlive! There, they’ll discover how “Ice Cream Man” became “The Father of Ice Cream” along with picking up other early reading resources.  

Several more community organizations in Asheville are hosting Black History Month events through shared art, storytelling, food, and friendship. For a detailed list of happenings, visit AVL Today, the city’s website, or Asheville Parks & Recreation’s Facebook page. 

Hendersonville 

At Blue Ridge Community College’s Henderson County Campus, view student-artist Abigail Buckman’s impressive mural featuring three writers and activists who called North Carolina home. Buckman selected Randall Kenan, Maya Angelou, and Wilma Dykeman as subjects for their efforts to promote civil rights and environmental justice through their art. There, and at BRCC’s Transylvania County Campus library, you can locate literary resources about Black history and culture in the community, state, and beyond. For more information, check out this LINK. 

Here is a link to BRCC's digital exhibit entitled Welcome to the Kingdom of the Happy Land. According to Rachel Quinn, the instruction and archives librarian, this exhibit was created by the Black History Research Group of Henderson County and is a wonderful resource about a unique and vibrant community within Henderson County. Mural image courtesy of Blue Ridge Community College. Listen to an interview with the student creator HERE. 

Less than half an hour south of Hendersonville, near the South Carolina state line, is Tryon, North Carolina, which is the hometown of legendary musician Nina Simone. Simone was a singer, pianist, and activist, who incorporated stories about struggles during the Civil Rights Era into much of her music. Simone passed away in 2003, and in 2010, an eight-foot monument depicting Simone’s larger-than-life likeness and a plaza in memory of the “High Priestess of Soul” were dedicated near her birthplace. Visit Nina Simone Plaza at 54 North Trade Street, Tryon, NC 28782. You might enjoy listening to this playlist of Nina Simone's Greatest Hits. 

Waynesville 

One of Haywood County’s newest listings on the National Register of Historic Places is the Pigeon Street School in Waynesville. The current building was the only construction of the late 1950s intended as a public school in one of Waynesville’s historically African American communities. The Pigeon Street Elementary School, which went up to seventh grade, “replaced the Rosenwald school [which was located across the street] built in 1924,” according to its application for historic status. Today, the former elementary school operates as the headquarters for the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center, which hosts programs and events throughout the year that share its community’s diverse legacy. Learn more about its work HERE. 

Waynesville residents are familiar with the call letters of nearby Canton-based radio station WSYE-AM, but these have changed many times over the years. From 1953 – 1963, for instance, listeners could tune into WWIT 970 AM to hear popular local DJ “Nat the Cat” break from the usual mountain sounds to play rock’n’roll during his one-hour weekday show. Nathaniel Lowery, as he was known off-air, is solely responsible for introducing black jazz, pop music, and other modern genres that “broke the color line” to Haywood County listeners. Nat the Cat’s radio show lasted until the station was sold in the early 1960s, but he and his wife, Alice, remained active in local radio until his passing in 2008. Through experiences like these, visitors and locals in Waynesville can engage – or even listen to – Black history in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains. 

Winston-Salem 

Old Salem, Winston-Salem’s foundational community, recounts stories of some of its most important but overlooked neighbors during February. Each Saturday at 1:30 p.m., guided Black History Walking Tours set out across this traditionally Moravian settlement. The tour is included in the price of regular admission. 

For a more modern street-level view on Black history within the city, take a free, self-guided Downtown Public Art Walk. The walk is highlighted by a mural at the corner of Trade Street and MLK Boulevard featuring Winston-Salem’s own early R&B vocal group, The “5” Royales, who are now members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other local Black artists and icons are depicted along the stroll. Or, another option is to take a guided Heritage Tour on foot, trolley, or bus offered by Triangle Cultural Arts. These more in-depth sightseeing tours include stops at historically Black churches, schools, and graveyards, as well as contemporary public art installations and businesses. 

For an indoor activity, head to a/perture Cinema on Fourth Street for a retro screening of 1997’s love jones on Wednesday, February 25. This romance, directed by Theodore Witcher, won the Audience Award for its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. For a more detailed event guide and a list of Black-owned businesses you can support during the month, head over to Visit Winston-Salem.  

Roanoke 

The Grandin Theatre celebrates the catalog of the first major Black filmmaker with its tribute “A Month of Micheaux.” Born in 1884, Oscar Micheaux was a prolific screenwriter and director of the silent film era. His career of 40-plus movies spanned into the time of “talkies,” making Micheaux one of the most successful Black directors of the first half of the 20th century. Catch Micheaux’s Swing at the Grandin, 7 p.m., Tuesday, February 24. For more information, go on the Grandin’s website. 

A little more than half an hour outside of Downtown Roanoke in Moneta, Virginia, is the Booker T. Washington National Monument. Washington, who would go on to become the first principal of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School in Alabama after the Civil War, was born enslaved on this 207-acre, Virginia farm once owned by James Burroughs. Through his words and thoughts, Washington would leave a legacy that inspired generations of Black Americans to gain self-sufficiency by acquiring vocational and agricultural skills and focusing on making economic progress in society. Upon Washington’s death in 1915, his Tuskegee Institute had expanded from a single room to more than 100 buildings on 3,500 acres and educated thousands of students. Learn more about Washington’s life and include plans to visit the memorial at his birthplace on your next trip to Roanoke by starting HERE. 

Photo is from the Library of Congress. Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Columbia 

Filled with history, Columbia features many sites that honor contributions by Black Americans. On the Capitol grounds of the South Carolina State House, visit the African American History Monument, or, at the Thomas Cooper Library on the University of South Carolina’s campus, visit the recently unveiled statue of Richard T. Greener, Harvard University’s first Black graduate and the United States’ first Black diplomat to a primarily non-Black nation. Columbia’s Waverly Historic District is one of the city’s oldest and most prominent Black communities. It is the home of Benedict College and Allen University, both long-standing, religious-based institutions of higher education for Black students. 

You can also take a walking tour of other historic markers and Black-owned homes throughout the city throughout the year by participating in three tours offered by Historic Columbia. There are other opportunities to celebrate Black History Month like Richland Library’s Black History Month Jubilee Celebration, 6 p.m., Thursday, February 26, or its Black History Fair, which celebrates the state’s rich Gullah culture, honors the tradition of crafts and culinary arts, and even helps families plan reunions, begins at 10 a.m., Saturday, February 28. For more ideas, visit Experience Columbia SC. 

Greenville 

Although Greenville has experienced significant growth in the past decade, it remains connected to its past and makes a point to showcase its diverse history. Black History in Greenville Tours connect participants to essential civil rights landmarks, historic Black churches, and public art that honors the legacies of Black leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, and activists. Greenville residents serve as B.H.i.G. tour guides, so visitors or curious fellow locals can learn more about often untold chapters of the city’s history from a truly local perspective. There is an admission fee and advance sign-up is required. 

Just west of downtown is Unity Park. Opened in 2022, this 60-acre public greenspace gets its name by uniting two formerly segregated parks. Featuring the Reedy River, the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail, sports and picnic facilities, a splash pad, and playgrounds, the centerpiece of this unifying landmark is the recently dedicated, 125-foot Thomas and Vivian A. Wong Honor Tower, which honors veterans and first responders. If you choose to climb the tower’s ten stories, its sweeping views of the city literally and figuratively offer a new perspective on Greenville’s past and future. Learn more about Unity Park before your visit HERE. 

If you’re in Greenville during Black History Month, attend the Valentine’s Day opening of Sitting for Justice – The Montgomery Bus Boycott: Drawings by Harvey Dinnerstein and Burt Silverman at the Upcountry History Museum. These sketches were captured by the artists during the events of March 1956, which became a catalyst in the Civil Rights Movement. The subject of one of the featured drawings is Rosa Parks. If you can’t make it by the end of February, the exhibition runs through June 7. Learn more about the exhibition and the story behind the art HERE.

Another event to mark on your calendar is the Black Book Fair, 2 – 6 p.m., Saturday, February 28, at West Greenville Community Center. This is an excellent place to meet local Black authors, pick up a few new books that showcase differing perspectives, and engage in conversations that center on creativity, culture, and representation. Reserve your spot for the Black Book Fair on Eventbrite. 

Knoxville 

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center brings Black history to life through a number of events. Appropriately, on Valentine’s Day, attend a “Love & Theatre” Brunch from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The performance is hosted by award-winning playwright and cultural leader Linda Parris-Bailey. On Tuesday, February 24, 6 p.m., the Beck Center presents its Black History Month Feature Program, The Divine Black Experience – The Divine 9, at the Bijou Theater. Five Points Up Community Action Group President Tanisha Fitzgerald-Baker hosts this event that includes dance and spoken word as a tribute to the nine historic African American fraternities and sororities that form the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Also, each Saturday during Black History Month, the center hosts “Tell Your Story” Oral History Sessions from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Learn more about these and more events at or sponsored by the Beck Center by visiting their WEBSITE. 

The University of Tennessee offers several opportunities to delve deeper into academic subject matter focused on Black history. Its events include a Frederick Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon commemorating the orator and diplomat’s birth on Friday, February 13, and a history lecture about the Great Migration and Black entrepreneurship on Thursday, February 19. Or explore Black visual art at the university’s Hodges Library with Knoxville native and renowned 20th century local artist Beauford Delaney’s exhibition, “Light Beyond the Canvas,” or at Knoxville Museum of Art’s exhibit, A Two-Way Mirror: Double Consciousness in Contemporary Glass by Black Artists. 

For even more Black History Month happenings in Knoxville, read this Knox News article. 

Photo from the Library of Congress. Bain News Service, Publisher. Statue of Fred. Douglass.

Better Neighbors, Better World 

In any of our Mast General Store communities this February, take time to experience an event that informs you about Black history or celebrates Black culture. While no one can ever truly see the world through someone else’s eyes, making the effort to understand their perspective and their past makes us all better, kinder neighbors to one another. In the words of Rosa Parks, “I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.” Happy Black History Month, everyone!