Black History Month Events & Celebrations in NJ

Black History Month, or African American History Month, is celebrated nationally each year during February. It is a time to highlight the contributions and achievements of African Americans, as well as the struggles for freedom and equality. Celebrate the beauty and history of African American culture. Below you will find Black History Month events in NJ and plenty of ways to celebrate and learn about Black History with your family. Although Black History Month is celebrated nationally in February, don’t limit it to only one month of the year. Here is your guide to Black History Month Events & Celebrations in NJ.

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Black History Month Events & Celebrations in NJ

2025 Events in NJ

Black History Game Night for Families
February 1-28, 2025
Virtual Event

Celebrate Black History Month in Jersey City
Multiple Dates in February
Jersey City, NJ

Art of the Witness Stones Project Special Exhibit
All February
Princeton Public Library
Princeton, NJ

Cookie Decorating Class – Black History Month
February 1, 2025 at 11AM – 2PM
Glassy Brown Cookies
Cherry Hill Mall
Cherry Hill, NJ

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship Breakfast Vendors
February 1, 2025
Hyatt Regency Princeton
Princeton, NJ

Art, Music & Dance of the Diaspora
February 1, 2025
Monmouth County Library
Manalapan, NJ

PMP Black History Month Concert
February 1, 2025
John F. Kennedy High School
Paterson, NJ

Black History Month Performance
February 1, 2025
Roseland Free Public Library
Roseland, NJ

Black History Escape Room
February 1, 2025 at 12PM
Paterson Public Library
Paterson, NJ

Pan-African Flag Raising
February 1, 2025 at 12PM
Train Station Plaza
Rahway, NJ

Jack and Jill of America, Inc. BC Chapter Black History Month Re-enactment
February 1, 2025 at 3PM
Willingboro Public Library
Willingboro, NJ

Black History Month Storytelling
February 2, 2025 at 2PM
Fair Lawn Public Library
Fair Lawn, NJ

Jersey Jazz Live! Bruce Williams Quintet to Celebrate Black History Month with a Centennial Tribute to Gigi Gryce
February 2, 2025
Madison Community Arts Center
Madison, NJ

Black History Month Festival
February 2, 2025
Robbinsville High School
Robbinsville, NJ

African Americans & Labor Ceremony 2025
February 3, 2025 at 11AM – 1PM
City Hall Council Chambers
Jersey City, NJ

Black History Month Trivia Contest
February 3, 2025 at 7PM
Englewood Public Library
Englewood, NJ

Annual Oratory Contest in Honor of Black History Month
February 3-5, 2025 at 3:30PM – 7:30PM
City Hall Council Chambers
Jersey City, NJ

Rocks in the Garden: A Public History of Slavery in Morris County
February 6, 2025
Museum of Early Trades & Crafts
Madison, NJ

Black History Month Opening Celebration
February 6, 2025
Ciccone Theatre, Bergen Community College
Hackensack, NJ

South Orange Downtown Celebrates Black History Month
February 6, 2025 at 7PM
Papillon 25
South Orange, NJ

Black History Month Film Series
February 6, 13, 20 & 27, 2025
Englewood Public Library
Englewood, NJ

Black Wings Opening Reception
February 7, 2025
The Gallery Space
Rahway, NJ

Meet Hannah Till
February 7-8, 2025
Mt. Zion AME Church
Skillman, NJ

Baba Kazi Oliver: African Drummer Extraordinaire
February 8, 2025 at 7PM
Englewood Public Library
Englewood, NJ

Black History Month Event with Charles Cobb
February 12 & 26, 2025 at 7PM
Englewood Public Library (Virtual Event)
Englewood, NJ

Frederick Douglass Day Event at SSAAM
February 14, 2025
Historic Reasoner-True House
Skillman, NJ

Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon at Rowan
February 14, 2025 at 11AM
Rowan College
201 Mullica Hill Road
Glassboro, NJ

Guided House Tour: Eyewitness to Black History
February 15, 2025 at 12PM, 1PM and 2PM
Montclair History Center
Montclair, NJ

Follow the Drinking Gourd
February 15 & 22, 2025 at 3PM
Raritan Valley Community College
RVCC Planetarium
Branchburg, NJ

Black History Month Storytime
February 19, 2025 at 4PM – 5PM
Montclair Public Library
Montclair, NJ

Kids Speak Out
February 20, 2025 at 4PM
1688 Springfield Ave.
Maplewood, NJ

NJ Slavery and The Underground Railroad
February 20, 2025
Lawrence Headquarters Branch of the Mercer County Library System
Lawrence Township, NJ

Lawrence High School Black History Celebration
February 22, 2025
Lawrence High School
Lawrenceville, NJ

Annual African American Read-In
February 22, 2025 at 11AM – 1PM
Piscataway Public Library
Piscataway, NJ

Black Business Market
February 23, 2025 at 5:30PM – 9PM
Andco, 201 Montgomery Street
Jersey City, NJ

Black History Month Celebration
February 23, 2025 at 9AM
Stangl Center
Flemington, NJ

Black History Month Trivia
February 25, 2025
INLAND Family Success Center
Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Black Soldiers in the American Revolution
February 27, 2025
Morven Museum & Garden
Princeton, NJ

Black History Month Gala
February 28, 2025
The Boro Epicenter
Willingboro, NJ

Black History Cultural Attractions, Landmarks and Exhibits in NJ

Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum
Skillman, NJ

Paul Robeson House of Princeton
Princeton, NJ

Albert E. Hinds Memorial Walking Tour: African American Life in Princeton
Princeton, NJ

Hinchliffe Stadium
Paterson, NJ

Shady Rest Golf and Country Club
Scotch Plains, NJ

Afro-American Historical Society Museum
Jersey City, NJ

The Newark Museum of Art – Arts of Global Africa
Newark, NJ

Peter Mott House
Lawnside, NJ

Dr. James Still Historic Office Site and Education Center
Medford, NJ

African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey
Atlantic City, NJ

The Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey
Cape May, NJ

African American Heritage Walking Tour of Cape May
Cape May, NJ

Underground Railroad Trolley Tours
Cape May, NJ

Black History Children’s Book Recommendations

Read these books as a starting point for conversations with your child about African American history.

Why Do Mosquitoes Buzz In People’s Ears by Verna Aardema

What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymond Obstfeld

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

Rosa by Nikki Giovanni

Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine

Anansi The Spider by Gerald McDermott

Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

Sit In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport

Let Them Play by Margot Theis Raven

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson

Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone: The Brown vs. Board of Education Decision by Joyce Carol Thomas

My Name Is Truth: The Life Of Sojourner Truth by Ann Turner

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford

Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter

Get Involved in the Community

1. Join the NAACP. Did you know that you do not have to be a person of color to belong to the NAACP? You just have to believe in civil rights for all!

2. Make sure your friends and family are registered to vote. NJ Voter Registration Form

3. Support Black-Owned Businesses in your community.