Diversity in Nashville

Black History Month

Nashville celebrates Black History Month throughout February. Join us for special events, hear from multiple scholars at local universities, and more.

February 7, 2025
Step Afrika!

Step Afrika! is coming to Tennessee Performing Arts Center and will highlight a blend of percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional African dances, and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.

February 8, 2025
Black Music Heritage Night

Join the Nashville Predators as we celebrate Black History Month! The Nashville Predators take on the Buffalo Sabres at Bridgestone Arena. With every ticket purchased through this offer, you will receive a limited edition Black History Month shirt designed by a local artist.

February 14, 2025
Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture

Join Tennessee State University’s College of Liberal Arts and the Metropolitan Historical Commission for the 44th Annual Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture (NCAAHC), a dynamic celebration of African Americans' contributions to Nashville and Tennessee history. For over four decades, this award-winning conference has brought together historians, students, educators, community leaders, and others interested in African American history and culture.

February 14-23, 2025
The Mountaintop

Nashville Repertory Theatre presents The Mountaintop at Tennessee Performing Arts Center, a gripping re-imagination of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth could have been. In this work by Tennessee playwright Katori Hall, King is visited by a mysterious and beautiful maid in his room at the Lorraine Motel. What begins as a humorous and flirtatious conversation progresses into a soul-searching discussion laying bare the profound humanity of the civil rights leader.

February 18, 2025
Homeschool Day

During the Homeschool Day event series, the Tennessee State Museum will host a free day of fun and historical activities for homeschooled families. In February, this free event will focus on Black History Month, with gallery tours and interpreters in the Museum's exhibitions. Participants of all ages will experience the Museum's living history presentations, hands-on learning programs, and Children's Gallery crafts.

Ongoing
Nashville History on Tour

Your tour guide David Ewing is a nationally recognized expert on Civil Rights and helped locate the lost mugshots of John Lewis’ arrest for the lunch counter sit-ins and helped present them to Congressman Lewis in Nashville. Explore how Nashville was one of the most important cities for marches, arrests, and bombing stories. Learn about John Lewis and the African American student-led peaceful nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins to desegregate downtown eating establishments in 1960 in Nashville.

Ongoing
Nashville Public Library
Nashville Public Library Civil Rights Room

The Civil Rights Room in the Nashville Public Library is a space for education and exploration of the Civil Rights Collection. The materials exhibited capture the drama of a time when thousands of African-American citizens in Nashville sparked a nonviolent challenge to racial segregation in the city and across the South.

Ongoing
Nashville Sites

Follow in the steps of those who took a stand by taking a seat. The Civil Rights Sit-Ins tour was written and narrated by Fisk University professor Linda Wynn. The Downtown Civil Rights Sit-Ins tour begins at Chuch Street and Sixth Avenue North and ends at Rosa L. Parks Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Ongoing
Tennessee State Museum

Learn more about Black History at the Tennessee State Museum. The Civil War and Reconstruction were monumental times of conflict and change for the people of Tennessee. Featured artifacts and stories in this exhibit document a period that forced Tennesseans to take sides and make sacrifices.

Ongoing
The National Museum of African American Music

The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) officially opened to the public in January 2021. Discover the central role African Americans have played in shaping and creating all genres of American music. From classical to country to jazz and hip hop, NMAAM has integrated history and interactive technology to share the untold story of more than 50 music genres and sub-genres.Tours initially follow a weekend schedule and will be held on Saturdays and Sundays 11am-6pm.

Ongoing
United Street Tours

United Street Tours offers a Civil Rights Walking Tour of Nashville, a fascinating journey through the rich history of the Civil Rights Movement right here in the heart of Music City! This Nashville walking tour will take you on a captivating exploration of the city’s pivotal role in the pursuit for equality and inclusion.