Your Guide to Black History Month with Kids in NYC

Black History Month at the New York Botanical Garden

All month long NYBG is hosting events in-person and online for kids and adults. Children's programming includes storytelling  at the Everett Children's Adventure Garden and activity time to discover the cultural influences of the African Diaspora and reinforce the importance of green space and caring for the natural world.

Online: nybg.org

Black Future Festival at Brooklyn Children's Museum

Join BCM for a week of reflection and future-forward fun inspired by the national celebration of peoples of the African Diaspora and Black History Month. With the help of a curator from Àṣẹ Dance Theatre Collective, the museum will present interactive dance performances and a Genea-Djali workshop, plus storytelling inspired by Crown Heights, quilting and genealogy workshops, local eats and much more. Tickets must be reserved in advance. 

Sat., Feb. 19-Sun., Feb. 27
Tickets: $13/adults & kids; $12/grandparents 
Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave. 
Crown Heights
Online: brooklynkids.org

African/American: Making the Nation’s Table at Museum of Food and Drink

The Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) presents African/American: Making the Nation’s Table. Displayed within the newly-constructed home of partner The Africa Center at Aliko Dangote Hall, this first-of-its-kind exhibition celebrates the countless contributions of Black chefs, farmers, and food and drink producers who have laid the foundation for American food culture. Highlights include the Legacy Quilt, which depicts, a selection of hundreds of stories; those who wish can contribute their own stories via an online interactive component. Also on display is the Ebony Magazine Test Kitchen—saved from wreckage thanks to preservationists Landmarks Illinois and accessible to the public for the first time in history. Described by The Chicago Tribune as “the most distinctive test kitchen ever created,” it was the site where recipes from Ebony food editors created dishes such as oyster gumbo to sweet potato pudding. The multisensory experience features a soundtrack curated by musician, farmer and chef Kelis, and video interviews with former Ebony food editors.

Opens February 23, Wed-Sun., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
1280 5th Ave. 
East Harlem
201-371-3550
Online: mofad.org

The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure

Coinciding with Black History Month, Walt Disney’s regional jazz exhibit, “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,” will open at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem on Feb. 10. Kids will recognize Joe Gardner – the musician, mentor and teacher from Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” – on a tour as they discover the rich and surprising history of jazz. The exhibit was Introduced at The American Adventure inside EPCOT at Walt Disney World, and illustrates the many different cultures and creators who influenced this evolving genre. While in Harlem, the exhibit will include a unique collection of artifacts curated by The National Jazz Museum, including a player piano, a working 78rpm Victrola and Duke Ellington’s white grand piano. Additionally, there will be maquettes of characters Joe Gardner and Dorothea Williams, and virtual experiences via the Play Disney Parks app. 

Tickets: Free. Tickets must be reserved in advance. 
Feb. 10-Aug. 31, 2022
Thurs.-Sat., Noon-5 p.m.
National Jazz Museum in Harlem 
58 W. 129th St. 
Online: jmih.org

Louis Armstrong House Museum

It's an amazing thing that you can visit legend Louis Armstrong's house in Queens, and in honor of Black History Month the museum is offering a special tour highlighting Armstrong’s relationship to civil rights in America from February 10 26. The Armstrong Archival Collections, which are among the most significant Black archival collections in the world and the largest single jazz archives in the world, document Armstrong’s life as a seminal figure in the histories of civil rights, social justice, African-American culture, music, and film. Get tickets for that tour ($12-15/person) here.

Open Thurs. - Sat.  
Tickets: $12-15/person; free/kids five and under 
Louis Armstrong House Museum
34-56 107th St.
Corona
718-478-8274
Online: louisarmstronghouse.org

Apollo Theater

Founded in 1914, the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem has been a major cultural force and venue for American music and artists, showcasing genres such as jazz, R & B, gospel, soul and hip-hop. Its world-famous amateur night began in 1934, with many future legends taking the stage early in their career. Other giants of music and entertainment who have performed here include Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday. 

253 W. 125th St. 
Harlem
Online: apollotheater.org

Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling

Located in the neighborhood that served as the heart of the Harlem Renaissance, the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling works to provide children with the opportunity to see and talk about art, as well as make art from their own stories. The museum seeks to support kids challenged by poverty by fostering creative and cognitive skills that prepare children for social and academic success. 

898 St. Nicholas Ave. 
Harlem
212-335-0004
Online: sugarhillmuseum.org

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is dedicated to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences. The research library also hosts public programs and exhibitions, as well as events such as the popular Black Comic Book Festival. Check out the Center’s Black Liberation List for Young Readers.  

515 Malcolm X Blvd. (135th St and Malcolm X Blvd.)
Harlem
917-275-6975
Online: nypl.org/locations

Studio Museum Harlem

Founded in 1968, The Studio Museum Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally, and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by Black culture. While it is currently closed, you can see more about its educational and community engagement programs here.  

429 W. 127th St. 
Harlem
212-864-4500
Online: studiomuseum.org

The Shabazz Center 

The Shabazz Center facilitates thought exchange around racial equity, justice, and cultural production in the spirit of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, his wife. The building was previously known as the Audubon Ballroom, and is where Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965. (The current center opened in 2005 after significant renovation and restoration.) 

3940 Broadway
Washington Heights
Online: theshabazzcenter.org

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Founded by trailblazer Alvin Ailey in 1958 with the goal of celebrating black culture through dance, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues that tradition today. In addition to performances by its repertory companies, the theater offers workshops and classes for kids as young as two years old. 

405 W. 55th St. 
Midtown
212-405-9000
Online: alvinailey.org

African Burial Ground

The largest and earliest African burial ground in the United States and a National Historic Landmark, the African Burial Ground dates from the middle 1630s to 1795. Discovered in 1991 during the construction of a building at 290 Broadway, it was determined to contain, over six acres, the intact skeletal remains of as many as 15,000 enslaved and free Africans. The site is now home to a public monument, where remains of more than 419 Africans are interred; an interpretive center, and research library to honor and commemorate the lives of enslaved and free Africans in colonial New York. 

26 Wall St. 
Financial District
212-238-4367
Online: nps.gov

Seneca Village 

Before the land became part of Central Park, the area between W. 82nd and W. 89th Streets was home to Seneca Village, a predominantly Black Community. Built on what was previously farmland, Seneca Village existed from 1825 to 1857 and was exceptional in that about half of its Black residents owned their homes, which also provided a pathway to voting rights. You can take a virtual tour of Seneca Village here.

Between W. 82nd & W. 89th Streets
Central Park
Upper West Side
Online: centralparknyc.org

A Great Day in Harlem Stoop

On August 12, 1958, 57 jazz musicians gathered at 10 a.m. on a stoop in Harlem for what would be one of the most iconic images in music history. Among the giants of the form were Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Farmer, Thelonious Monk, Lester Young and Mary Lou Williams. 

17 E. 126th St. 
Harlem
Online: google.com/maps

Frederick Douglass Statues

You can find two statues of the famous abolitionist, writer, orator and publisher in New York City. One, at the entrance to the New York Historical Society (you’ll find Abraham Lincoln at the other entrance) and a second near the northwest corner of Central Park. Find the eight-foot Gabriel Koren piece at Frederick Douglass Circle at 110th Street and Eighth Avenue. 

170 Central Park West at 77th Street
Upper West Side 
212-873-3400
Online: nyhistory.org

Frederick Douglass Circle 
110th Street and Eight Avenue
Harlem 
Online: nycgovparks.org

Duke Ellington Memorial

This impressive tribute to composer, jazz musician and bandleader can be found at the northeast corner of Central Park at 110th Street and Fifth Avenue. Rendered in bronze by sculptor Robert Graham, the groundbreaking talent and longtime Harlem resident stands next to a grand piano, and the monument measures 25-feet-high. 

Duke Ellington Circle
110th Street & Fifth Ave. 
Harlem 
Online: nycgovparks.org

Harriet Tubman Memorial Statue

Find this powerful bronze statue of trailblazing abolitionist Harriet Tubman at Harriet Tubman Square, located at the intersection of Frederick Douglass Boulevard, St. Nicholas Avenue and 122nd Street. Also known as "Swing Low", the sculpture is by Alison Saar. The figure of Tubman is shown pulling the roots of slavery out of the ground with faces on her dress representing the people she helped gain freedom through her work as the leader of the Underground Railroad. 

122nd St.
Harlem
Online: nycgovparks.org

Weeksville Heritage Center 

Located in Central Brooklyn, Weeksville was one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America. Weeksville is home to the Hunterfly Road Houses, which were purchased by James Weeks and other investors in 1838 to create a community of Black land-owners, and you can visit them today. The Weeksville Heritage Center works to educate the public about Weeksville and similar communities, as well as serve as a center supporting Black culture, community and creativity and social justice initiatives.

158 Buffalo Ave. 
Crown Heights
718-756-5250
Online: weeksvillesociety.org

Shirley Chisholm State Park 

Named for Brooklyn-born Shirley Chisholm, the first African American Congresswoman and the first woman and African American to run for President, this New York State Park is a waterside green space that opened in TK. Rising 130 feet above sea level, the park provides visitors with spectacular views of New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay, the Empire State Building and beyond. The park has 10 miles of bike trails and a bike loaner program, waterside access via a pier and patio, environmental education programs such as guided bird-watching and fishing. 

The park has two entrances:

950 Fountain Ave.

1750 Pennsylvania Ave.
Starrett City
Online: parks.ny.gov/parks/shirleychisholm

Plymouth Church & Abolitionist Place

Built in 1849 and located in Brooklyn Heights, the historic Plymouth Church was a major stop on the Underground Railroad, sometimes referred to as its "Grand Central Depot." Its first minister was abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe author of her anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Abraham Lincoln also visited and worshipped here in 1860—apparently he sat in pew 89!

75 Hicks St.
Brooklyn Heights
Online: plymouthchurch.org

Abolitionist Place

The building at 227 Duffield Street in downtown Brooklyn is also an important place in New York's anti-slavery movement. Dating to the mid-19th century, the former residence of abolitionists Thomas and Harriet Truesdell is located on what is now called "Abolitionist Place." The area was a center of anti-slavery activism, containing numerous safe houses and stops on the Underground Railroad. Just this month, it received landmark status. 

227 Duffield St. 
Downtown Brooklyn
Online: maap.columbia.edu

Louis Armstrong House Museum

The world-renowned instrumentalist and vocalist Louis Armstrong AKA “Satchmo” settled in Corona, Queens with his wife Lucille in 1943, and never left. His home, now a National Historic Landmark, has been preserved in all its mid-century glory, and you can learn more about the man, his music and humanitarian work here. 

34-56 107th St.
Corona
718-478-8274
Online: louisarmstronghouse.org

Sandy Ground Historical Society

Located in Staten Island, Sandy Ground is the oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement in the United States. Established by oystermen who migrated from Maryland fleeing restrictive laws, the community also served as a crucial stop on the Underground Railroad. The Historical Society stages exhibits, events and offers tours, and contains the largest collection of documents detailing Staten Island’s African-American history and culture. 

1538 Woodrow Rd.
Staten Island
718-317-5796
Online: sandyground.wordpress.com