February 2025
This February, First 5 LA joins families and communities across Los Angeles in celebrating Black History Month. Originally conceived in 1926 as a way of preserving and sharing Black life, history, and culture, the event received its federal designation from Congress in 1986. Today, Black History Month offers the opportunity to reflect on the indelible contributions of Black Americans and the ongoing fight for equality.
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) selected this year’s theme, African Americans and Labor, as a way of highlighting the many ways that work in all its forms — “free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary” — has shaped this country and its economy. Enslaved people built the country’s early infrastructure — including the White House — and served as the economic engine in agriculture and other industries. Today, Black workers account for 13% of all U.S. workers, including those who work full-time, part-time and are self-employed.
But ASALH and others also note that, while celebrating the many accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans, it’s important to remember the injustices, challenges and obstacles they faced. Because Black history, as Harvard professor Imani Perry noted, is the history of labor, filled with exploitation, discrimination and poor work conditions. Today, these issues persist in the systemic racism that Black Americans face in employment.
“Black history is American history,” said President Barack Obama during a 2016 Black History Month event. He encouraged the audience to regard the annual event as more than just a simple commemoration of accomplishments and milestones:
It’s about the lived, shared experience of all African Americans, high and low, famous and obscure, and how those experiences have shaped and challenged and ultimately strengthened America. It’s about taking an unvarnished look at the past so we can create a better future. It’s a reminder of where we as a country have been so that we know where we need to go.
Today, the American experience is richer, vaster and more vibrant because of Black Americans, whose contributions can be felt in every aspect of our everyday lives, from medicine and education to the arts, from culture and sports to science and technology.
As L.A. families and their children endure in the aftermath of the L.A. wildfires and shifting political and social climates, First 5 LA stands proudly with our communities focused on the future. The work will be significant, making this year’s Black History Month theme that much more profound as we come together to recover and thrive. To learn more about Black History Month observances and celebrations, please visit our curated list of events below.
- LA County Library: Music with Iwalani – Feb. 04, 11:00am – 11:30am
- LA County Library: Baby Band: R&B and Soul – Feb. 04, 11:00am – 11:45am
- LA Public Library: Marcus Miller’s Drums – Feb. 04, 4pm
- LA Public Library: Black History Month Stay & Play – Feb. 04, 4:30pm
- City of Santa Monica: Tuesday Tales: A Travelin’ Storytime (Black History Month) – Feb. 04, 10:30am – 11:00am
- LA County Library: Ina, the Sunshine Storyteller – Feb. 05, 3:30pm – 4:30pm
- LA County Library: Jungle Drums Circle with Chazz Ross – Feb. 06, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
- LA County Library: African and Latin Hand Drumming – Feb. 07, 11:00am – 11:45am
- LA Public Library: Bubble Prints: Art Inspired by Alma Woodsey Thomas – Feb. 08, 10:30am – 11:30am
- Long Beach Promenade: Legacy & Unity: Black History Celebration on The Promenade – Feb. 08, 12pm – 4pm
- LA County Library: Read and Create: Whoosh! – Feb. 13, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
- National Museum of African American History and Culture: NMAAHC Kids Story Time: The Way Champs Play – Feb. 15, 10:30am – 12:45pm
- LA County Library: Space & Rockets Storytime and Craft – Feb. 20, 3:30pm – 4:30pm
- LA County Library: Creation Station: African American & Black Inventions – Feb. 20, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
- Black Education Expo: Celebrate Black History Month – Feb. 22, 9am – 3pm
- Altadena Library: “Observations in Black” Alfred Haymond Photography Exhibition Artist Reception – Feb. 22, 4pm – 6pm
- Aquarium of the Pacific: African American Festival – Feb. 23 & 24, 9:00 am–5:00 pm
- LA County Library: Basquiat’s Self-Portraits – Feb. 24, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
- LA County Library: Mae C. Jemison Ready for Take off – Feb. 25, 3:30pm – 4:30pm
- LA County Library: The Sunshine Storyteller: African Folktales – Feb. 27, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
- LA County Library: Smarty Pants Storytime – Feb. 28, 10:30am – 11:00am
- LA County Library: Smart Start: Book Program: The Snowy Day – Feb. 28, 10:30am – 11:30am
