Read, Watch, and Experience Black History This Month — And All Year

Since Black History Month falls in February, and since it is cold and snowy in New York, we thought in addition to rounding up a few places to experience Black history, we’d also pair those places with a book or a documentary for anyone less inclined to brave the elements. It’s also a good reminder that Black history exists all the time — so check out some books from your local library and support your local PBS station this winter, and then make sure to visit the places that are promoting this history through the year. There are countless places around New York State doing incredible work to preserve and celebrate Black history and it is always a good time to support them.

READ: Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry by Imani Perry, a “revealing portrait of one of the most gifted and charismatic, yet least understood, Black artists and intellectuals of the twentieth century.” Perry’s biography shines a light on Hansberry’s important contributions, both in terms of her creative output and her activism. Though best known for her play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry was a vocal advocate for social justice and gay rights.

VISIT: Take yourself on a walking tour exploring places associated with “Influential Black New Yorkers,” a theme curated by the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. Two of Lorraine Hansberry’s former residences are included among other African American writers, performers, and activists.

WATCH: North to New York: The Capital Region & the Great Migration, produced by the Capital District’s local PBS affiliate WHMT. This documentary is about “the history and legacy of those that left all they knew behind to make the Capital Region home.” In Albany, there was a particular migration of people coming from the small town of Shubuta, Mississippi. Those who left Mississippi for Albany built a new community reminiscent of their old — a community that still exists.

VISIT: The Rapp Road Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 — the only historic district in Albany listed because of its African American history. For years the neighborhood has been threatened by development pressure (the League included Rapp Road on our Seven to Save list in 2016). Local residents, many of whom are direct descendants of the original founders of Rapp Road, continue to advocate for their community. The Rapp Road Historical Association hosts events, tours, and provides great information about the history of Rapp Road online.

READ: When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole. This thriller is set in a historic Brooklyn neighborhood where gentrification takes a truly sinister form. The book asks the question, "Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out?" In response to the rapid changes happening around her, the book’s main character decides to dig into her neighborhood’s history and starts offering walking tours. The very real Weeksville Heritage Center makes an appearance

VISIT: Located in Central Brooklyn, Weeksville was one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America. The historic Hunterfly Row Houses are a tangible link to the past, with structures dating back as far as the 1860s. The nonprofit Weeksville Heritage Center uses education, arts, and a social justice lens to preserve, document, and inspire engagement with the history of Weeksville.

WATCH: The PBS POV documentary Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed, directed by Shola Lynch. Shirley Chisholm was a true trailblazer. She began her career in early childhood education before entering politics, being elected to the NYS Assembly in 1964. In 1969, she moved to national politics, representing New York's 12th congressional district (Bedford–Stuyvesant) until 1983. Chisholm ran for President in 1972 using the slogan “Unbought and Unbossed” — she was the first Black candidate for a major-party nomination and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's nomination.

VISIT: The Museum of the City of New York to see Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100, on view through July 20, 2025. The exhibition presents Chisholm through an array of artifacts, art, photographs, and video, showing Chisholm as both an inspirational figure and a changemaker whose work remains unfinished. 

READ: Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead. This coming-of-age story is set in the historically African American vacation community of Sag Harbor, located on the East End of Long Island.

VISIT: Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Beach Subdivisions, known collectively as SANS, were planned communities built by and for African American families in the mid-twentieth century. The first subdivision, Azurest, was started by sisters Maude Terry and Amaza Lee Meredith. Intense racism and segregation meant most vacation destinations were not available to Black people — places like SANS became havens where communities of color could safely exist. You can explore this community, and walk in Whitehead’s footsteps, thanks to the Eastville Community Historical Society and their free self-guided walking tours.

WATCH: The Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights produced by Buffalo Toronto Public Media. The Niagara Movement represents a defining moment in the fight for civil rights in this country. A precursor to the NAACP, the Niagara Movement only existed as an organized entity from 1905-1909, but its impact was great. The Niagara Movement actually got its start in Buffalo, thanks in part to Mary Burnett Talbert. You can find a historical marker in her honor on Michigan Avenue, around the corner from the current location of the Buffalo branch NAACP.

VISIT: The Michigan Avenue African American Heritage Corridor is home to several cultural anchors with links to the founding of the Niagara Movement, including the Michigan Street Baptist Church and the Nash House Museum (the Rev. J. Edward Nash, Sr. was pastor of the Michigan Street Baptist Church from 1892 until his retirement in 1953).

READ: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. This book is comprised of two essays written by Baldwin on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, urging all Americans to reckon with the legacy of racism in America. The essays take the form of testimonial, forcing White audiences to confront the lived reality of Black Americans.

VISIT: There is a large-scale commemorative display in the window at 70 Fifth Avenue at 13th Street celebrating the centennial of James Baldwin’s birth. The installation, designed by Penny Hardy of PSNewYork and commissioned by Village Preservation, features a dynamic graphic and interactive components that invite viewers to engage with Baldwin’s work and ideas, encouraging dialogue around his relevance in today’s societal context. If you’re in the neighborhood you can also visit Baldwin’s former residence at 81 Horatio Street where you’ll find a plaque detailing the building’s significance.

READ: On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles. Written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, this biography tells the story of America’s first, self-made female millionaire. The League was honored to recognized Bundles herself with a Pillar of New York Award in 2022.

VISIT: Villa Lewaro was Madam C. J. Walker’s estate in Irvington. Walker was self-made, but her entrepreneurship extended to helping other women of color build lives for themselves as well. At Villa Lewaro she would host conventions for her sales agents, often numbering in the hundreds. The estate also served as a gathering place for notable leaders of the Harlem Renaissance. Villa Lewaro is now owned by the New Voices Foundation, which is carrying on Madam Walker’s legacy through their efforts to support women of color entrepreneurs.