Celebrating Black History Month 2025

Black history is American history, and honoring Black History Month during February offers an opportunity to showcase events at Gonzaga and in the Spokane community designed to educate, entertain and enlighten.

Consider the following opportunities to reflect on the significance of Black History Month in 2025:

Spokane Symphony: Daybreak of Freedom

Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 2 at 2 p.m., Fox Theater (1001 W. Sprague). The Spokane Symphony’s weekend concerts are built around composer William Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony,” a piece full of African rhythms and spiritual melodies. Also part of the performance is Joseph Schwantner’s “New Morning for the World (Daybreak of Freedom),” which sets pieces of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches to soaring orchestral sounds.

Black Voices Symposium

Feb. 10, 7 p.m., Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. Celebrating Black History Month, Northwest Passages and The Black Lens present the fourth annual Spokane Black Voices Symposium. African American students from the Spokane area will be presenting their work, focused on the theme: Powered by Courage.

Poetry Rising: Celebrate Black History Month

Feb. 10, 6 p.m., South Hill Library (3324 S. Perry St.). Celebrate Black History Month with poets Stephen Pitters, Gaye Hallman, Stephanie Noble Beans, jazz singer Inez Rahman, and author Teresa Brooks.

Black History Month at Foley Library

Feb. 1-28. The Foley Library collaborates with the Unity Multicultural Education Center to celebrate Black History Month. Social Justice Peer Educator Tj Aguma and the Foley Library display staff collaborate to create a book display focusing on African Americans and the contributions of Black people to the workforce throughout our nation’s history. The display includes books written by Black authors and influential figures throughout Black history. Finally, the display includes five historical individuals and descriptions of their contributions throughout the history of Black people and the workforce.

More Black History Month Resources

Black History Month

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Poems for Black History Month

National Geographic Black History Month Basics