25 ways to celebrate Black History Month 2023 in Delaware

It’s Black History Month, and in Delaware, there is no shortage of ways to celebrate it.

The First State has a bunch of year-round learning opportunities related to Black history, from touring the Harriet Tubman Byway to visiting the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage. Online, you can explore the Zwaanendael Museum’s exhibit on beach segregation in Delaware, “Segregated Sands,” or the Delaware Art Museum’s African American Artists exhibit.

Special events this month include offerings from the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Delaware Libraries, Spending Black Matters and Delaware State University. Here’s a taste:

• Voices of Power with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf” — Feb. 9, 6 p.m. at the Wilmington Public Library
• Folk Art & Culture with Eunice LaFate — Feb. 11, 12 p.m. at Village of Brandywine Clubhouse
• Struggles for Equality — ‘The Letter of the Law — Feb. 11, 10:30 a.m. at the Old State House
• Enslavement and the Underground Railroad in Delaware: Stories from Below the Canal — Feb. 13, 5 p.m. at Laurel Public Library
• African Americans and the Civil War — Feb. 13, 10:30 am at the Elsemere Library; Feb. 16, 3 p.m. at The Selbyville Public Library
• Voices of Power with Phylicia Rashad — Feb. 15, 6 p.m. at the Wilmington Public Library
• Black Business Excellence in The First State (Sussex County) — Feb 17, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at First State Community Action
• Struggles for Equality — ‘An Uphill Battle: The Unfulfilled Promise of the Civil War 1865-1896′ — Feb. 18, 1 p.m. at the Old State House
• Amateur Sweet Potato Pie Contest (tribute to Mary McLeod Bethune), Feb 18, 2 p.m. at the Wilmington Public Library
• We Hold These Truths: A Celebration of Black Excellence concert and discussion — Feb. 19, 4 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church
• Black Business Excellence in the First State (New Castle County) — Feb. 22, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Canaan Baptist Church
• Well Seasoned Heirlooms — Feb. 24, 12 p.m. on the New Castle County Courthouse Museum Facebook page and Zoom
• 2nd Annual Spending Black Matters Marketplace — Feb. 25, 12 to 6 p.m. at the Wilmington Public Library
• The Evolution of Black Recorded Music: ‘The Rock-n-Roll Soul’ — Feb. 25, 1 p.m. at the Old State House
• Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Delaware’s Forgotten Daughter — Feb. 26, 2 p.m. at Appoquinimink Library
• Thar She Blows! Whaling on the High Seas — Feb. 26, 1:30 pm at the New Castle County Courthouse Museum
• Black Business Excellence in The First State (Kent County), Feb 28, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Delaware State University

If you’re looking for more local Black-owned businesses to support, check out DelawareBlack.com’s Black Business Directory and the WilmingtonMade Black Owned Business list.

Want to donate to organizations that uplift Black communities in Delaware? Check these out:

• One Village Alliance
• REACH Riverside
• NERDiT Cares
• Wilmington Alliance

Have more ideas? Reach out at delaware@technical.ly.