Bridgeport, CT – The City of Bridgeport is celebrating Black History Month during February 2024 and recognizes this year’s theme: African Americans and the Arts. This year’s theme is set to highlight some of the most notable African Americans within the arts throughout history, as all areas of art are considered. Significant figures like Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Louis Armstrong, Jean-Michele Basquiat, and others, are just a few that exemplify the many voices protruding from African Americans within the vastness of the arts.

“Bridgeport is culturally rich community with a large amount of emphasis on inclusivity, and I think it’s a wonderful thing to highlight our African American communities as much as possible, especially in the ways they express themselves,” stated Mayor Ganim. “There are so many stories to be told—whether they encompass joy, pain, or love; this Black History Month theme is very important for African American communities to share their life experiences with the rest of the world.”

As this month puts creativity underneath the Black History Month microscope, there are many City-wide events for residents and visitors to attend throughout the month of February, listed below. All are encouraged to visit any of these events while keeping up with the City of Bridgeport social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on other events happening this month.

• Bridgeport Public Library: Black History Month-specific events will be held throughout the month; visit https://bportlibrary.org/calendar/ to check the calendar for different library branch locations
• February 8^th: Frederick Douglas: An American Slave at the Klein Memorial Auditorium
• February 8^th: HAHA Davis at the Stress Factory (Special Event)
• February 9^th: Rhonda Denet (Jazz/Soul Vocalist) at the Klein Memorial Auditorium
• February 10^th: Reading the Classics at Kindred Thoughts Bookstore: Kindred by Octavia Butler
• February 10^th: The Writer’s Group with Shanna Melton
• February 24^th: Black Wall Street Bridgeport Pop-Up Market
• February 27^th: Black History Month Pop-Up Market hosted by the Small & Minority Business Enterprise
• January 25^th through March 1^st: FACES Exhibit at City Lights Gallery, Portraiture by Black CT Artists