Community Connection ~ February 8, 2026: The History of Black History

Happy Black History Month! This month, we invite you to dig into the history of Black history, and to join your community in celebrating 100 years of Black history commemorations.

That’s right - this year marks a full century since Dr. Carter G. Woodson designated the first observance of what was then called Negro History Week. Dr. Woodson also founded what is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the center of scholarship around Black history and the organization responsible for continuing his work. This year’s theme is, fittingly, “A Century of Black History Commemorations,” and there is a wealth of information about it on the ASALH website. We particularly recommend A Century of Black History Commemorations Timeline and the Black History Month Media Toolkit.

After you’ve explored the ASALH website, take your Black history commemoration into the real world and celebrate alongside your community! There are tons of events happening in the Valley over the next three weeks, including everything from art to films to music to books…there’s truly something for everyone. The website PhxSoul.com published a great list of events here. We found a few additional events listed in this article from ABC15. And it’s also worth an online search of your own - you never know what you might find! After all, neither of the previous articles listed this kid-centered event happening at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, so there are certainly other events happening in the area.

In fact, if you discover any other events the Desert Mission community should know about, please share them! You can comment on our posts on Facebook or Instagram.