Zelos Marchandt

Zelos Marchandt is a multimedia creative living in Portland. Read More

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Cascade Festival of African Films is the nation’s longest-running nonprofit African film festival.

Credit: Cascade Festival of African Films

Black History Month in Portland

Celebrate African American excellence with music, art, festivals and more.

Updated Jan. 27, 2020 1 min read

Zelos Marchandt

Zelos Marchandt is a multimedia creative living in Portland. Read More

Every February, Americans of all races and backgrounds celebrate Black History Month by commemorating iconic civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Black History Month’s founder, Carter G. Woodson. A citywide celebration includes the annual Black History Festival NW, which hosts events all month long (check their website for a full lineup of events). Join in on celebrating, honoring and acknowledging Black history in Portland and beyond at these local events.

PDX Jazz Festival

Jumptown, Portland’s raucous jazz scene of the 1940s, is sadly lost, but every year around February and March, visitors can dive into today’s sea of jazz greats at the PDX Jazz Festival. The festival honors special jazz aniversaries and legends, along with feature performances by legendary artists. Previous performers have included the likes of Grammy award-winning bass extraordinaire Stanley Clarke. PDX Jazz Festival performances — including many free shows — are held at multiple venues across the city every year.

Cascade Festival of African Films

Billed as the longest-running nonprofit African film festival in America, Portland’s free Cascade Festival of African Films has celebrated African achievements and hopes for the future since 1991. Through its roster of films, the month-long festival aims to share stories of Africa as told by actual Africans, rather than the Western-made narratives that Americans typically see. Hosted by the Hollywood Theatre and Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus, the festival also includes staged theatrical readings, talk-backs with the films’ creators, an African marketplace and a social hour with food and live music every Saturday.

Black History Month Events

Celebrate Black History Month at these upcoming events throughout Portland.

Full Calendar

Editor's Pick

Feb. 1–29, 2020

Black History Festival NW

Venues Citywide

Black History Festival NW is an all-ages celebration of culture and heritage showcasing Black artists, businesses, organizations, and leaders through arts, education and advocacy, utilizing Black History Month to celebrate the African Diaspora, bridge gaps, amplify truth, unity and hope in the Pacific Northwest. See the festival website for a full lineup of events.

Editor's Pick

Black History Month

Cultural Communities

Festival

Editor's Pick

Jan. 31–Feb. 29, 2020

Cascade Festival of African Films

PCC Cascade Campus & Hollywood Theatre Free

A free popular Portland event for 29 years, this year’s film festival features five weeks of more than 30 feature, documentary and short films by established and emerging African directors from 18 countries. The Cascade Festival of African Films shows us Africa through the eyes of Africans, rather than a vision of Africa packaged for…

Editor's Pick

Black History Month

Cultural Communities

Festival

Film

Editor's Pick

Feb. 20–Mar. 1, 2020

PDX Jazz Festival

Various venues

The Portland Jazz Festival returns every February with a stellar series of concerts and events celebrating Black History Month.

Editor's Pick

African American

Cultural Communities

Events

Festivals

Music

Editor's Pick

Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020

Black Arts Festival

Reed College Free

Join Reed College in celebrating its third annual Black Arts Festival! Family-friendly, free and open to all, this festival offers a full concert experience with performances by: BbymuthaMaarquiiZsa ZsaBnickFather FannieHouse of OliverThese musical performances are accompanied by a BIPoC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Community Marketplace, featuring local vendors and food and drink purveyors,…

Editor's Pick

Black History Month

Cultural Communities

Food & Drink

Music

Shopping

Annual Events

Get to know Portland's vibrant maker, dining and music scenes at these annual events.

Full Calendar

My People’s Market Spotlights Local Entrepreneurs of Color

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Soul’d Out Music Festival

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Support Black-Owned Restaurants Week

African-American-owned restaurants are featured during Portland's Support Black-Owned Restaurant Week, but they shine all year long.

Meet a Local

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Go to African American Community

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Meet Kiauna Floyd, Owner of Amalfi’s Italian Restaurant

Northeast Portland trattoria Amalfi’s has offered the same old-school recipes and community support for three generations.

Seven Great African Restaurants in Portland

Enjoy flavorful dishes from Ethiopia, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire and beyond at these local eateries.

Meet Bertony Faustin, Oregon’s First Black Winemaker

Oregon’s first Black winemaker, Bertony Faustin has been building community since 2007, when he launched his small-batch winery, Abbey Creek

Two Women to Watch in Portland’s Southern Food Scene

Satisfy those comfort food cravings at these women-led restaurants and food carts.

Budtender Tiara Darnell Is Shaking up Portland’s Cannabis Industry

The national cannabis scene is predominantly white and male; Portland’s Tiara Darnell, named Oregon’s best budtender for 2017, is working to change that.

Portland Brewer Lee Hedgmon Defies Stereotypes About Beer and Race

Sample Hedgmon’s one-of-a-kind stouts and spirits at Edgefield and Ground Breaker.

Portland’s Best Soul Food Spots

Eat your way through North or Northeast Portland to find Southern food dishes that taste like they were flown in from the Mississippi Delta.

Green Hop: The World’s First Historical Hip-Hop Dispensary

Northeast Portland dispensary Green Hop pairs recreational cannabis with local music and community-building.

Chef Salimatu Amabebe Showcases Nigerian Recipes and Black Artists

A Portland chef hosts scrumptious pop-up dinners, brunches and Black Feast events.

Music and Dancing

Enjoy a night of music and dancing with these local performers and venues around Portland.

Go To Dance

The New Class of the Portland R&B Scene

A new generation of artists is attracting more light to the Portland R&B scene than ever before.

The Portland Hip-Hop Scene

Take a deep dive into the past, present and future of Portland's hip-hop scene with our expert guide to the best performers, showcases, stores and more.

Young, Gifted and Brown Fosters Community Through Dance in Portland

Y.G.B. aims to create healing spaces for Black and Brown Portlanders.