Black History Month celebrates the significant impact that Black individuals and communities have had on America's history, culture, and progress. AARP is sponsoring or participating in a number of free events throughout North Carolina during February, listed here in chronological order.

Coastal Region
Discussion Series: “Fighting for the Right to Fight”
AARP will partner with the Montford Pointe Marine Museum to host a series of discussions titled “Fighting for the Right to Fight” every Thursday in February, 2:00–4:00 pm. Join us in Bldg M101 Camp Johnson, Jacksonville, NC 28542. See registration for access to the military base.

Speakers include Col. Grover C. Lewis, III, Major Isiah Johnson, Major James Capers, and MGySgt. Angel Christian, Jr.
Click here for more information and to register.

Mountain Region
Virtual Cooking Demonstration
2024’s theme for Black History Month is African Americans and the Arts. The mountain region celebrates the culinary arts on Thursday, February 15, 1:00–2:00 pm, with a virtual cooking demonstration featuring Shaniqua Simuel. Simuel is a public health nutrition and cooking educator who wants to help others think intentionally about their relationship with food, and she does it with pinto beans and cornbread! Learn more and register here:

Raleigh/Durham
Health and Wellness Fair
As part of the town of Carrboro’s monthlong celebration of Black History Month, the town is hosting a health and wellness fair on Saturday, February 24, 10:00 am–2:00 pm at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510. Visit AARP volunteers at our table there! Learn more about the event here.

Charlotte/Mecklenberg County

African American Heritage Festival
On Saturday, February 25, Charlotte’s Museum of History will host their annual African American Heritage Festival, which is free and open to all. This year’s festival will celebrate Blacks in the arts as well as the long-awaited arrival of the Siloam School to the Museum campus. This was one of the few schools in Mecklenberg County that educated Black children during Jim Crow days. You can find more information about the event here.


Triad Region (Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point
Documentary Film
AARP NC Triad will present “The Man Behind the Counter” at the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro on February 26. This is a documentary about the Woolworth’s sit-in that started a civil rights movement. The movie is free but you must register in advance A reception with light refreshments begins at 6:30 pm.

Black Community