City-Wide Black History Month Celebration & Signature Events

For more than 75 years, Our Authors’ Study Club has played a central role in shaping and presenting Los Angeles’ official observance of Black History Month. Since its founding in 1945 as a branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the Club has worked in consistent partnership with the City of Los Angeles, including the Office of the Mayor, to ensure that African American history is publicly honored, documented, and celebrated at the civic level.

The City-Wide Black History Month Celebration serves as the cornerstone of OASC’s annual programming and anchors a series of official events presented in collaboration with the City. These events bring together elected officials, scholars, artists, students, and community members to formally recognize Black history as an essential part of the American story.

Each year’s observance begins with a sequence of ceremonial and educational events hosted at Los Angeles City Hall, marking the official opening of Black History Month in the City:

• Opening of the Black History Month Art Exhibition at City Hall
  The celebration opens with the unveiling of a curated art exhibition in City Hall, showcasing visual works that reflect the national Black History Month theme and highlight African American history, culture, and creative expression.
   
• Official Opening Ceremony & Mayoral Proclamation
  An official opening ceremony follows, during which the City of Los Angeles formally proclaims Black History Month. This civic moment affirms the City’s recognition of African American contributions and reflects OASC’s longstanding role as a steward of public commemoration.
   
• Midday Educational Program
  A noon program held at City Hall features speakers, scholars, and cultural leaders who expand on the annual theme through historical context, reflection, and dialogue, reinforcing the educational mission at the heart of the celebration.
   

Following the opening ceremonies, OASC presents a series of signature programs—many of which are longstanding traditions—that extend the City-Wide celebration throughout Black History Month:

• Black History Roundtable Discussion & Student Poster Reception
  A moderated scholarly and community roundtable that explores the national Black History Month theme through historical analysis and contemporary relevance.

• Origin Award Evening Program at El Pueblo
  A featured program honoring legacy, lineage, and foundational contributions to African American history, culture, and civic life.
   
• An Afternoon / Evening with Authors
  A literary program spotlighting authors, scholars, and thought leaders whose work advances understanding of the African American experience through books, research, and storytelling.
   
• Official Legacies and Landmarks Black History Bus Tour
  A guided historical tour highlighting significant African American landmarks, neighborhoods, and sites across Los Angeles, connecting place-based history to lived experience.
   
• Dr. Carter G. Woodson Oratorical Contest
  A youth-centered academic competition that encourages students to research, write, and present original orations aligned with the national theme, fostering historical literacy and public speaking skills.