Fifth-grader Christian “C.J.” Jones wrote a book about believing in yourself. It’s called “Youth Cheat Code,” and it’s named after his basketball team.
He’s a student at North Wayne Elementary School, part of the youth mentorship program 100 Black Men and he has big dreams of making it to the NBA — inspired by Steph Curry and his basketball coach (who is also his dad).
You can meet Jones and four other kid-authors at the Indy Reads Black Youth Author Fair on Feb. 23. Plus, we gathered 14 more events that honor Black history and culture during Black History Month.
Watch five 10-minute plays about Indiana Avenue
🗓️ Jan. 31 to Feb. 2
📍 District Theatre Cabaret, 627 Massachusetts Ave.
🎟️ $15
Indiana Avenue is a street with a vibrant history. Watching the plays, you’ll learn about a Black police officer’s legacy, hear from the ghost of Madam C.J. Walker, witness the fight against gentrification in the 60s, see a love triangle set in a jazz club and feel betrayed by a seductive barber.
Lift your voice for gospel, pop and Broadway songs
🗓️ 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1
📍 Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd St.
🎟️ Free
Join the Butler Black Alumni Association and sing as a community. No singing experience is required, but you can come early at 2 p.m. for rehearsal if you’d like. Markell Pipkins will direct the group. Listeners are welcome to watch the performance at 3 p.m..
“Nina Simone: Four Women” explores resilience
🗓️ Feb. 4 to March 2
📍 Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington St.
🎟️ $25-$108. There are also student matinees.
The play by Christina Ham – presented by the Indiana Repertory Theatre – imagines singer-songwriter Nina Simone in conversation with three other Black women. It’s a way to understand Simone’s music and resilience during the Civil Rights Movement.
Art on the Ave: “An Afrofuturism exhibition”
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6
📍 Madam Walker Legacy Center, 617 Indiana Ave.
🎟️ Free
This opening reception features Black women from the Midwest imagining what the future will look like. Mariah Ivey curated the show, which includes the work of Amiah Mims, Tasha Beckwith, Dana Powell Smith, Miracle Hall and Tashema Davis.
Go to a festival full of first-time playwrights
🗓️ Feb. 7-8
📍 Flanner House, 2424 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.
🎟️ $5 festival pass covers both days
Playwright Austin Dean Ashford has been mentoring a group of first-time playwrights for months, and their 11 plays will premiere Feb. 7-8. The festival is a partnership between Flanner House and IF Theatre.
Watch a show about a ship that connected Brazil to America’s illegal slave trade
🗓️ 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8
📍 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St.
🎟️ $10-$20, with student and virtual ticket options available.
Antonio Rocha uses his voice and body to narrate and mime the story of a historical ship in “The Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and the Middle Passage.” Rocha uses this story of the slave industry to connect the ship back to his hometown, Rio de Janeiro.
Catch a Freetown Village singers performance
🗓️ Feb. 8, 18, 21 and 22
📍 Check their events page for locations
🎟️ Free
The Freetown Village singers blend storytelling traditions with songs and spirituals. They have been performing at events across the state since 1988, and have four events coming up in February.
Go behind the scenes of Walk & Talk history tours
🗓️ 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20
📍 Polklore Micro Museum at the Harrison Center, 1533 Lewis St.
🎟️ Free
The third Thursday of each month, Sampson Levingston hosts lunch and learn sessions to share how he creates his popular Walk & Talk history tours. Bring your lunch, and take time to check out the Polklore Micro Museum, which uses virtual reality to tell the story of the Martindale Brightwood neighborhood.
Find your flow with Indy Black Professionals’ yoga night
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20
📍 The AMP at 16 Tech, 1220 Waterway Blvd.
🎟️ Free, but RSVP
Bring a yoga mat for “Stretch & Socialize,” which will be taught by Tiny Tapas Yoga Studio. Afterward, network and enjoy refreshments.
And if you miss the yoga night, Indy Black Professionals is hosting a Black History Month trivia night Feb. 28.
Celebrate Indy’s Black Firefighters at a black-tie gala
🗓️ 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21
📍 Biltwell Event Center, 950 S. White River Parkway W. Dr.
🎟️ $35
The Indianapolis Black Firefighters Association will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a brunch and a gala. Brunch runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 21, and costs $35 per ticket.
At the gala, IFD Chief Ernest Malone, who’s been with the department since he won rookie of the year in 1986, will be the keynote speaker. IBFA also has a museum showcasing the history of Black firefighters in Indianapolis, which you can visit at Old Station No. 31, at 1201 E. 46th St.
Meet kid writers at Indy Reads’ Black Youth Author fair
🗓️ 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23
📍 Indy Reads, 1066 Virginia Ave.
🎟️ Free
Meet five published authors between 6 and 14 years old. They will answer questions during a panel discussion, and then read their books aloud. The books include stories like a whale nervous about a doctor’s appointment, an autobiographical tale of one author’s basketball team and a guide to money skills for kids.
Visit the Crispus Attucks Museum
🗓️ By appointment, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
📍 Crispus Attucks High School, 1140 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.
🎟️ $10
Crispus Attucks High School is named after Attucks himself, a Black man who was one of the first soldiers to die in the Revolutionary War. The high school’s museum has memorabilia that shows its history as the first all-Black high school in the state.
Watch three free movies at the Kan-Kan Cinema
🗓️ Feb. 6, Feb. 22 and Feb. 28
📍 Kan-Kan Cinema, 1258 Windsor St.
🎟️ Free
For their “Untold Stories of Black History” series, the Kan-Kan Cinema is offering free screenings of “The Six Triple Eight” on Feb. 6, “Black Barbie” on Feb. 22 and “Haughville USA” on Feb. 28.
After “Black Barbie,” a documentary about three Black women at Mattel, writer and director Lageuria Davis will be available for a Q&A. “Haughville USA” will also have a Q&A afterward with director Ben Rose, who started the Indianapolis Black Theater Company.
See free movies at the Center for Black Literature and Culture
🗓️ Check out the library’s online calendar
📍 Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
🎟️ Free
Every Monday during February, the Center for Black Literature and Culture is showing films about Black history and culture for its “Melanated Monday” movie series.
The movies will be: Disney Pixar’s “Soul” Feb. 3, “Black Art in the Absence of Light” Feb. 10, “Mighty Times: The Children’s March” Feb. 17 and “Black in Space: Breaking the Color Barrier” Feb. 24.
There are more events to choose from, too, including a talk that ties together the history of African American storytelling and quilting and a “Soulful Pages” book club.
Join a book club at Indy’s only banned-book bookstore
🗓️ 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18
📍 Loudmouth Books, 212 E. 16th St.
🎟️ “The Message” is $30 from Loudmouth Books
Leah Johnson, the author of “You Should See Me in a Crown,” is also the owner of Loudmouth Books. Every month, Loudmouth hosts a book club. February’s book is “The Message” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
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