Guide to Celebrating Black History Month

Check out our guide to Celebrating Black History Month on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, many of these activities the entire family can enjoy!

Soul food takes its origins mostly from Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama, a collection of states commonly referred to as the Deep South. During the Transatlantic Slave Trade, enslaved African people were given meager food rations that were low in quality and nutritional value. With these rations, enslaved people preserved African food traditions and adapted traditional recipes with the resources available. Over time, these recipes and techniques have become the soul food dishes we are familiar with today. This food genre, now associated with comfort and decadence, was born out of struggle and survival.  

Soul food has a rich and important history that ties Black culture to its African roots, and that history is deeply reflected in the staple recipes and techniques. In soul food cooking, there are four key ingredients that establish a historical link to America’s dark slavery past and the African cultures that the enslaved carried with them. For more info, read The Humble History of Soul Food by Black Foodie.

Local Soul Food Restaurants

• Ms. Audrey’s Southern Kitchen and Catering in Gulfport
• Nana J’s Soulful Kitchen – Soul Food Restaurant in Ocean Springs 

VISIT A MUSEUM & HISTORICAL MARKERS 

The new exhibit Seen & Told: Alternative Narratives, the Art of Najee Dorsey will be on display at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art until April 2021. Also, visit the City Within a City exhibit and discover the inspiring story of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. The first non-violent protest in the state of Mississippi, the Biloxi Beach Wade-ins had a profound impact on the history of racial relations in the United States.

The Historical Society of Gulfport is Celebrating Black History Month by featuring the History of Black neighborhoods.

Also, take a trip to the local Mississippi Aviation Museum! John C. Robinson, a pioneering black Mississippi aviator and native of Gulfport, undertook a personal struggle against the rising tide of Italian fascist aggression in 1935 through enlistment in the Ethiopian Air Force of Emperor Haile Selassie.  

Well before U.S. entry into World War II, John C. Robinson won a national and international reputation as “The Brown Condor” for his heroic efforts against invading Italian forces in the skies over Ethiopia. When Italian aggression finally crushed Ethiopian resistance, Robinson returned to the U.S. where he became a nationally known advocate for the cause of Ethiopian freedom and a tireless promoter of aviation in the African American Community.

Robinson’s efforts were instrumental in the conception and creation of the aviation training program at Tuskegee Institute, which paved the way for the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II fame

Visit the Blues Trail Markers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast! Don’t forget to listen to the accompanying Spotify list, the Mississippi Blues Trail (complete list of installed markers)

MORE IDEAS & SUGGESTIONS

Purchase unique stationary from Hissy Fit Paper Co. They are also available for custom work. Let them design your stickers, labels, greeting cards, gift tags, pens, etc.

Buy an African-inspired mask or even an outfit from a locally owned online boutique! A personal fave is Aloha Glamour.

Grab the gals and head to brunch! Brick & Spoon in Biloxi offers a variety of southern inspired brunch options.