Our Theme: This year's Black Heritage Festival theme is Legacy & Innovation: Framing the Future of Our Culture. Under the direction of Dr. Teresa Walker Jackson, the SBHF Committee worked together in the development of this year's theme. They want to educate the community in the vast scope of innovations created by these visionary leaders.

All Festival performances and activities are free and open to the public!

Schedule of Events

February 1, 2024

Official Greetings for the 35th Annual Savannah Black Heritage Festival-Van R. Johnson, II, Mayor, City of Savannah & Cynthia Robinson Alexander, President, Savannah State University. View at www.savannahblackheritagefestival.org

Laying of Memorial Wreaths. Memorial wreaths presented at the seven African-American Historic Monuments, World War II; Vietnam Memorials. Coordinated by local youth organizations. For locations and visit www.savannahblackheritagefestival.org.

82nd National Freedom Day Observance at Savannah State University (3219 College Street) commemorating President Abraham Lincoln's signing a resolution for the 13th Constitutional Amendment to outlaw Slavery.The observance was initiated by Richard R. Wright, a former slave and 1st President of Savannah State University. The wreath laying ceremony will take place at the Richard R. Wright bust at Alexis Circle followed by a roundtable discussion. The discussion will be at 6:30 pm at the Student Union Ballroom and will cover the importance of black history and culture. Presented by Savannah State University's Honors Program and The Wright Choice Initiative Mentoring Program. Contact: Dr. Carolyn Jordan at 912-358-3147 or [email protected].

11am-5pm:
"The Language of Fabrics: Weaving Traditions Across Africa" launches at the Savannah African Art Museum (201 E 37th St,). Museum hours are 11am to 5pm. Presented by the Savannah African Art Museum. Contact: 912-721-7745

February 2, 2024

5:30pm:
"The Language of Fabrics: Weaving Traditions Across Africa" Opening Reception at the Savannah African Art Museum (201 E 37th St,). Museum hours are 11am to 5pm. Presented by the Savannah African Art Museum. Contact: 912-721-7745

February 3, 2024

12pm-4pm:
The Savannah Cultural Arts Center Presents: The 2nd Annual Savannah Black Art Expo highlighting various local black artists and art organizations. The expo will feature art on display and for sale with performances by local talent. Free and Open to the public. Located at the Savannah Cultural Arts Center (201 Montgomery Street). Presented by the Savannah Cultural Arts Center

February 6, 2024

Bright Star Touring Theatre Performances (Private Showings) of "George Washington Carver & Friends" and "Struggle for Freedom: The Life of Dr. King." This event is closed to the public but there is an open performance on February 7th.

6pm-7:30pm:
Who's Reading Banned Books…And Why? Books have been banned for centuries, and U.S. states and school systems have recently stepped up the mandate to remove books from libraries and school curricula. Local personalities share their reasons for choosing a banned book and read excerpts from some of their favorites at The Learning Center (3025 Bull Street; use Jasper Street entrance). Presented by The Learning Center and the Savannah Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of African American History (ASALH). For more information visit https://seniorcitizensinc.org/the-learning-center

February 7, 2024

Bright Star Touring Theatre Performances of "Black History Heroes, Soldiers, and Spies" and "George Washington Carver & Friends." This event is open to the public. Presented in part by the Savannah Children's Theatre.

February 10, 2024

10am:
Taylor Square Dedication. Join the Susie King Taylor Center for Jubilee for festive music, educational activities, and more in celebration of the newly named "Taylor Square" at Abercorn Street at East Wayne Street.

February 13, 2024

6pm:
Annual Future of Jazz Concert featuring local and regional young jazz vocalists and instrumentalists under the direction Teddy Adams at the Jewish Educational Alliance (5111 Abercorn Street). Presented in part by the Jewish Educational Alliance.

February 15, 2024

5:30pm:
SSU FAHW & FAAA Exhibition Opening Reception at Savannah State University in the Kennedy Fine Arts Building Gallery. The exhibit will be open from February 6th to March 31st with the gallery hours of 9am to 5pm, Monday-Friday. An Artist Talk will be on February 29th. Presented by Savannah State University Department of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Wellness in partnership with Telfair Museums' Friends of African American Arts. Contact: 912-358-3335.

February 17, 2024

11am–7pm:
GRAND FESTIVAL DAY at the Savannah Civic Center (301 West Oglethorpe Ave). An array of family-oriented activities ending with a concert.

11 am - Health Talks· 12 pm - Vendor Marketplace Opens· 1 pm - Grand Festival Day Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony with opening Libation Ceremony "Lest We Forget: A Call to Remembrance," conducted by Master Storyteller Lillian Grant-Baptiste.· 4 pm - Talent Showcase featuring local youth· 5 pm - Local Act· 6 pm - Headline Performance

February 19, 2024

6pm:
The W.W. Law Lecture Series I: "Shadows of Immortality" Alfred Lacks Carter Jr., author and founder and president of the Henrietta Lacks' House of Healing shares the legacy of his grandmother, Henrietta Lacks, and his journey of reformation through his book entitled Shadows of Immortality: Untold Struggles of Henrietta Lacks' Grandson. Overcoming drug addiction, crime, and a 30-year prison sentence, Alfred Lacks Carter, Jr. defied the odds, emerged, determined to reclaim his life as the living legacy of his world-renowned grandmother. Henrietta Lacks immortal HeLa cells have saved over 10 million lives, contributing to countless medical breakthroughs and he is now revolutionizing the Lacks' legacy to impact and inspire even more lives. Located at St. Phillip AME Church (613 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd).

February 20, 2024

6pm:
The W.W. Law Lecture Series II: "Digital Treasures: Daufuskie Island and Beyond!" documentary screening at Jepson Center for the Arts (207 W York Street) followed by a discussion and Q & A led featuring Gullah Geechee Historian, Storyteller, and Historian, Dr. Griffin Lotson and 6th Generation Daufuskie Island Native and Historian, Sallie Ann Robinson. Presented in part by the Smithsonian, the Savannah African Art Museum and Telfair Museums.

February 21, 2024

5pm:
23rd New Beginning Exhibition. Location: Savannah Cultural Arts Center (201 Montgomery Street). Presented by the Savannah (GA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

February 22, 2024

6pm:
Lecture: "The Only School Ever Founded by an Organization of Negro Women" with Dr. Danielle Phillips-Cunningham. Presented by the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace (Girl Scouts of America).

February 23, 2024

5:30pm:
Carver State Bank: A Bank on a Mission. Savannah's Carver State Bank is one of the only 22 Black owned banks in America. Learn more about how Carver's mission to provide the building blocks to financial freedom impacts our community, and then join bank leaders for refreshments to celebrate the bank's 97th anniversary. Location: Carver State Bank, Savannah Branch (7110 Skidaway Road).

February 24, 2024

11 am-1:00 pm:
"Tracing Your Roots – Tips & Resources," at the Bull Street Library - Kaye Kole Genealogy & Local History Room (2002 Bull Street). Visit www.savannahafricanartmuseum.org to register. Presented by the Savannah African Art Museum Contact: 912-721-7745.

ANNE & EMMETT. A One-Act Play by Janet Langhart Cohen: An imaginary conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till examining the parallels in the lives of two teenage victims of institutionalized hatred. Location: Jewish Educational Alliance (5111 Abercorn Street). Additional performances will take place February 27-March 2. For more information email: [email protected].

February 25, 2024

Gospel Explosion Concert

"I Shall Not be Moved: The Power of Our History" Master Storyteller, Lillian Grant-Baptiste will portray how storytelling, music, and folklore have been used as tools of resistance, reform, and reconciliation throughout African American history.

Marketing Partner Events

February 5, 2024

5:30pm-6:30pm (reception at 5:00 pm) - Sapelo Island: A Living Legacy | Josiah Watts

Josiah "Jazz" Watts, a direct descendant of enslaved Africans brought to Sapelo Island, channels his ancestors' travails, resistance, and resilience. Ten years ago, Watts created The Sapelo Project, a theater piece integrating music, drama, and cinema to distill the stories of Sapelo and the creation of the Saltwater Geechee language. This presentation further tells that story.
Cost: $15 members | $20 non-members
Location: Skidaway Island Community Church, 50 Diamond Causeway, Savannah

February 7, 2024

Noon-1pm: The Golden Age of the Negro Jockeys | Johnathan Winbush
The Learning Center, 3025 Bull Street, Savannah. $10 members | $15 non-members. Horse Racing is the oldest organized sport in North America. Since the British Colonial era, Negroes were tacitly acknowledged as expert 22 equestrians, yet their contributions have been minimized. These "Kings of the Sport of Kings" dominated the turf for decades and became America's first athlete superstars! Beach Institute director Johnathan Winbush explores their stories in a photo-rich presentation.

February 29, 2024

6pm: The Power of the Pen Film
Documentary and Book written and produced by Carl W. Scott Gilliard.
Location: Savannah Cultural Arts Center (201 Montgomery Street) RSVP for this free event at 912-436-5325 or visit www.gilliardforgeorgia.org.

Date: February 1-29, 2024

Location: Various Venues in Savannah, GA 31401

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