For generations, Black artists have documented Black life, preserving memory and identity where traditional histories have overlooked or erased their stories. From painting and performance to film and public art, their work captures the everyday, the ancestral and the deeply personal— creating a living record of Black history.
Category: Arts & Culture
Posted inWord In Black
Can Twitch star Kai Cenat inspire Black kids to start reading?
By Alvin BuyinzaWord in Black For the past few years, Kai Cenat has been one of the biggest names on the internet, a Twitch streamer who has evolved from playing video games online into creating outlandish comedy that often goes viral. With more than 20 million followers, Cenat, 24, has rubbed shoulders with fellow internet […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
Bad Bunny makes Grammy history as Lamar, SZA and Olivia Dean lead night of milestones
Bad Bunny made history at the 68th Grammy Awards, winning album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” the first all-Spanish-language project to earn the top prize, while Kendrick Lamar and SZA captured record of the year for “luther.” Lamar also became the most-awarded rapper in Grammy history with 26 wins, and British singer Olivia Dean was named best new artist as the ceremony highlighted both musical achievement and social commentary.
Posted inMusic
Pharrell calls for empathy from US leaders after being honored at Black Music Collective event
Pharrell Williams was honored with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective event on Jan. 29, 2026, where he called on U.S. leaders to show empathy, grace, and mercy. The evening also celebrated Brandy and Kirk Franklin, featured performances by Justin Timberlake, Tyler, the Creator, John Legend, and Coco Jones, and included a special tribute to Eve for her contributions to The Roots’ hit “You Got Me.”
Posted inArts & Culture
Baltimore August Wilson Celebration continues with ‘Fences’
By Victoria MejicanosAFRO Staff Writervmejicanos@afro.com Chesapeake Shakespeare Company will produce August Wilson’s “Fences” as part of the citywide Baltimore August Wilson Celebration. The production is the sixth of 10 plays in Wilson’s American Century Cycle, being staged as part of the celebration, and will run Feb. 6–March 1. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, “Fences” centers on […]
Posted inNEWS
10 films selected for inaugural HBCU Week NOW Film Festival
Ten award-winning short films by students and recent graduates of historically Black colleges and universities will premiere Jan. 27 as part of the inaugural HBCU Week NOW Student Film Festival. The selected films, representing multiple genres and institutions, will stream on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel, with each winning project receiving a $5,000 award.
Posted inArts & Culture
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre returns to D.C. with new artistic director and dancers
The Alvin Alley American Dance Theater has launched its 20-city U.S. tour with Washington, D.C. as its first stop, featuring 11 provocative performances and led by Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack.
Posted inBooks
Enoch Pratt to highlight work of Angela Flournoy at 38th Annual Booklover’s Breakfast
Enoch Pratt Free Library will host its sold-out 38th Annual Booklovers’ Breakfast featuring award-winning novelist Angela Flournoy on Feb. 7 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Morgan State University choir honor MLK Day with community concert
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a powerful community concert at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Featuring the Morgan State University Choir, the program celebrated the civil rights leader and his legacy through music by Black composers.
Posted inArts & Culture
National Museum of African American History and Culture opens exhibition featuring collections from five HBCUs
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opened a new exhibition, “At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs,” celebrating the cultural, intellectual and artistic legacy preserved by historically Black colleges and universities. Featuring collections from five HBCUs, the exhibition highlights rare artifacts, artwork and archival materials before embarking on a national tour through 2029.
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
John Forté, creative force behind ‘The Score’ and voice of redemption, dies at 50
John Forté, the Grammy-nominated Brooklyn-born artist and producer who helped shape the Fugees’ landmark album “The Score,” died Jan. 12 at age 50. After rebuilding his life following a federal prison sentence that was later commuted, Forté became a voice of redemption through music, film and public speaking centered on accountability and renewal.
Posted inObituaries
Richard Smallwood, gospel icon, to be honored at Jan. 24 celebration of life
The celebration of life for legendary gospel artist Richard Smallwood will take place Jan. 24 at First Baptist Church of Glenarden International in Upper Marlboro, Md. Smallwood, 77, died of complications from kidney failure on Dec. 30, 2025.
