6 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in Chicago Using Movement and Stories
By Allison Yates
There are a million and one ways to celebrate Black History Month in Chicago this February 2026—and more importantly, throughout the year—but here are just a few focused on movement and stories to jumpstart your action.
1. Make a Black History Month Book Report
This year marks the fifth anniversary of our call to have readers & runners make their own Black History Month Book Reports.
My former colleague Elisa invites folks on her Instagram to contribute their own grown-up book reports on Instagram for Black History Month.
Of course, your book report doesn’t have to be about Chicago, but bonus points if it is! There's nothing more fun than finding something that fires you up and sharing it with the world.
l invite you to take part (this month or any month of the year!), and when you share your "book report," tag Elisa and Read & Run Chicago on Instagram so we can reshare. You can see examples of some of my past book reports here.
2. Join Black Girls Read Book Club’s 12 Books By Black Chicago Women Reading Challenge
Our partner Black Girls Read Book Club is challenging readers to take part in their 2026 reading challenge, “12 Books by Black Chicago Women.”
“One of my favorite things about running Black Girls Read Book Club has been discovering the diverse perspectives of Black women writers from across the diaspora, both here in the United States and around the world. But there is a special place in my heart for books by Black women from Chicago. Think: Gwendolyn Brooks, Eve L. Ewing, Lorraine Hansberry, and many more. In so much of their work—whether poetry, fiction, or nonfiction—their love for this great, complicated, and historic city shines through,” wrote founder and organizer of BGR and Read & Run Chicago guide Cynthia Okechukwu on a 2024 Instagram post.
Buy books for the challenge on Bookshop.org and join the challenge via Storygraph.
3. Join Black Girls Run’s x Saucony’s x Fleet Feet’s Share the Run Challenge
Fleet Feet, Saucony, and Black Girls Run teamed up again to host the Share the Run Challenge, a chance to run or walk 50 miles in 50 days while inspiring our communities to make fitness and healthy living a priority. Participants have the option to donate to Black Girls Run, and besides the benefits of joining a collective challenge and giving back to a good cause, you’ll also be entered to win prizes and get Fleet Feet Rewards.
Sign up and read more on Fleet Feet’s website.
4. Support the L.Y.D. Foundation’s 24 in 48
Read & Run Chicago facilitator and founder of the L.Y.D. Foundation Chris Smith just kicked off his Ten in Ten Challenge, a 10-month challenge to run one marathon every month for 10 months to raise money for his foundation’s important work.
Chris knows about the importance of stories and movement. In 2023, Chris and I hosted a three-part series inspired by The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, in which we traced the story of Ida Mae Gladney, from her roots in Chickasaw County, Mississippi to Chicago and her witness to the city’s changing landscape over her lifetime.
Chris was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. The idea for L.Y.D. started over 15 years ago when he wanted to create a youth mentoring program that mimicked one from his youth to foster a sense of community in the young men and women in underserved communities. It finally came to fruition during the pandemic. L.Y.D. Is all about promoting health, financial and mental wellness. From youth mentoring, mental health advocacy, financial literacy, sports camps, college scholarships, fresh food initiatives, senior outreach and back to school giveaways, L.Y.D. wants to serve underserved communities in as many ways as possible. Through partnerships with other organizations, the flagship “Running for Something” campaign and community outreach, we aim to help create a more equitable society.
Donate to the L.Y.D. Foundation here and read more about the 48 in 24 on Instagram.
5. Run a Self-Guided Route Inspired by South Side Girls by Dr. Marcia Chatelain
Head to historic Bronzeville for Chicago Black history-focused self-guided route of one of our previous events!
This page has all the details about the route and information about our December 2021 Book Club Run of South Side Girls by Dr. Marcia Chatelain.
[Related: Best Black-Owned Bookstores in Chicago]
6. Support Black-Owned Bookstores
Chicago is home to several Black-owned bookstores: Da Book Joint, Semicolon Books, Call & Response Books, Burst Into Books, and more in the suburbs.
Follow on social media, buy books on their virtual bookstores, donate to support their operations, read the founders’ stories, and spread the word!