West Hollywood will hold events throughout Feburary in honor of Black History Month. (photo by Jon Viscott)

The city of West Hollywood celebrates Black History Month with several events held throughout the month. Black History Month recognizes, celebrates and honors the rich and diverse history and important contributions and achievements of African Americans, and is observed annually during the month of February.

On Saturday, Feb. 4 at 9 a.m. the community is encouraged to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event (previously postponed due to weather) at West Hollywood Elementary School, located at 970 N. Hammond St. Residents, visitors and community members are invited to take part in this day of service where volunteers will be helping to perform various landscaping, clean-up, painting and other beautifying tasks at the school. Volunteers must be 13 years of age or older to participate. To sign-up as a volunteer, please register on the city’s volunteer portal at volunteer.weho.org.  For more information or questions about the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event, please contact the city’s community programs coordinator, Larissa Fooks at (323)848-6413 or lfooks@weho.org.

On Saturday, Feb. 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., visit the Black Women Lead Pop-Up Market. This free, open-air event will feature Black vendors, panelists and performers, providing the community with the opportunity to celebrate Black History Month in West Hollywood. This event will take place at the West Hollywood Park Great Lawn, located at 647 N. San Vicente Blvd. Event updates will be provided on the city’s website calendar at weho.org/calendar. For information, please contact city of West Hollywood community programs coordinator Jasmine Duckworth at (323)848-6559 or jduckworth@weho.org.

Additional programming during the month of February includes WeHo Reads: Writing Paths Toward Justice, an exploration and panel discussion with authors who examine what happens when the social contract fractures along the journey towards justice will take place online at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22. For information about WeHo Reads, city of West Hollywood arts coordinator Mike Che at (323)848-6377 or mche@weho.org.