Exciting Black History Month activities happening throughout Chicago, with events like Aurora brunch, South Side Girl Scouts gathering, and West Side book expo.

CHICAGO (WLS) — Events were held across the Chicago area Saturday to celebrate the first day of Black History Month.

Beginning February 1, schools, museums and communities across the nation marked the start of a month of celebrations.

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A gathering took place in Aurora where both professionals and community advocates came together for the “100 Black Women Empowerment Breakfast.” The purpose of this event was to honor and celebrate Black leaders within the community.

Meanwhile, at The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in West Pullman on Chicago’s South Side, local Girl Scouts commemorated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by organizing a day of community service. One of the activities included packing hats and gloves for a clothing drive that aimed to benefit local schools, libraries, and churches.

On a different note, the James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club on the Near West Side hosted the annual Black Child Book Fair, gathering members of the community to advocate for literacy and highlight Black authors across all age groups. The event aimed to promote a love for reading and showcase diverse voices within literature.

A 5-year-old girl, Zola Collins, showed ABC7 book she wrote with her father.

“This one is about me and daddy’s walk with God,” Collins said.

Organizers said the books featured in the fair are meant to make Black children feel seen and heard.

“I wrote and published my first children’s book ‘I Can Do Anything,’ and after taking it to different book fairs, I got supportive responses from African-American parents and social workers that it was difficult for them to find books with Black children in them,” said Darryl Harvey, author and director of the Black Child Book Fair.

The fair has appeared in more than 15 cities, and organizers plan to continue to expand its audience during Black History month.

“Teaching young women just to be proud of the skin they are in and know who they are, and letting people know that we come from different backgrounds,” Austin resident Charman Dortch said.