Black History Month Events
Lecture with Dramatic Readings: Black Literature Matters: The 1800s On Thursday, January 28th at 6 pm The New York Society Library will present a program celebrating Black authors including Fredrick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, David Walker, and Ida B. Wells. This free presentation can be accessed through this link: https://www.nysoclib.org/events/black-literature-matters-1800s If you miss this live event it can be viewed later on the website of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia by clicking on this link: http://www.philaathenaeum.org and going to “Digital Resources” and then “Event Podcasts and Videos.”
Explore the African American Museum of Philadelphia’s (AAMP) Celebration of Black History Month During the month of February AAMP offers several opportunities to learn more about African American history. For example, on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 12:30 to 1:30 pm the Museum’s curatorial staff gives an informal conversational tour entitled ArtBreak. Each tour will focus on a particular theme and exhibit in the Museum’s collection. On Thursday, February 4th at 6 pm AAMP presents the documentary film Coded Bias. This film alerts us to the discovery and ramifications of the fact that most facial recognition software misidentifies women and darker-skinned faces. To learn more about these events and many others click on this link: https://www.aampmuseum.org
The Mann Center’s annual Black History Month Celebration:Voices of Hope This year The Center is lifting up the work of Black artists in Philadelphia with four special Mann Music Room: Learn performances featuring West African, gospel, jazz, and hip hop music. The central themes of these performances are love, hope, social justice, the impact of the pandemic within the African American communities, and how we as a city can come together to grow stronger. To learn how to view these musical events, please click on this link: https://manncenter.org/voicesofhope
Lecture: What If Abraham Lincoln Had Lived? From Abraham Lincoln’s letters, speeches, and actions, Dr. Allen Guelzo, a Princeton University Research Scholar, assembles “thoughtful guesses” about Lincoln’s vision for America following the Civil War. To register for this presentation by The Free Library of Philadelphia on February 12th (Lincoln’s birthday) at 11 am click on this link: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/103838
YouTube Video: #Say Their Names This video is a compelling new “song film” that highlights the mostly untold stories of four Black women who have been important to Black history in America. These four brave, sometimes forgotten women (Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Fanny Lou Hamer, and Kimberle Crenshaw) are presented in stirring songs, poetry, and historical narrative. This 44-minute documentary, developed by the renowned Philadelphia Lyric Fest founder and soprano Karen Slack, can be viewed by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxHZ8IWvL64
An Opportunity to Help Make Black History More Available to the General Public In January, The Philadelphia Inquirer published a fascinating story ( https://www.inquirer.com/arts/mlk-day-of-service-aamp-philadelphia-freedmens-bureau-20210117.html ) about a special Martin Luther King Day volunteer activity sponsored by the African American Museum in Philadelphia in collaboration with the Smithsonian Transcription Center. In 2016, the Smithsonian initiated the Freedmen’s Bureau Transcription Project, a herculean task mounted to transcribe more than 1.5 million image files from the formerly enslaved in the Bureau’s records. The digitization of these original documents will increase the world’s understanding of the post-Civil War era and our knowledge of post-Emancipation family life. As Lois Evans, co-chair of Penn’s Village Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee, asks, “What better way to learn than by reading and transcribing original documents such as letters, personal legal documents, etc?” To learn more and explore how to help, visit: https://transcription.si.edu
Virtual Events That Celebrate Black History and Culture: Black history is more than just a reflection on the past. It’s also about celebrating the present and future of Black culture. In this curated collection from all around America, Eventbrite spotlights virtual events that not only teach Black history, but also showcase Black excellence in its many forms: food, film, comedy, music, literature, and more. Click on this link to view a smorgasbord of choices that will educate and entertain: https://www.eventbrite.com/c/black-history-month-virtual-events-cwyhygw/