There’s tons of ways to celebrate Black History Month in New York City. Check out just some of the great events going on in the East Boroughs.
All Month
The Caribbean Literary and Cultural Center, Free
The center, “located at Flatbush Library, preserves and presents the histories and cultures of the peoples of the Caribbean through a circulating collection, programming and art exhibitions.”
http://www.bklynpubliclibrary.
Flatbush Library, 2nd floor
22 Linden Boulevard
African American Heritage Center (AAHC) Macon Library, Free
361 Lewis Ave. at Macon St. Brooklyn
“The Center contains material on African American history and culture. It also has material on the Caribbean and Africa as well as the “Preserving Footsteps” collection.”
718-573-5606
http://www.bklynpubliclibrary.
Black History Month at the Brooklyn Collection (BPL), Free
“In observance of Black History Month, Brooklyn Public Library has created several webpages exploring different aspects of Black history in America. In tandem with that project, we’ve pulled together several of the Brooklyn Collections resources on the same subjects — the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil Rights struggle, and family legacies.”
Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980, Suggested $10/$5/$5
The exhibit “chronicles the vital legacy of the African American arts community in Los Angeles, examining a pioneering group of black artists whose work and connections with other artists of varied ethnic backgrounds helped shape the creative output of Southern California.”
MoMA PS1 22-25 Jackson Avenue (at 46th Avenue) Long Island City, 11101 (718) 784-2084
http://www.nyc-arts.org/events/46971/now-dig-this-art-and-black-los-angeles-1960-1980
Sun Feb 10, 2:30-4:30pm, $8/$5
Discussing New York’s Burial Ground with Dr. Martia G. Goodson
“In honor of Black History Month, join historian Dr. Martia G. Goodson, author of “New York’s African Burial Ground,” for an in-depth look at this important burial site and individual stories of those buried there. She will discuss bones, teeth and artifacts gathered from this site, located two blocks from City Hall. She will also detail the often brutal daily life of enslaved Africans in colonial New York.”
Kingsland Homestead at Queens Historical Society 143-35 37th Avenue (between Parsons Boulevard and Bowne Street) Queens, 11354 (718) 939-0647
Tue, Feb 12, – Wed, Mar 06, Free
From the Emancipation Proclamation to Obama’s Affirmation: A Visual Art exhibit of the Black struggle and Black Consciousness in America.
Medgar Evers College 1650 Bedford Avenue Founder’s Auditorium Brooklyn
http://www.nyc-arts.org/events/48243/medgar-evers-black-history-month-art-exhibit
Thu, Feb 21, 2013, 4:30 pm, Free
Black History Through Poetry and Quilting. A reading of “I Lay Down My Stitches” by Cynthia Grady, illustrated by Michele Wood, and discussion about the intersection of quilting and history.
Hollis-Queens Library 202-05 Hillside Avenue (at 202nd Street) (718) 465-7355
http://www.nyc-arts.org/events/50642/black-history-through-poetry-and-quilting
Feb 21, 4-5p.m., Free
Black History Month Reading Circle, Brooklyn Public Library
http://catalog.
Thursday, 02-21-2013, 4:00PM – 5:00PM Canarsie Library,
1580 Rockaway Pkwy Brooklyn
(718) 257-6547
Bring your favorite work or speech by a prominent African-American to share and discuss with the group. Your own writing is also welcome.
February 25, 10 a.m., 11:45 a.m., $8
Nego GatoAfro-Brazil Music & Dance Ensemble
“Nego Gato Afro-Brazilian Music and Dance Ensemble bring to their audiences the rich African influenced rhythms and dances originating in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, a region known for custom deeply rooted in the traditions and spirituality of ancestral Africa.”
Location: Queens College
http://artsonstageny.com/show/nego-gato-afro-brazil-music-dance-ensemble
February 26, 5:30p.m, Free
African-American and Jewish Poetry: From Images of Despair to Images of Hope
An evening of poetry with actress and author Sherry Reiter and spoken-word artist and performer Barbara Bethea. The strong parallels in the poetry of African Americans and Jewish Americans will be explored and discussed.
Langston-Hughes Queens Library. 100-01 Northern Boulevard (at 100th Street) Queens, NY 11368 (718) 651-1100
March 6, 10:15a.m, $8
Harriet Tubman – Women History Month Celebration
Queens College
65-30 Kissena Blvd, Queens, $8
“This stirring drama with music is a classic tribute to the great American who freed herself and hundreds of her people from the bonds of slavery. Her courage helped to change the world. Share her adventurous life with your students in this accurate and deeply moving musical history lesson”
Details: http://artsonstageny.com/show/harriet-tubman-women-history-month
Martin Luther King at the United Nations. (Photo: United Nations/CC/Flickr)
