Celebrate Black History Month

“Black History Month is a time to celebrate the fullness of African American history and culture, but that cannot be contained in one month alone.” – Kevin Young, Andrew W. Mellon Director of the National Museum of African American History & Culture.

Many area museums and historic sites have events planned throughout the month. Check out their websites for more details:

Photo courtesy of National Portrait Gallery

One Life: Frederick Douglass | through April 21

National Portrait Gallery, 8th and G Streets, NW

One Life: Frederick Douglass illuminates the legacy of one of the 19th century’s most influential writers, speakers, and intellectuals through prints, photographs, and ephemera. After escaping slavery in 1838, Douglass published three autobiographies and a novella, delivered thousands of speeches, and edited the longest continually-running Black newspaper of the 19th century. Always a radical activist, he devoted his life to abolitionism and “all rights for all.”

Free Admission

African American Film Series | February 8 & February 29

Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library, Alexandria, VA

The Banker: In the 1960s, two entrepreneurs hatch an ingenious business plan to fight for housing integration and equal access to the American Dream; inspired by true events. February 8, 2–4 PM
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: Tensions and temperatures rise during an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey. February 29, 2-4 PM

Free Admission

The African American Heritage Trail Ribbon Cutting | February 10, 11 AM

Founders Park, 351 N Union St, Alexandria

Launched last year, this new installation of 11 signs and 2 orientation panels illuminates the history of the African American community in Alexandria. Take a self-guided walking tour and learn about Alexandria’s role in the domestic slave trade, Black astronomer Benjamin Banneker, ship-building in early Alexandria, and more.

Photo courtesy of the National Museum of American History

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra “The Legacy of Max Roach” Concert | February 10, 7 – 9:30 PM

National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC

Inspired by Chick Web, Sonny Greer, Jo Jones, and the innovations of Kenny Clarke, during the 1940s Max Roach revolutionized the world of modern drum-set playing. He developed a swing and cymbal technique with dynamic expression that became the template for the creative imagination and technical mastery required to move modern jazz forward

Tickets $25 Member | $30 Non-Member

Tempestuous Elements | February 16 – March 17

Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St SW, Washington, DC

Tempestuous Elements reveals the struggle of educational luminary Anna Julia Cooper as she fights for her students’ rights to an advanced curriculum as principal of DC’s historic M Street School.

Tickets

Living the Dream…Singing the Dream | February 18, 7 PM

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Concert Hall, Washington, DC

This Choral Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is presented by the combined men, women, and children of the Gospel choirs of Washington Performing Arts and the Choral Arts Chorus. Through song, stories, and special tributes by community leaders this is a joyous and inspiring tribute.

Tickets

Photo courtesy of Janice Curtis Greene

MoCo Lore with Janice the Griot | February 18, 3 PM

Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Rd, Sandy Spring, MD

Janice Curtis Greene, performing as Janice the Griot, will deliver an immersive and engaging family program delving into local history and folklore through the African griot storytelling tradition. The program will also feature folktales connected to Maryland history and traditional African folktales translated to a Maryland setting.

Tickets $10

Black History Month Guided Tour at Smithsonian American Art Museum | February 18, 3-5 PM

Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th St NW, Washington, DC

African American art history began before the Harlem Renaissance and its legacy continues today. Explore the rich history of African American art from the 1850s to the present with the Third Eye Site. Engage in an immersive two-hour guided tour of Black art history at the Smithsonian American Art Museum with an experienced tour guide.

Tickets $20

Black Trivia Night: Black History Month Edition | February 18, 6:30 PM

House of Comedy & Jazz, Annapolis Rd, Lanham, MD

Form a team or come solo and make new friends as you compete for prizes during this highly-requested evening of trivia.

Tickets $25-$30

Black History Month Literary Weekend | February 22 – 24

A three-day celebration of literacy, culture, and unity!

Coffee with an Author at PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, 12530 Fairwood Parkway, Bowie, MD | Thursday, February 22
Meet the Authors at Barnes & Noble, Bowie Town Center | Friday, February 23
The 8th Annual Ivory & Cream Affair Literary Jazz Brunch at Harborside Hotel, Oxon Hill, MD | Saturday, February 24 | Tickets

Photo courtesy of National Portrait Gallery: Charlayne Hunter-Gault by Joseph Schwarz

The Struggle for Justice | Permanent

National Portrait Gallery, 8th and G Streets, NW

This exhibit showcases major cultural and political figures who struggled to achieve civil rights for disenfranchised or marginalized groups through photographs, paintings, posters, buttons, and sculptures.

Free Admission

Manumission Tour Company | All Year

Alexandria, VA

Founded in the spring of 2016, by John Taylor Chapman, a fourth-generation Alexandrian and member of Alexandria City Council, Manumission Tour Company, LLC seeks to bring attention to the historical legacy of Africans and African Americans in Alexandria through curating guided cultural heritage tours.

Tickets | Adults $15 | Children (12 and under) $12