It is officially Black History Month and being that the ATL is city known for black leadership, black enterprise, and strong black political culture, it's fitting that the city would have a lot to offer to commemorate black history month. Check out the list below of several activities happening around town this month that celebrate the contributions that African American have made to our local community and world.
Historic Oakland Cemetery
Oakland Cemetery is the resting place of a few notable and outstanding African Americans, and 75-minute guided tours that explore their lives will be offered from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 9, 18, 24 and 25. Space is very limited.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights
The museum is kicking of the month with a performance by Giwayen Mata at 12:30 and 1 p.m. Feb. 3. Then on Feb. 24, there will be a screening of the documentary "The Space Race," which tells the untold history of racism in NASA. In addition to this, each week, the center will have different themes related to famous African Americans and their contributions to the world.
The College Football Hall of Fame
"The Black 14: Healing Hearts and Feeding Souls" is a short film that was produced by BYU students and chronicles the Wyoming Black 14's story. The College football Hall Of Fame Will host a screening of the movie at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 6. This free to attend screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Wyoming Black 14 members Tony McGee, John Griffin, and Mel Hamilton.
Auburn Avenue Research Library
Spoken word artist, activist and Morehouse College alumnus Marc Bamuthi Joseph will join fellow alumnus and Grammy-nominated composer Carlos Simon for a performance of "brea(d)th" alongside the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. Feb. 15 and 16 at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Simon and Joseph collaborated to create a composition titled "brea(d)th" which explores the enduring presence of Floyd, the contemporary Black experience, and a call for an equitable future.
The Children's Museum of Atlanta
The museum will celebrate the impact of Black innovators and artists throughout February. Children will be able to design unique fashions, experience jazz via music from Coltrane and create collages, sculptures, and planets. Children will also be able to hear stories about inspirational African American women and inventions that have shaped lives of people around the world.
The Atlanta Black History and Civil Rights Tour
This is a half-day, small-group tour that introduces you to the city's key neighborhoods and landmarks. The tour takes you through areas like Sweet Auburn and you visit local Civil Rights Landmarks.
National Black Arts Foundation
The National Black Arts Foundation will present Blacklisted! Book Fare and Conference Feb. 24 and
25 at Loudermilk Conference Center. There will be moderated panel discussions with Black.
authors and intellectuals, an Indie Black Book Market, a Youth Book Fair, a Community Book
Drive, interactive exhibits about banned African American literature, social photo booths, food, vendors and more.
The Atlanta History Center
On Feb. 27 at 7pm, the Georgian Chamber Players will perform a special performance.
ATLANTIC STATION
Get ready for a couple of Black History Month movie nights. "The Color of Friendship" will be shown on Feb. 8 and "Remember the Titans" will be shown Feb. 22 on the Atlantic Green lawn.
The Sistah Shop Black History Month Market takes place on Feb. 17 and 18 and
Feb. 24 and 25. The market will feature more than 40 Black woman-owned brands, live music,
giveaways, a hot chocolate bar and more.
BROOKHAVEN
The Brookhaven Chamber's February Signature Luncheon takes place on Feb. 8 11:30 a.m. to 1pm, and Ambassador Andrew Young will be the special guest speaker Admission is $40 for members and $50 for non-members.
COLLEGE PARK
College Park will host a program titled Trailblazing in Modern Times in the College Park City Auditorium on Main Street. The event will be attended by the mayor and council members. Keynote speaker will be Lt. Rex "R.J." Willis Jr. There will also be live performances.
DECATUR
On Feb. 22, the DeKalb History Center in Decatur is hosting a celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The 16th annual celebration will feature De. Herman "Skip" Mason Jr., who will provide a
retrospective look at DeKalb's history through the lens of his book "African American Life in
DeKalb County, 1823 – 1970," published in 1998. Lithonia's first Black female mayor, Marcia Glenn Hunter, will provide opening remarks, singer Nzinga Benton will perform, and Morgan Harrell, Miss Middle West Georgia, will close the program with a dynamic interpretive dance.
DULUTH
Feb. 10, the Black Heritage Festival will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Shorty Howell Park
Activity Building. There will be music and food at the celebration of African American history and culture.
DUNWOODY
Dunwoody's Black History Month mural exhibit will be on display at Brook Run Skate Park for the whole month and features 5 artists.
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EAST POINT
The unveiling of the city's Black History Mural Project will take place on Feb 3 from 10:30 a.m. to
noon at East Point City Hall in the Council Chambers. The event is free and open to the
public. There will be speeches from the mayor, a performance in honor of Prince, a special presentation by Michael Moore, and a community and VIP reception.
HAPEVILLE
Hapeville is hosting an event titled MULTITUDES at the Hapeville Depot Museum from 2 to 6 p.m. Feb. 17. There will be live music and artists.
MARIETTA
Marietta's Theatre in the Square will present "Down in the Mississippi," a movie directed by Donald Gray. The show opens Feb. 2 at performances are through Feb. 4. The production is set in Mississippi 1964 during the Freedom Summer campaign to register African Americans to vote and explores the transformative experiences of three young civil rights activists who leave their safe northern homes to change the world; only to discover they must first change themselves.
The Marietta History Center will present two special exhibits for Black History Month. "Marietta 1899: Color Captured in Black and White" is a photography exhibit featuring the work of James Shaw during his visit to Marietta in 1899.
The second exhibit is the "Divine 9: Take Action. Make A Difference" was curated by members of seven out of the nine historically Black Greek letter organizations and promises an impactful look at artifacts from members of the Cobb County National Pan-Hellenic Council.
A Pop-in for Family Fun Event featuring Black history crafts is taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 17.
POWDER SPRINGS
On Feb. 17, The Georgia Black Vendor Market will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Christian Village on Macland Road. The vender market will present 50 Black-owned and Black-friendly businesses offering products and services in various sectors, such as healthcare, fashion, home improvement, food, insurance, entertainment, and more. There will also be a free health fair.
ROSWELL
The 23rd annual Roswell Roots Festival will take place Jan. 28 through March 2. The festival will feature a number of things including a one-man contemporary theatrical performance, student art showcase, an evening of poetry and music, storytelling, a performance by Metropolitan Atlanta Community Band and musical performances, poets and authors, and more.
SMYRNA
On Feb 23, The City of Smyrna is hosting "An Evening with Daniel Black" at 5:30 p.m. at the Smyrna Community Center. Black is a professor at Clark Atlanta university, a novelist, and essayist. The Black History Month Celebration Dinner includes dinner, a presentation by Dr. Black, and a book signing. Book sales will be available on site, courtesy of Bookmiser.
WAYCROSS
In July, the Okefenokee Swamp Park secured nearly half a million dollars in federal funding for a historical preservation project to tell the story of CCC Company 1433, the all-Black unit that laid the groundwork for the swamp's infrastructure in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In honor of Black History Month, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Okefenokee Swamp Park will hold a virtual webinar about the CCC Company 1433 Project. The webinar is open to media, stakeholders, and members of the general public, and will include a special video announcement from one of Georgia's U.S. Senators.
