Ohio History Connection sets Black History Month calendar

Ohio History Connection sets Black History Month calendar | The annual observance includes cultural programs, art exhibits, historical displays and online activities.

The Ohio History Connection is announcing events throughout Ohio in honor of Black
History Month.

The annual observance includes cultural programs, art exhibits, historical displays and online activities. Descriptions and deadlines appear below. Events are also listed at ohiohistory.org….

Black History Month events include:

• Black History Month Webinar: ”I’m the Family Historian—Now What?” Presented online by the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center. This free webinar will show you how to create a step-by-step plan to explore your family legacy using online and offline resources. Presented by Cecelia McFadden, family legacy coach and Black genealogy expert. McFadden is president of the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society. Learn more and register here. 7–8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6.
• Poetry of Robert Hayden. Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati. Features an interactive poetry discussion with professor John Getz and author Kareem Simpson discussing the work of Robert Hayden, one of the most influential American poets of the 20th century. This event is free, but registration is required. Learn more and register here. 7–8 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 12.

•  The Tea Room: A Journey Through Black Culture and Healing. Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus. Occurs in partnership with the Growing and Growth Collective, Mahogany Manifesto and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. This event will provide a contemporary look at an African American social activity that began in the mid-19th century when enslaved people joined together for fellowship over tea. The program will lean into the deep-rooted connection between tea and Black culture, exploring its historical significance, cultural practices and medicinal properties. Guests will learn how tea has been a sign of resilience, community and healing within the African diaspora and how gatherings around tea were pivotal in shaping community and cultural identity. Participants are asked to bring their favorite tea cup to the event. Registration is required and due by Feb. 7. Tickets are $25/nonmembers and $20/Ohio History Connection members. 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 15.
• “There’s an App for That!” Using Technology in Family History Research. This online program will be presented by the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center. Learn how and when to use technology in your family history research. The program will include tips on how to keep family memories safe and how to build a spending plan to support your research work. Presented by Cecelia McFadden, family legacy coach and Black genealogy expert. Learn more and register here. 7–8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20.

Exhibits and displays

• 2024 Art of Soul! Juried Art Show. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, 1350 Brush Row Road, Wilberforce. 800-752-2603, ext. 0. Highlights the diversity, skill and perspective of all dimensions of African American history and culture throughout the U.S. and the Black diaspora. Artists from across the United States and beyond submitted their work to the juried art exhibition, which runs through March 1. The public will get to vote for the exhibit’s People’s Choice Winner through Feb. 21. Visit here to see and vote for the artists. To see artwork and an exhibit catalog, visit here.

• African Americans Fighting for a Double Victory. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, 1350 Brush Row Road, Wilberforce. 800-752-2603, ext. 0. Explores the  ways that African Americans served the country in the military and on the home front during World War II. Includes the art of Charles Alston, who was commissioned by the Office of War Information to promote the war effort among African Americans. The exhibit also explore stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Red Ball Express, the Triple Nickels and Wilberforce-area veterans. The display also looks at the impact World War II veterans had on the advances in civil rights that followed the war. Currently on display.
• African Art: Form, Function and Fraught Histories. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, 1350 Brush Row Road, Wilberforce. 800-752-2603, ext. 0. The exhibit presents the relationship between the aesthetic and cultural functions of African art objects and the historical context of their global influence. The display addresses modern questions of cultural appropriation, representation and repatriation. Wright State public history graduate students assisted the curatorial staff with the exhibit, which is drawn from the museum’s extensive African Art collection. Currently on display.
• Queens of the Heartland. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, 1350 Brush Row Road, Wilberforce. 800-752-2603, ext. 0. Features the stories of 30 Ohio African American women who were a significant influence in the suffrage and civil rights movements. The exhibit tells the stories of pioneering women through panel text and three-dimensional objects. This display also features portrait illustrations of these historical figures by New York artist Nichole Washington. Currently on display.
• Rhythm of Revolution-The Transformative Power of Black Art 1619 to the Present. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, 1350 Brush Row Road, Wilberforce. 800-752-2603, ext. 0. Exhibit maps the visual flow of artistic, cultural, social and political change in America from 1619 to the present day. Using three-dimensional objects from the museum’s collections, the display explores how Black artists, religious leaders and activists worked within their spheres of influence to transform Ohio and the nation. Over time, these known and unknown change agents connected deeply rooted African traditions and interpreted those traditions to solve contemporary challenges. Currently on display.

– ADVERTISEMENT –