Black History Month takes center stage
Black History Month may never be more important, said Leon Wilson, president and CEO of the Museum of African American History in Boston.
It comes after a year in which the nation saw the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis Police officer, the beating of peaceful protesters and attempts at voter suppression.
“If there’s any positive side to what we’re going through as a nation and a race, it’s that these things have been brightly illuminated in a way they’ve never been before. This is right out there for the world to see,” Wilson said. “Black History Month is important because it elevates these issues for discussion. The question is: What is the real national response? Can we really unite and make sure we don’t repeat history?”
The Museum of African American History is holding several virtual events that people can register for at www.maah.org/events.
“The Coronavirus Exposes America’s Public Health Crisis – Racism,” hosted by WGBH Forum Network at 6 p.m. Wednesday;
“White Allies and Religious Tolerance: Quakerism Impact on Nantucket Island Slavery,” presented by Dr. Frances Karttunen at 6 p.m. Feb. 18;
“The Three Mothers: How the
■
Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation,” a conversation with author Anna Maliaka Tubbs in partnership with the Boston Public Library at 6 p.m. Feb. 23; and
The Black History Month Virtual
■
Film Festival featuring “Glory” and a discussion with Wilson and filmmaker Ed Zwick at 3 p.m. Feb. 25.
Robert Lewis Jr., founder and president of The BASE, which leverages sports to develop valuable skills to its student-athletes, most of whom are people of color, also has a series of initiatives happening during Black History Month:
The first of a three-part series, “The Power of Sports: Race & Equity,” at noon Feb. 25, centered on using sports to advance racial equity. Lewis will moderate a panel, which will include Darlene Gordon, UMass Boston interim director of athletics; Toni Wiley, CEO of the Sportsmen’s Tennis
Club; Bryant McBride, CEO of Burst; Spencer Allen, head coach of Northwestern Athletics; and Brandon Odom, Thayer Academy associate director of admissions;
College readiness: Hosting virtual historically black colleges and universities tours at 6 p.m. Feb. 16 for high school students; and
Financial literacy: Partnering with Assumption University to host a financial aid literacy event at 6 p.m. Feb. 22.
The Madison Park Development Corporation will be celebrating Black History Month and past, present and future leaders of Roxbury and MPDC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and its website from Feb. 15 to 20 and from Feb. 22 to 27.