Celebrate Black History Month in South Florida
Cities and museums throughout South Florida are planning to honor Black History Month in February with events — from gallery exhibits to guest speakers — that everyone can enjoy virtually and in-person.
The first month-long celebration of Black history took place in 1976 during the nation’s bicentennial when President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history,” according to africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/.
Here’s how the tri-county area will commemorate the month:
Broward
Fort Lauderdale History Fort Lauderdale will be highlighting the creativity and contributions of Broward County’s African American community, hosting its “Black History, Black Future” fine art exhibit through Feb. 28. The exhibit in the New River Inn building of History Fort Lauderdale, 231 SW Second Ave., will feature pieces for show and sale from students at Dillard Center for Arts’ Advanced Placement.
Viewing the exhibit is also accessible via History Fort Lauderdale’s YouTube Channel. History Fort Lauderdale — previously referred to as the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society — presents stories of the city’s diverse community through educational experiences and cultural exhibits. Admission is $15 for adults, $2 for seniors and $7 for students through age 22 with a valid student ID. Admission is free for military members and children age 6 and under. Visit historyfortlauderdale.org.
Featuring works by Black artists and designers, the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., will have a free exhibit through May. Including art, architecture, photography and poetry, the exhibit will examine concepts of community and life in Sistrunk, a historically Black neighborhood in Broward County. Registration is required. Visit bit.ly/2LX6txT or call 954-357-7457.
The city will have a virtual Black History Month program called “I Am Black History: Inspiring Action, Education & Connection” at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26 on Facebook, Zoom and YouTube. Vice Mayor Beverly Williams is the host and featured will be artist Will Simpson and speaker Anthony Thompson. Call 954-535-2785 or visit lauderdalelakes.org. Miramar
In honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Black History Month and Reggae Month, the city of Miramar has a six-week free celebration open to everyone. Until March 14, people can visit the “In Time of Protest” art exhibition at the Miramar Cultural Center Ansin Gallery, 2400 Civic Center Place. Miramar Mayor Wayne Messman will host
Freeform Art today at the Miramar Cultural Center Arts Park, which will feature outdoor activities, live music and local food. On Feb. 13, the city will have a drive-in movie at the Ansin Sports Complex, 10801 Miramar Blvd., featuring the historic film, “Selma.” Gates open at 6 p.m. with the movie starting at 7 p.m. Miramar will also recognize the contributions of reggae music by streaming a virtual panel discussion on Feb. 11 through Facebook Live and miramarfl.gov. Beginning at 6 p.m., the virtual discussion will feature Sen. Shevrin Jones, attorney and activist Alex Audate and Pastor Terrance Wilson.
Miramar will also host its Reggae Icon Awards at 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Miramar Amphitheater, 16801 Miramar Parkway. The event will honor artists from the group Third World and Patricia Chin, co-founder of VP Records. Attorney and community activist Alexandra Audate is set to receive the Marcus Garvey Award. Admission is free. For tickets, visit bhmriconawards. eventbrite.com.
The Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, 41 NE First St., is commemorating Black and Women’s history months by featuring photographic work by Walter Griffin and paintings by M. Jamesly Saint Louis in “The Longer the Feather” art exhibit. Until March 25, visit the exhibit for free through appointments by visiting pompanobeacharts. org/programs/the-longer-the-feather-exhibition.
The arts center is also asking residents to take part by sending an image of themselves or loved ones dressed in their Sunday Best outfit. Tag @bacapompano and using the hashtag #thelongerthefeather. Photos can also be emailed to pbartsinfo@copbfl.com. Visit pompanobeacharts. org/baca.
The Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs
Department’s February programming includes a virtual lecture series, a one-man show by Jahman Hill and new art exhibitions. Regularly scheduled programs, including the Lunch with Art Lecture Series, Lunch with Art Poetry Edition, Lyrics Lab, Montage Virtual Film Series and Virtual Story Time will showcase Black community leaders, filmmakers, entertainers and historical figures. The monthly Green Market Pompano Beach will also honor Black History Month by giving away grab-and-go art kits. All programs are free and will premiere on the City of Pompano Beach Facebook page; following the premiere, they will be available to view any time on the website. Visit pompanobeacharts.org/ programs.
Palm Beach
Boca Raton
Learn about the Lives and Activism of MLK Jr. and Malcolm X during the Boca Raton Public Library’s free virtual program for African American History Month. Candace Cunningham will host False Contradictions: MLK and Malcolm X from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16. She plans to talk about the role they played in the South Carolina civil rights movement and examine the lives, activism, and rhetoric of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. According to the library, her talk will “challenge the notion that the alternative options for Black racial advancement the two leaders embodied were inherently oppositional, and position their activism within the longer civil rights movement that began in the late 19th century. Visit bocalibrary. evanced.info/signup/ EventDetails?EventId=39862 to register. Countywide
The Palm Beach County Library System is offering virtual events throughout the month. Check out Black History Month Collection books and participate in Zoom topics such as baking, trivia, spiritual songs, film screenings and book discussions. Visit http://events.pbclibrary. org/events/digital-activities/ black-history-month-2021.
The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, along with Arts Garage and the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, will have a free three-part hybrid speakers’ series from February to April titled “Authors Speak: The Impact of Race on American Society.” Broadcasted live via the Spady Museum and Arts Garage’s Facebook pages, one author will be featured each month with the goal to keep the conversations around race going.
Kicking off the series, Jason Reynolds, who is the author of “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You,” will present from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 20. Tina K. Sacks, the author of “Invisible Visits, Black Middle-Class Women in the American Healthcare System,” will present from 7 to 8 p.m. March 24, while Richard Rothstein, author of “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America”, will be featured from 4 to 5 p.m. April 29. Following each presentation, a Q&A session will take place. Visit spadymuseum.com/.
Lake Worth Beach
The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County recently opened its newest main exhibition, “Karibu: A Celebration of Black Artists in Palm Beach County,” at the Council’s headquarters, 601 Lake Ave.
According to the Council, “karibu means ‘welcome, come in’ in Swahili. This celebratory concept of Black culture, not unlike the Southern tradition of Sunday dinner after church, invites everyone to embrace the journey of life and learn through the eyes and creativity of local Black artists. The exhibition is intended to build cultural bridges (not walls) between different communities.”
Presented by the Council and curated by ATB Fine Art Group Inc., the Harlem Renaissance-style exhibition will run through March 13 from noon to 5 p,m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Visit bit.ly/3ajfOYS North Palm Beach
The Palm Beach Institute for the Entertainment Arts is staging an original play, “Intersection of Lincoln and Parks” at 7 p.m. Feb. 25-27 and March 4-6. There will be two matinee performances — 2 p.m. Feb. 28 and March 7. Directed by Avery Somers and written/produced by Donna Carbone, the play asks the audience to imagine what would have happened the night Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus had the last living relative of Abraham Lincoln also been a passenger. The Institute is at 115 U.S. Highway One. For information and tickets, which are $25, call Donna Carbone at 561-743-9955.
West Palm Beach
The city of West Palm Beach and Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, 411 Clematis St., will be observing Black History Month in February by hosting a series of free events. Starting on Feb. 3, the Mandel Public Library will have Traveling While Black: A Virtual Reality Experience on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Participants must be at least 15. Afrique Ngozi Dance and Drum Inc. will be presenting an African Drumming class for elementary-age children on Feb. 6 from 1 to 2 p.m. With the two sessions limited to 16 children each, registration is required. Later in the day, the SaSa African Dance theater will be performing traditional African dances from 2 to 3 p.m. live on Zoom. The Sweetheart’s Book Club will be discussing romance books with people of color or LGBTQ+ main characters live on Zoom on Feb. 11 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Also on Zoom, Palm Beach State College Associate Professor Africa Fine will be discussing the book “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo on Feb. 16 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. On Feb. 20, the KidSpace Book Club is inviting elementary school children to participate in its reading of the book “Two Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas” from 2 to 3 p.m. Introducing a program featuring classic movies, watch the 1985 film “The Color Purple” on Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mandel Public Library. Registration is required and limited to 17 people. Later in the evening, elementary school children can enjoy Black History Month Bingo at the library, helping them learn about Black leaders in an engaging fashion. Registration is required. Capping off the lineup of events, children in grades 6 to 12 are invited to discuss Ibi Zoboi’s book “Pride” on Feb. 27 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the library. Limited to six participants, registration is required. Visit bit.ly/2YgQuwZ.
Miami-Dade
Miami
Visit renowned art collector Jorge M. Perez’s latest African diaspora-inspired exhibit at El Espacio 23. The exhibit, titled Witness: Afro Perspectives, will feature over 100 pieces of work by African and African Diaspora artists. With Tandazani Dhlakama of Zeitz MOCAA serving as the curator, the exhibit will address themes of systematic oppression, intergenerational trauma, syncretism, identity and territory. Visit elespacio23.com/.
Throughout February, the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., will be commemorating Black History Month with a lineup of in-person performances and online events. Beginning with two in-person concerts at Thomson Plaza for the Arts, the Arsht Center will host music groups, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Jazz Roots on the Plaza on Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ($25) as well as Keba and the Usual Suspects and Live on the Plaza on Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ($15). The Arsht Center will also have its second annual Heritage Festival on Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. for free, broadcast on Youtube and Facebook Live. As of now, the virtual production will feature visual performance artist Omilani Alarcon and performance artist Deborah Magdalena. Capping off its Black History Month celebration on Feb. 24, the Arsht Center will have The Heritage Project Online Salon Series’ The Business of Show. Via Zoom Webinar and Facebook Live for free, the Arsht Center will examine artists as business professionals, discussing how Black culture has become a commodity. The panel will consist of arts administrators, performers and more. Visit arshtcenter.org.
The Miami Children’s Museum on Watson Island, 980 MacArthur Causeway, is celebrating with virtual programming throughout the month in which participants can learn about the achievements of Black Americans and the central role they play in U.S. history. Activities will include creating art inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, space science like Aprille EricssonJackson, sensory activities inspired by George Washington Carver, videos featuring Black authors, a cooking demonstration from People’s Barbecue, musical performances, among others. Visit miamichildrensmuseum.org/museum-at-home/ or YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter to participate.
The Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Drive, is presenting a series of virtual programs with the topics of music, literature, and ideas to remember important people and events in the history of the African diaspora and to celebrate the emergence of new voices. Visit thebetsyhotel.com/ calendar for a full list of events.