5 Best Black History Month Events For 2014
New York City is considered one of the most culturally diverse places in the United States. So as Black History Month begins, we thought you'd like to celebrate at some of these great Black History Month events going on in New York this February.
What better way to celebrate Black History than touring historic Harlem? While walking the streets of this famous neighborhood, participants will visit historic places and attractions such as the Morning Side Heights neighborhood; the Morris Jumel Mansion, used by George Washington during the Revolutionary War as a military headquarters; the Abyssinian Baptist church, known for being the first African-American Baptist Church in New York; the Cotton Club, a famous jazz club that hosted some of the most well-known African-American musicians of the Prohibition era, including Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday; and the world-renowned Apollo Theater, hailed for being one of the most significant cultural venues for African-Americans in New York's history. For an additional cost, tour goers can dine along the way with a soul food brunch at one of Harlem's locally owned restaurants. Tours are every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. (lasts 4-5 hours). Cost of admission is $58.99/adult. Reservations can be made online
Coordinated by NYC Parks' Ebony Society, The March is a collection of works from 17 different artists in honor of Black History Month. The exhibition reflects on the Civil Rights Movement past, present and future, as well as those individuals who have advanced the cause. Gallery runs from January 23 – February, 27, 2014. Gallery hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. (Closed municipal holidays.) Free admission.
Voices Of Freedom is a three-month-long lunchtime jazz concert series celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. (January), Black History Month (February), and Women's History Month (March) by pairing a pianist and celebrated musicians from New York City's jazz scene. Concerts celebrating Black History Month will take place every Wednesday in February and include performances by Willerm Delisfort and Jason Marshall, and George Cables and Steve Turre. Concerts start at 12:30 p.m., Free admission.
In honor of Black History Month, the Queens Botanical Garden is hosting a workshop on Dr. George Washington Carver and his contributions to the world of botany. Carver was known as "the Wizard of Tuskegee" for his groundbreaking research into cultivation and alternative uses of crops. The workshop invites you to learn how plants played an important role in Carver's life as well as the opportunity to paint with plants, and plant a peanut to take home for further observation. Thursday, February 20. From 1:30 to 3 p.m. Cost of admission is $6 per child (advance registration and payment required)
Join Director of the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Khalil Gibran Muhammad, and Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David Levering Lewis in a conversation about the life and work of one of the most prominent civil rights activists of the early 20th century: W.E.B. Du Bois, the famed author, activist and co-founder of the NAACP. February 19 at 6:30 p.m. Admission cost is $30, $18 for members. To purchase tickets over the phone, the call center is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily.
