Black History Month 2020 - Events for the Week of February 17
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.James Baldwin
Each February we pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who've suffered, struggled and fought for the right to become citizens and to be treated humanely and fairly in the United States. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the ratification of Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote in 1870. While the right itself has at times not been enough to truly allow African Americans their voices, the ratification is a true and profound achievement.Throughout February, those of us in the St. Louis region have many opportunities to recognize, honor and celebrate the achievements of African Americans who've played central roles in U.S. history with events at libraries, museums and other venues. Check back here each Monday this month for a list of those events for the coming week.
Coming up this week, February 17 - 23
- February 17, 6:00 p.m. - Story Stitchers Performance for Black History Month at Washington University
- February 18, 10:00 a.m. - Story Quilts at the Weber Road Branch of the St. Louis County Library
- February 18, 7:00 p.m. - Freedom Songs: The Music of Black History at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historical Site
- February 19, 10:00 a.m. - Storytime Theater Presents: The Honest to Goodness Truth at the Julia Davis Branch of the St. Louis Public Library
- February 20, 6:30 p.m. - African Percussion the Daniel Boone Branch of the St. Louis County Library
- February 21 at 7:00 p.m. - "Ghost," a play based on the award-winning YA novel at Metro Theater Company
- February 21, 7:30 p.m. - Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration at Powell Hall
- February 22, 2:00 p.m. - Family Feature Film: Hidden Figures at the Prairie Commons Branch of the St. Louis County Library
- February 23 at 2:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m. - "Ghost," a play based on the award-winning YA novel at Metro Theater Company
- All week - The St. Louis Public Library hosts events at several of their branches
- All week - The St. Louis County Library hosts events at several of their branches
And finally, St. Louisans have access any time of the year to the following museums and historical places to learn more about African American History:
- Frederick Douglass Museum of African American Vernacular Images (by appointment only) in Saint Louis Place
- Griot Museum of Black History in North St. Louis
- Legacy of Courage: Dred Scott and the Quest for Freedom, exhibit at the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis
- Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing
- Missouri History Museum
- National Blues Museum in downtown St. Louis
- Scott Joplin State Historic Site on Delmar Boulevard