The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources has scheduled a number of events and programs throughout the month of February to celebrate Black History Month. Highlights include:
Town Creek Indian Mound: 4-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2. The state historic site will show the film ““Black Indians: An American Story.” Narrated by James Earl Jones, this movie brings to light a forgotten part of Amercia’s past – the cultural and racial fusion of Native and African Americans. Special viewing in museum auditorium.
Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum: 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3. Local and regional scholars, artists, professional and business leaders share experiences and vision relating to the legacy of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown.
N.C. Transportation Museum: Feb. 15-29. The Museum will open a new, temporary exhibit that features the Safe Bus Company. The company, which operated from 1926 to 1971, was the only African American-owned bus company that ran a fixed route system for the general public. In addition, a 1969 GMC “Fish Tank” bus owned by Safe Bus Company will be on display.
State Capitol: 10 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 9. “This Side of the River.” Documentary/Symposium about Princeville, N.C., the first town in the United States chartered by African-Americans. On hand will be filmmakers Ryan Rowe and Drew Grimes, archivist Earl Ijames, and Princeville Mayor Delia Perkins.
Bennett Place State Historic Site: Saturday, Feb. 16. 4 p.m.: The evolution and contributions in the post-Civil War U.S. Army of the so-called “buffalo soldier” will be recalled Saturday, Feb. 16 at Bennett Place State Historic Site. Presented to mark Black History Month, this program will kick off with a lecture entitled “Buffalo Soldiers East to West,” presented by local historian Darrell Stover. Stover’s talk will also feature a display of these soldiers’ uniforms and equipment. Afterwards, the site will continue its Civil War Cinema series by screening the 1997 feature film Buffalo Soldiers, starring Danny Glover. The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. and the movie at 5:30. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. For more information call (919) 383-4345.
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens: Thursday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. Free lecture: “The Long Black Song of Carter G. Woodson and in the Unfinished Opera of Multiculturalism” The guest speaker will be Dr. David Anderson. For more information, call (800) 767-1560.
Roanoke Island Festival Park: Friday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m. Blues musician Kal David will perform in concert in the Festival Park film theater as part of the Freedmen’s Colony Celebration. Tickets are $10. On Sunday, Feb. 24, at 4 p.m., David and Monique Griffiths will present a classical gospel concert in the film theater, also as part of the Freedmen’s Colony Celebration. Admission to the gospel concert is included in the general admission ticket for RIFP. All guests must have a ticket for admission. For more information on both shows, call (252) 475-1500.
N.C. Museum of History: 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday, February 9, 16, and 23. As part of the museum’s African American History Tour, visitors to the exhibit “Bearing Witness: Civil Rights Photographs of Alexander Rivera,” will learn about North Carolina’s African American community during the time of the Civil Rights movement. No reservations are needed, except for groups of 10 or more. To schedule group tours, call the Capital Area Visitor Center at (919) 807-7950 or toll-free at (866) 724-8687. Other events at the Museum of History include:
Curator’s Tour: Saturday, Feb. 2, 1:30 p.m. Bearing Witness: Civil Rights Photographs of Alexander Rivera. Discover the work of North Carolina native and renowned photojournalist Alexander Rivera, who captured pivotal moments in the Civil Rights movement as well as everyday life in the segregated South.
The Capital City Five: Sunday, Feb. 10, 3 p.m. The Capital City Five has been performing soulful a capella spiritual and gospel singing for more than 65 years. PineCone co-sponsors the performance.
History Stories for Children: Saturday, Feb. 16, 2:30-4 p.m. Visit with Eleanora Tate and Carole Boston Weatherford, hear their stories, and go on a history hunt through the museum! Tate is a recipient of the Zora Neale Hurston Award from the National Association of Black Storytellers. Weatherford received the Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of 2005 for “Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins.” This program occurs in conjunction with the 19th National African American Read-In Chain. To register, call (919) 807-7992.