Black History
The mission of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia (BHMVA) is to provide, develop, and partner, in the creation of educational resources, services, and opportunities to promote and advance understanding of the history and culture of Black people and African Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
black history
We do this by telling the inspirational stories that are often untold and or forgotten. We present these stories in the full context of American history so that there is a greater understanding of our history, leading to a more diverse and inclusive society.
Black History Month was created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States. It honors all Black people from all periods of U.S. history, from the enslaved people first brought over from Africa in the early 17th century to African Americans living in the United States today.
Since the first Negro History Week in 1926, other countries have joined the United States in celebrating Black people and their contribution to history and culture, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Cultural centers such as libraries including George Cleveland Hall Library (Chicago, IL), Dart Hall (Charleston, SC) and social, literary, and cultural clubs, such as Jack and Jill, Phillis Wheatley Literary Societies, fraternal and sororal orders, associations (i.e. Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, National Association of Colored Women, etc.) worked to support the intellectual development of communities to collect and preserve Black stories, sponsor Black history and literature events, and were active in the quest for civil, social, and human rights.
Education, whether in elementary, secondary, or higher education institutions have been seen as a way for Black people and communities to resist the narrative that Black people are intellectually inferior. When Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week (NHW) in 1926, he saw it as a way to provide a space and resources to critically educate students about their history. The grassroots network of Black teachers used this week not only to lionize individuals and narratives, but also to teach students about racial progress, and as well as shared and collective responsibility. They developed assignments and curriculum to provide students with the tools to succeed. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), were developed by Northern white philanthropists, but they emerged as a space for the formation of activists, artists, business owners, educators, etc. and their continued operation have stood as testament to Black investment and creative thinking in the face of the changing landscape of higher education. Furthermore, students at HBCUs were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, Black Power Movements, and social justice movements from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries.
OUR MISSIONThe mission of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.
Sweet Home CaféThe 2017 James Beard Award nominated Sweet Home Café showcases the rich culture and history of the African American people with traditional, authentic offerings as well as present-day food traditions.11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Giving Tree honors all of our cherished supporters who have purchased a leaf or stone. The Giving Tree sculpture provides permanent recognition and advertisement for the museum sponsors and donors at specific levels. Sponsors and donors can help to preserve the legacy of Lucy Craft Laney through art, history and the preservation of her home throughout the year.Based on the level of giving, sponsors/donors will receive an engraved leaf (bronze, silver, or gold), an acorn, or a large stone. Contact Linda Johnson at 706-724-3576 to find out how you can be a part of the Giving Tree!
The community can look forward to outstanding dance performances by Crystals World of Dance, bounce houses for the little ones, and an opportunity to interact with the neighborhood associations that make our City great! This year, be sure to venture inside the Coleman-Bush Building to check out a neighborhood history walk featuring information on some of the pioneers of Lakeland's black community provided by the Lakeland History and Culture Center.
The Library offers myriad ways to engage with Black history, including hundreds of thousands of items in circulation, the archival collections of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, LibGuides, and more. Discover where to begin with iconic figures including major figures from the arts such as Maya Angelou, Paul Robeson, Nat King Cole, and Zora Neale Hurston
Celebrate and honor African American heritage during Black History Month in February. From performances to history lessons to tours, there are plenty of exciting in-person and virtual events and activities planned throughout Prince George's County. For more information, view the events calendar below.
This exhibition is curated by the M-NCPPC Black History Program. Group tours are available for school and community groups. To schedule a group tour, call 240-264-3415 or email blackhistory@pgparks.com.
This February, check out the programs, exhibits, and historic landmarks the city has to offer that honor the contributions and history of African Americans in Raleigh, most of which are free and a few are even available year-round.
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Cost: FreeJohn Chavis Community Center, 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27601Gather your friends and compete to be the best black history historians on the block! On MLK's block that is! You will team up with friends and neighbors and test your knowledge on everything black history. Raleigh's black history is guaranteed! All participants will leave with a prize!
Thursday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Cost: FreeJohn Chavis Community Center, 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27601We stand on the shoulders of many. Not all African American pioneers made the history book. This is your opportunity to share your personal story of a notable African American that has had an influence on your life.
1001 Parker Street, Raleigh, NC 27607Rev. Morgan London Latta, a freed enslaved person and teacher, founded Latta University in 1892. At its peak, Latta was home to 26 buildings home and 1,400 students, including orphaned children of former enslaved people. The university operated for 30 years. The Latta residence was the only remaining structure on the site, but it was destroyed in a fire in 2007. The City recently completed a master plan for the park and is working on Phase I implementation. Read more about Latta House's history.
120 Prospect Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27603Mt. Hope, which was established in 1872, is one of the first municipal cemeteries for African Americans in North Carolina. Most sizeable towns in the state opened suburban cemeteries for whites in the post-Civil War era, but very few established municipal cemeteries for freed enslaved people. Several prominent residents are buried there including Rev. G.A. Mial, former enslaved person and educator Lucille M. Hunter, James E. Hamlin owner of Hamlin Drugstore, and Dr. Manassa T. Pope, the first black mayoral candidate in Raleigh. Read more about Mt. Hope's history.
Every year, in February, we attempt to recognize and to appreciate black history. It is a worthwhile endeavor for the contributions of African Americans to this great nation are numerous and significant. Even as we fight a war against terrorism, deal with the reality of electing an African American as our President for the first time and deal with the other significant issues of the day, the need to confront our racial past, and our racial present, and to understand the history of African people in this country, endures. One cannot truly understand America without understanding the historical experience of black people in this nation. Simply put, to get to the heart of this country one must examine its racial soul.
We commemorated five years ago, the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. And though the world in which we now live is fundamentally different than that which existed then, this nation has still not come to grips with its racial past nor has it been willing to contemplate, in a truly meaningful way, the diverse future it is fated to have. To our detriment, this is typical of the way in which this nation deals with issues of race. And so I would suggest that we use February of every year to not only commemorate black history but also to foster a period of dialogue among the races. This is admittedly an artificial device to generate discussion that should come more naturally, but our history is such that we must find ways to force ourselves to confront that which we have become expert at avoiding.
As a nation we should use Black History month as a means to deal with this continuing problem. By creating what will admittedly be, at first, artificial opportunities to engage one another we can hasten the day when the dream of individual, character based, acceptance can actually be realized. To respect one another we must have a basic understanding of one another. And so we should use events such as this to not only learn more about the facts of black history but also to learn more about each other. This will be, at first, a process that is both awkward and painful but the rewards are potentially great. The alternative is to allow to continue the polite, restrained mixing that now passes as meaningful interaction but that accomplishes little. Imagine if you will situations where people- regardless of their skin color- could confront racial issues freely and without fear. The potential of this country, that is becoming increasingly diverse, would be greatly enhanced. I fear however, that we are taking steps that, rather than advancing us as a nation are actually dividing us even further. We still speak too much of "them" and not "us". There can, for instance, be very legitimate debate about the question of affirmative action. This debate can, and should, be nuanced, principled and spirited. But the conversation that we now engage in as a nation on this and other racial subjects is too often simplistic and left to those on the extremes who are not hesitant to use these issues to advance nothing more than their own, narrow self interest. Our history has demonstrated that the vast majority of Americans are uncomfortable with, and would like to not have to deal with, racial matters and that is why those, black or white, elected or self-appointed, who promise relief in easy, quick solutions, no matter how divisive, are embraced. We are then free to retreat to our race protected cocoons where much is comfortable and where progress is not really made. If we allow this attitude to persist in the face of the most significant demographic changes that this nation has ever confronted- and remember, there will be no majority race in America in about fifty years- the coming diversity that could be such a powerful, positive force will, instead, become a reason for stagnation and polarization. We cannot allow this to happen and one way to prevent such an unwelcome outcome is to engage one another more routinely- and to do so now. 041b061a72