Celebrating African Americans in the Arts

Celebrate Black creators and activists this Black History Month with “African Americans in the Arts” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. This year’s theme explores the unbroken chain of Black art passing between generations and the power that art has to drive change. This month, you are invited to trace Black art’s evolution and influence with your library card.

Schedule of Events:

• Invisible Beauty Documentary
  • DESCRIPTION: A documentary about the life and career of legendary model turned activist Bethann Hardison in discussion with Director Frederic Tcheng.
  • DATE: Thursday, February 1
  • TIME: 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
• Black History Revealed
  • DESCRIPTION: A three-part genealogy workshop series, designed to guide you on how to start building your family tree, apply advanced research strategies, and uncover the lives of your ancestors.
  • DATE: Saturday, February 3, 10, 24
  • TIME: 11:00 a.m.
• Easily Slip Into Another World with Henry Threadgill
  • DESCRIPTION: An exceptional jazz talk and concert featuring jazz icon Henry Threadgill as he discusses his new book “Easily Slip into Another World”.
  • DATE: Sunday, February 4
  • TIME: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
• HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience
  • DESCRIPTON: NPR journalist Ayesha Rascoe will speak about her new book “HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience” with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.
  • DATE: Monday, February 5
  • TIME: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
• The National Theatre Live! at the Library
  • DECRIPTION: An interactive dramatic performance about self-acceptance for families with young children.
  • DATE: Wednesday, February 7
  • TIME: 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
• DC Tech Meetup
  • DESCRIPTION: An open monthly meeting for DC’s tech community to share ideas and demonstrate new projects, with the goal of building a supportive tech community in DC.
  • DATE: Wednesday, February 7
  • TIME: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
• Author Talk with Tanya Golash-Boza and Tyler Hoyle
  • DESCRIPTION: Trace the District’s history of redlining, incarceration, and gentrification. Author and professor Tanya Golash-Boza will discuss her most recent publication Before Gentrification: The Creation of DC’s Racial Wealth Gap.
  • DATE: Wednesday, February 7
  • TIME: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• The House on Jonathan Street
  • DESCRIPTION: A one-hour documentary that uses the accidental discovery of the significant history of a modest dwelling on a traditionally African American street in Hagerstown, Maryland to trace the roots of middle America’s racial, economic and social interactions.
  • DATE: Thursday, February 8
  • TIME: 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
• Historically Black Phrases LIVE
  • DESCRIPTION: A lie game show in celebration of Black History Month. The event is an adaptation of the book “Historically Black Phrases: From ‘I Ain’t One Of Your Lil’ Friends’ to ‘Who All Gon’ Be There?” This is event is now SOLD OUT. Additional seating may be available the day-of the event.
  • DATE: Thursday, February 8
  • TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
• Black Folk: The Public Square with Dr. Blair LM Kelley
  • DESCRIPTION: An engaging discussion with award-winning historian Professor Blair Kelley. Professor Kelley will be shedding light on the adversities and joys of the Black working class in America through a stunning narrative centered on her forebears.
  • DATE: Saturday, February 10
  • TIME: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
• What Have We Here? With Billy Dee Williams
  • DESCRIPTION: The iconic Billy Dee Williams will discuss his life and new memoir “What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life”.
  • DATE: Thursday, February 15
  • TIME: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
• Historic Change: Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray
  • DESCRIPTION: Join the United States Mint, the National Women’s History Museum, and DC Public Library to celebrate the life and legacy of Reverend Doctor Pauli Murray and commemorate the release of the 2024 Pauli Murray quarter, the eleventh coin to be released in the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters™ Program.
  • DATE: Thursday, February 22
  • TIME: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
• International Spy Museum: James A. Lafayette, Revolutionary War Spy
  • DESCRIPTION: James A. Lafayette was a spy for the Patriots in Virginia during the fight for American Independence. Working closely with Marquise de Lafayette, this enslaved man undertook “important commissions” and gathered “intelligences from the enemy’s camp.” This talk will explore how we know about James and his work as a spy for the Patriots—from speculation to documentation.
  • DATE: Friday, February 23
  • TIME: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
• Free The People Film Screening and Panel Discussion
  • DESCRIPTION: A 3-part docuseries detailing DC’s 2020 Black Lives Matter uprising from the frontlines with filmmakers Kintsugi Kelley-Chung and Andrew “Jazzy” Jasuira.
  • DATE: Sunday, February 25
  • TIME: 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
• Bitter Crop: The Heartache and Triumph of Billie Holliday’s Last Year
  • DESCRIPTION: Biographer, Paul Alexander will discuss his book Bitter Crop:The Heartache and Triumph of Billie Holiday’s Last Year with a moderator, answer questions from the audience, and sign copies of the book. Registration is required for this event.
  • DATE: Tuesday, February 27
  • TIME: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
• Author Talk: Sito — An American Teenager and the City that Failed Him
  • DESCRIPTION: A special conversation with Princeton University’s Laurence Ralph for his new book Sito: An American Teenager and the City that Failed Him. In conversation with poet and author Clint Smith.
  • DATE: Thursday, February 29
  • TIME: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.