Black History Month Kingston
A collaboration between MyKingstonKids and Harambee, Black History Month Kingston celebrates its 5th year with a full slate of both virtual and in-person activities this month. Things kick off February 12 with a daylong celebration, including performances, African dance, poetry, singing, activities, vendors, and more. On February 15, tune in for a virtual lecture on nutrition with a focus on cultural traditions and budgetary considerations hosted by the Family Wellness Program. On February 18 watch 8X8: Black Culture in American Cinema, a presentation of eight clips from various films. Each scene is accompanied by a brief description and context, as well as behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Learn about reproductive health through trivia with Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, followed by an open mic where participants are invited to speak on what Black history means to them on February 25. And on February 27, attend the third-annual Black Experience event and watch singing, dancing, spoken word poetry, and stand up comedy. See the full calendar of BHMK events here.
Newburgh Free Library
Join Newburgh Free Library on February 17 for a virtual talk with Dr. Yvonne Chireau, author of Black Magic: African American Religion and Conjuring Tradition. In this program entitled “Root Doctors and Hoodoo Medicine: The Healing Practices of Enslaved African Americans,” Chireau will cover the experienced practitioners of the past and the traditional rituals they used to heal.
Dutchess County Community College
DCCC will host a Black Solidarity Conference on February 18-19 on the topics of Black wellness and health justice. Sexual health activist Marc Thompson will cover the past, present, and future of Black queer health in the U.K., from HIV to COVID-19. Dr. Angel Acosta will discuss healing-centered education practices in his presentation. Doctors Francia Reed and Maria Roche-Dean will go over how to better support Black nursing communities. The final talk, “Turning On the Triggers,” will help listeners better understand anti-Black administrative practices in college and how they intersect with gender, nationality, and sexuality.
Bardavon
Bardavon is streaming episode three of their Hudson Valley Philharmon: Behind the Music series on YouTube. This episode features composer Nkeiru Okoye discussing her work Songs of Harriet Tubman and the story of Florence Price, the first African American woman to have her symphony played by a major U.S. orchestra. You can also catch a screening of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, showing at both the Bardavon and UPAC on February 25.
TMI Project
Founded in 2010, TMI Project has spent over a decade working with local residents of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to tell their stories. During the month of February, you can watch or listen to stories from their Black Stories Matter content archive. All content comes with a Discussion Guide to help facilitate post-engagement community conversations. Find the Black Stories Matter content online, including the most recent production of Black Trans Stories Matter as well as Apple’s New and Noteworthy The TMI Project Podcast Season 2: Black Stories Matter.
Clearwater
Legendary location nonprofit Clearwater is hosting a virtual panel with Black environmental industry professionals on February 24. Megan Lung, Tanasia Swift, Benita Law-Diao, and Jerome Cunningham will all discuss their professional journeys in their respective aspects of the environmental field, spanning education, research, development, and communications.
Hudson Area Library
Hudson Area Library is hosting a variety of webinars to celebrate Black History Month. Join on February 16 for a talk presented by the New York Historical Society that explores the struggle for equality from the end of the Civil War to Word War I. The library’s nonfiction book group will meet virtually on February 28 to read and discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Close out Black History Month on March 3, when the library will celebrate the launch of the new dedicated Black Legacy Association of Columbia County (BLACC) website, which compiles a digitized archive of the library’s collection of local oral histories, images, and documents from the 1980s. Tuune in by Zoom for an evening of photos, video, and audio of the oral history interviews of black residents of Hudson and the county, plus a dynamic conversation about this history.
Hudson Jazz Festival
Grab tickets for the “Lift Every Voice” jazz festival on February 10-13 and February 17-20. Performers include Alexis Morrast, the Jimmy Greene Quartet, Jazzmeia Horn, and the Warren Golf Group. Plus, catch a screening of the 2009 film Let Freedom Sing: How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement on February 13. The evening of February 17 will feature spoken word and music performed by poet, actor, and activist Daniel J. Watts and special guests.
Rosendale Theatre
On February 25, attend a live performance of “Finding North,” a one-man play by David Gonzalez, at the Rosendale Theatre. “Finding North” tells the story of the formerly enslaved John P. Parker and his experience helping fugitives to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Interviews with contemporary American immigrants are mixed in, fusing past and present. Director Daniel Carlton will play all roles, with Gonzalez accompanying him on the guitar. The play will be followed by a talk-back with the audience.
