NMAAHC has lots of ways for you to celebrate Black History Month from home!
BLACK HISTORY MONTH STARTS MONDAY
There are as many ways to celebrate Black History Month as there are people in the world. Luckily, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has you covered!
Join us for any or all of the following public programs and immerse yourself in the rich history available at NMAAHC.
Historically Speaking: Four Hundred Souls
A Conversation with Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
Tuesday, February 2 ǀ 7 p.m. Eastern Free ǀ Online
For their newly edited volume Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, renowned scholars Ibram X. Kendi (How to Be an Antiracist) and Keisha N. Blain (Set the World on Fire) invited 90 talented writers to document the 400-year journey of African Americans.
Join editors Kendi and Blain for an extraordinary discussion with contributors Annette Gordon Reed (Harvard University) and Herb Boyd (City University of New York), during which they’ll examine eras including slavery, Reconstruction, and segregation — and their sustained impact on the United States today.
NMAAHC Kids: Joyful Fridays
Fridays, February 5, 12, 19, and 26 ǀ 11 a.m. Eastern Free ǀ Online
Each Friday in February, children ages five to eight are invited to celebrate Black History Month by creating art inspired by our Joyful ABCs activity book series and objects from the NMAAHC collection!
Each 45-minute experience will include such activities as exploring creativity by making hats, discovering daring choices through sculpture, embracing emotions through portraiture, and building the capacity to stand up for what is fair through words and painting. Register now to receive a Zoom link, list of art supplies, book recommendations, and other free online resources.
Courthouse Research:
Using Probate Records to Research Enslaved Ancestors
Saturday, February 6 ǀ 2 p.m. Eastern Free ǀ Online
Have you tried to research African American ancestors born during slavery, only to hit a brick wall?
NMAAHC’s Robert Frederick Smith Family History Center presents a talk by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, who will share best practices in using probate and other estate records to identify enslaved people through the records of possible slaveholders. Let us help you uncover your family’s buried roots!
Education Resources for STEM Educators Information Session
Wednesday, February 10 ǀ 4 p.m. Eastern Free ǀ Online
During this 90-minute session, 3rd through 12th-grade teachers will have a guided tour of NMAAHC’s online STEM resources. Educators will explore upcoming teacher workshops, discover how to use digital lessons from the Smithsonian Learning Lab, and learn how to find STEM-related historical objects in our collections that can be used in the classroom.
In Dialogue: Race and Medicine
Thursday, February 11 ǀ 5 p.m. Eastern Free ǀ Online
NMAAHC and the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) are teaming up for a program in the NPG monthly series In Dialogue: Smithsonian Objects and Social Justice. Join cohosts Beth Evans (NPG) and Leslie P. Walker (NMAAHC) for a discussion about race and medicine, as represented by objects in the Smithsonian’s collections.
Celebrate National Engineering Week by creating and editing Wikipedia pages for African American STEM professionals! Your work will benefit K-12 students and teachers by highlighting the impact of past and present African American STEM professionals on their communities, the nation, and the world. Edit-A-Thon runs through March 6.
Historically Speaking:
The Economic Impact of COVID-19 on the African American Community
Tuesday, February 23 ǀ 7 p.m. Eastern Free ǀ Online
Explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the physical and financial well-being of the African American community. Discussion moderator Michael Fletcher of ESPN’s Undefeated and such panelists as researcher and commentator Algernon Austin will examine the country’s most dramatic economic crash since the Great Depression, as well as explore how communities can prevail with critical interventions.