Black History Month Events: Western MA
Feb 20, 2024, 10:35 AMAll Month
Sojourner Truth Memorial African-American Heritage Trail
A self-guided tour that explores the Florence of Sojourner Truth, David Ruggles, and Basil Dorsey. Notable sites include Sojourner Truth’s house, the Nonotuck Silk Mill Dam, the site of David Ruggles’ home and Northampton water cure, and the Park Street Cemetery.
February 7
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: KIARA HILL PH.D.
Student Engagement 227H, Holyoke Community College
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
This talk will explore the cultural legacy of the Black Arts Movement in Springfield, MA through the community-based art practice of artist, muralist and activist, Nelson Stevens.
Kiara Hill Ph.D, a professor of African American art history in the School of Art + Design at Portland State University, served as Curatorial and Interpretation Advisor for the incredible Nelson Stevens: Color Rapping exhibition at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield in 2023. She earned her B.A. at Sacramento State University, her M.A. at the University of Alabama, and recently completed her Ph.D. in Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts. Her research interests include the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s with an emphasis on Black women visual artists, Black Feminist Art, and Black Contemporary Art.
February 8
Prof. Glover: Talk about his work, current exhibit plus Q & A
Kittredge Center (KC) 303 Holyoke Community College
Presentation and Q & A about Prof. Glover’s newest exhibit.
Raishad JaBar Glover was born in 1980 in Heidelberg, Germany. Glover attended The Governor’s School for the Arts in Greenville, SC; attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts in New Orleans, LA (High School Diploma); attended the Xavier University of Louisiana; attended Tufts University, School of Museum for Fine Arts in Boston (Studio Diploma); attended Yale University, Yale School of Art in New Haven, CT (MFA). Glover considers himself a Conceptual artist who practices with mediums such as Lenticular Printing, Graphite Powder, Beeswax, Dura-trans/backlit Film, Analog/Digital Photography, and LED Lights. Previously, Raishad has taught, Sustainable Architectural Design at Putney Student Travel, was a Computing Specialist at Yale University Digital Media Center for the Arts, an Assistant Professor of Studio Art, and Digital Design at Claflin University (HBCU), to name a few. He is currently a Full Time Art Instructor teaching 2D-Design, Painting and Drawing at Holyoke Community College in Holyoke MA. Glover was a Board Member for Columbia Museum of Art FAAAC and a Board Member for Orangeburg County Fine Art Center. He is currently a Board Member of the Phoenix Foundation World Mission as the Visual Communication Director. Glover has exhibited his work in the United Kingdom, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, New York, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Washington DC, Connecticut, and Georgia. Glover studio is in Northampton, MA. The George Gallery in Charleston SC and Charlotte NC represents him.
February 15
Celebrate Black History Month at Dewey’s Lounge
2/15: Ladies Love R&B with DJ WhyNot, 9pm-1am
Thursday, February 1st is the start of Black History Month, and we’re excited to be celebrating all month long! We’ll be hosting a series of celebrations every Thursday in February and we hope you’ll come out and join us.
Entry is free, reservations are recommended: deweyslounge.com
February 16-19
Yoga Retreat for Women of Color: A Black History Month Celebration — iamyoga
This is the time to gather together to tell ancestral stories, share our folklore, and listen to each other.
Join creator of the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color, Maya Breuer, along with Kiesha Battles, Maria Broom, Angela Dharma Fears, Phyllis Jeffers-Coly, and Jameela Hill to celebrate and dance in the lineage of Black History Month. Create sacred space through yoga, movement, and dance as you:
- Share and hear stories.
- Listen to music.
- Make art.
- Write poetry and prose.
Come and be honored—your song, your dance, your prose, your poetry, your art, and your stories. Bring your sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, or best friend and get ready to revel in truth, healing, and renewal.
February 17
Northampton Forbes Library, Talk
Join us for “Missing Pages of History,” an interactive presentation with the goal of stimulating critical thinking and analysis around historical education and race. Featured speakers:
Chaplain Abdullah Abdul-Rahim, MEd, is a certified chaplain on the leadership team of MOCHA (Men of Color Health Awareness).
Dr. Mulazimuddin S. Rasool has a BA in American History (minor in African American Studies), a Masters Degree in Counseling (minor in Organizational Development), and a Doctorate in Instructional Leadership (minor in curriculum development). He is a Consulting Hypnotist and is certified by the state as a Social Studies Teacher, K-12 Guidance Counselor, Principal, and Attendance Officer.
February 21
Amherst Area Gospel Choir Performance
11 a.m. – 12: 15 p.m.
Fine Arts Theatre, Holyoke Community College
Join the Amherst Area Gospel Choir for a gospel singing performance that celebrates Black gospel music and its spiritual and artistic forms.
Hidden Figures Movie Night!
North Adams Public Library, 74 Church St,North Adams,MA,United States
In honor of Black History Month, join NAPL and MCLA’s Femme Forward Coalition for a FREE screening of Hidden Figures!
3rd floor community room. Snacks will be provided. If possible, please bring your own seating.
Any questions, email Adult Services Librarian Ryan Miller at rmiller@northadams-ma.gov, or give us a call.
February 22
Black History Month Program
RiverMills Center
5 W Main St, Chicopee, MA
Join Jose Gonzalez, Ph.D. Candidate in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst, as he talks about the Afro-Latino’s contribution to Black History, specifically about Afro-Puerto Rican Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, one of the founders of Black History. You must register in advance.
Write the Way: A Reading and Conversation with Nicole Young-Martin Ed.D.
Staff Faculty Dining Room, Holyoke Community College Campus Center (CC) 224
11:00 am. – 12:15 p.m
Nicole Young-Martin Ed.D. will read for 20-25 minutes, followed by open conversations with students about her work (including album, writing fellowship program and the chapbook anthology she edited a while back) and Black Writers Read for 20 minutes (specifically talking about the importance of marginalized voices in the literary canon, hence the title). She will also donate books for the Black Writers Read bookshelf, which will reside in El Centro.
Celebrate Black History Month at Dewey’s Lounge: Black Business Social
Thursday, February 1st is the start of Black History Month, and we’re excited to be celebrating all month long! We’ll be hosting a series of celebrations every Thursday in February and we hope you’ll come out and join us.
2/22: Black Business Social, 7-9pm, DJ Prince, 9pm-1am
2/29: Leap Year Party with Frei Speech, 9pm-1am
Entry is free, reservations are recommended: deweyslounge.com
February 24
Author Discussion: Richard Andersen
Springfield Armory National Historic Site One Armory Square, Suite 2
Springfield, MA 01105-1299
On Saturday, February 24 at 1:00 p.m., local author Richard Andersen will discuss the story behind his children’s book, A Home Run For Bunny. In 1934, the American League Post 21 Baseball team of talented 15 year olds from Springfield, Massachusetts won the New England baseball championship, but their hopes for a national title at the Eastern Regionals in Gastonia, North Carolina were threatened when the hosts tried to bar one of their players, Ernest “Bunny” Taliaferro from playing because he was black. Learn how the team and the city of Springfield rallied around their friend and teammate in the face of racial discrimination.
All programs are free and open to the public. For more information please call the museum at (413) 734-8551 Wednesday – Sunday between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
761st Battalion: The Original Black Panthers
Springfield Raymond Jordan Senior Center
1476 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield, MA 01109
4 p.m.
Join the Executive Office of Veterans Services on Saturday, February 24, for a special screening and discussion of “The 761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers.” Screenings will occur in two locations simultaneously in Massachusetts:
February 28
Phenomenal Black Women’s Panel
11:00 am. – 12:15 p.m.
Staff Faculty Dining Room, Holyoke Community College Campus Center (CC) 224
Our local community has an incredible group of phenomenal Black women leaders. Their genius, histories, contributions, and successes are inspiring and serve to tell a story to our students about their potential for greatness. With this panel, we are creating an opportunity for our students to see their reflections mirrored, learning from the participant’s insights about what it means to aspire to our dreams and what it takes to live them.
- Jada J. Waters Ed.D.
- Erika Slocumb
- Kandice E. Jones
- Qua-Nae Golston-Thomas
February 29
Daughter of Malcolm X, Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, to Speak at STCC
Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of the late activists Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, will speak at Springfield Technical Community College on Feb. 29 at noon as part of the college’s celebration of Black History Month.
Shabazz, an accomplished educator, author and activist, will share her insights and experiences rooted in the rich legacy of African American history and culture.
Shabazz will speak in the auditorium of Scibelli Hall (Building 2) at STCC. The event is free and open to the public however pre-registration is recommended. To register for the event, please click this link.
Black History Month at Dewey’s Lounge: Leap Year Party
Thursday, February 1st is the start of Black History Month, and we’re excited to be celebrating all month long! We’ll be hosting a series of celebrations every Thursday in February and we hope you’ll come out and join us.
2/22: Black Business Social, 7-9pm, DJ Prince, 9pm-1am
2/29: Leap Year Party with Frei Speech, 9pm-1am
Entry is free, reservations are recommended: deweyslounge.com