Celebrate Black History Month with Free Events

The month of February is a time for Black History to be remembered and celebrated. Check out these two free, public events that commemorate Black History Month below.

 

On February 21, the Department of African and African American Studies at Fordham University at Lincoln Center (113 West 60th Street, Leon Lowenstein Center, 12th Floor Lounge) is hosting a Black History Month lecture, "Wild Thoughts and Rumors about the Auspicious Era of Extensive Freedom, or A Speculative History of the Demise of White Supremacy" with Saidiya Hartman from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Hartman, Ph.D., is a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University. She is the author of Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth Century America, and Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route and most recently, Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval. In 2019, Hartman was awarded the prestigious MacArthur fellowship, widely known as the "genius grant," for her work as a literary scholar and cultural historian. Lecture will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience. The lecture is free and open to the public, but RSVPing is strongly recommended. Click here to RSVP.

 

Many of New York City's parks and monuments honor African Americans who have shaped the landscape of our culture. Monuments and green spaces of all sizes, from Marcus Garvey Park in Manhattan to Hattie Carthan Community Garden in Brooklyn, pay tribute to the contributions and lives of notable African Americans from the 18th century to the 21st century. "Namesakes: Honoring African Americans in NYC Parks" is an exhibition of photographs that highlights a sampling of such namesakes throughout the city. Presented by NYC Parks' Ebony Society and Art & Antiquities, the exhibition is on display at the Arsenal Gallery  (830 5th Avenue) until Thursday, February 27. Admission is free.