Black History Month isn’t over yet, and we still have the opportunity to intentionally reflect on Black history at the same time as millions of others across the country. Here are a few more local opportunities for you to engage in.
Evanston Public Library events
From 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, Northwestern University Journalism Professor and seasoned former news reporter Ava Greenwell will be leading a virtual conversation about her newest book, “Ladies Leading: The Black Women Who Control Television News.” The multitalented Greenwell interviewed 40 Black women in broadcast news concerning the specific racial and gendered challenges they faced as they navigated their careers.
Greenwell, who also hosts the “Ladies Leading” podcast dedicated to elevating Black women across professions, will share with the Evanston community her findings from the book and the intention behind writing it. The author holds a master’s degree in broadcast journalism and a Ph.D. in African-American Studies.
Two other all-day Black History Month events geared toward children will take place on Thursday. The Main Library as well as the Crown branch library will host an all-day Black History Themed Scavenger Hunt dedicated to Black Evanston history. Additionally, the Main Library is offering an all-day arts & crafts “craft kit” for kids to make “Basquiat-inspired crowns” dedicated to the legendary Black artist Jean-Michal Basquiat.
From 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25, the Main Library is inviting local families to attend a virtual Black History Family Game Night. The event will quiz participants on a range of Black history topics “from sports to science to leaders to poems to movies to food and everything in between.” Registration for this event is required, and only one family per registration.
The Block Museum of Art
From 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9 Northwestern’s Block Museum of Art will be hosting an in-person conversation about the NAACP’s 1935 exhibition, “An Art Commentary on Lynching,” which represented a critical but often neglected moment in American art history. That historical exhibit will be discussed alongside the current exhibit at the Block Museum, A Site of Structure, which is a contemporary retelling of anti-Black resistance art created from the 1890s through the Black Lives Matter movement.
The event will begin with a lecture from art historian and curator Margaret Rose Vendryes. Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church, will then proceed with the discussion.
February or not, it’s always the right time to learn about the history of marginalized groups. There’s no better time than now