BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2023

There are so many ways to celebrate Black History Month in February 2023.
The Office of Arts and Culture offers a list events all over Dallas, from our cultural centers and our partners!

• Black History Month Film Series 
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch Library  (2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) 
  • February 7th: Cabin in the Sky (1943) (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
  • February 14th: Claudine (1974) (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
  • February 21st: Malcolm X (1992) (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
  • February 28th: Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
  • In observance of Black History Month,  Library will screen notable films from a wide range of history featuring Black filmmakers, actors and stories. 

• Black Legend Heirloom Workshop
  • South Dallas Cultural Center (3400 South Fitzhugh Ave.)
  • February 9th at 6 p.m.
  • February 16th at 6 p.m.
  • February 23rd at 6 p.m.
  • Black Legend Heirloom Workshop is a four-week hands on art experience with making your own Black Legend Heirloom led by 2022 Juanita J. Craft Artist-in-Residence, Camika C. Spencer. Participants will be provided with all supplies as they learn the value of how heritage and legacy can influence art. The theme of the workshop is “Crafting Ms. Craft” using Juanita J. Craft as the teaching model. Students will make two heirlooms. After the workshop, the heirloom will be on exhibit at the South Dallas Cultural Center for two weeks. This workshop is free with registration. Participants must be 16 years of age or older and commit to all four classes to complete the workshop. Click here to learn more and RSVP.
    
• Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents Cultural Awareness Series
  • Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre (2400 Flora Street)
  • February 17-18, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
  • The game of life is reflected in dance through the games we play and the history we preserve. The modern dance classic Games by Donald McKayle takes us back to our childhood nostalgia, experiencing both joy and terror. Tribute by Matthew Rushing, Associate Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, pays homage to decades of legendary Dancestors who preserved a slice of life with their classic works. Gregory Dolbashian created Shatter, which explores human behavior in audacious and vibrant ways. The world premiere of Swipe Left by DBDT veteran dancer Sean J. Smith looks at the complicated mindset of a woman desperately trying to find love in all the wrong places.

• • Black Cowboys: An American Story
    • African American Museum of Dallas (3536 Grand Ave)
    • January 21, 2023 – April  15, 2023
    • With more than 50 artifacts, photographs, documents and films, the exhibition explores the lives and work of the numerous Black men, women and children – enslaved and free – who labored on the ranches of Texas and participated in cattle drives before the Civil War through the turn of the 20th century. Free and open to the public the exhibition is organized by the Witte Museum. Presented locally by Bank of America. 
      
  • African Storytelling Reimagined
    • Skyline Branch Library (6006 Everglade Rd)
    • February 14 at 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
    • Author Ada Ari retells time-honored folktales from Ghana & Nigeria about spiders’ legs and turtles’ shells. Learn famous African dance moves and language, learn fun cultural facts about the Ashanti kingdom of Ghana and the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, and complete other activities related to the stories and the countries. For additional information, visit www.ada-ari.com.
      
  • The Bandan Koro Experience- African Drummers
    • Hampton Illinois Branch Library (2951 S Hampton Road) 
    • February 11th (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
    • The Bandan Koro Experience is made of drummers and dancers who present an energetic show which include various rhythms, dance moves, instruments, and interactive song and dance choreography, while also sharing history and cultural context.
      Participants will learn about fundamentals of West African drumming, including how the instruments are constructed, how they are played, and their contribution towards unifying communities.
      
  •  Black History Celebration
    • Pleasant Grove Branch Library (7310 Lake June Road)
    • February 18th (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
    • Celebrate African American Heritage month with MUSIC, DANCE, and POETRY.
      
  • Black and White Southern Families in Southern Plantation Records – Dallas Genealogical Society
    • J. Erik Jonsson Central Library (1515 Young St)
    • February 4th (11:00am – 12:30pm)
    • The Antebellum Southern Plantation Records can offer multifaceted views into many white and African American Southern families. This resource documents families’ personal and business correspondence, conditions of plantation life (including the elusive names of slaves and descriptions of slave relationships), and much more!
      Learn from Dallas Public Library Genealogy Specialist Ari Wilkins about the genealogical value of the Southern Antebellum Plantation Records – how they are organized, how to search the collection and apply it towards your genealogical research.
      Join the Dallas Genealogical Society on the first Saturday of the month to hear a free genealogy speaker and learn new ways to find YOUR family history. Hospitality is provided at 10:30 a.m. followed by a short business meeting at 11 a.m. followed shortly by the FREE educational presenter.
      Can’t make it in person? Join the meeting online through the DGS website.
      

Black History Month Pop-up Exhibition at City Hall 

Dallas-based African American artists showcasing their vision and inspiration at Dallas City Hall. You can catch their exhibition from February 15- March 3 at (1500 Marilla St, Dallas, TX 75201) from Monday – Friday at 8:00 am- 5 pm. If your interesting in purchasing any of the art you can email rosalinda.luna@dallas.gov.