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There are a number of Black History Month events throughout Arkansas this February, including storytimes, exhibit openings, lectures and more. Here are some we think you and your family will enjoy.
Feb. 1, 2016
Black History Month Kick-Off Celebration
Feb. 1, Noon
Kick Off Event for Black History Month. Participants invited to wear black and red.
Arkansas Tech University, Hindsman Bell Tower
1605 Coliseum Drive
Russellville, Arkansas
1.800.582.6953
State of Black Lives
Feb. 1, 6 p.m.
Open discussion on current societal issues.
Arkansas Tech University, Doc Bryan Lecture Hall
1605 Coliseum Drive
Russellville, Arkansas
1.800.582.6953
Kick Off Black History Month Privilege Walk and Talk
Feb. 1, 6-8 p.m.
Kick off for a month of discussions centered around today’s complicated cultural dialogue. Yvonne Richardson Community Center
240 E. Rock Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Feb. 2, 2016
It’s in the Bag: Lunch ‘N Learn Series
Feb. 2, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
This quarterly lunch series offers a variety of topics meant to educate, entertain and inspire. The topic is African-American in the arts featuring guests panelists: poet Chris James, founder and executive director, House of Art; filmmaker Brian Lee; and Theresa Timmons-Shamberger, executive director, Timmons Arts Foundation. Bring your lunch. Drinks provided.
Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
501 W. Ninth Street
Little Rock, Arkansas
Contact Info: 501.683.3593
Black History Town Hall: Arkansas’s Past-N-Motion
Feb. 2, 5:30 p.m.
A panel discussion regarding Black History Month
Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
501 W. Ninth Street
Little Rock, Arkansas
Contact Info: 501.683.3593
Feb. 4, 2016
Cultural Appropriations Forum
Feb. 4, 7 p.m.
Open forum discussion on the difference between appreciation and appropriation
Arkansas Tech University, Room 138 of Rothwell Hall
1605 Coliseum Drive
Russellville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 1.800.582.6953
Feb. 10, 2016
Community Conversations on Race
Feb. 10, 7-8 p.m.
Courageous Conversation, focusing on race including whiteness, will be shaped by the personal, local and immediate experiences of participants.
St. James Baptist Church
764 North St.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Feb. 12, 2016
“I Walked on Water to My Homeland” featuring works by Delita Martin ”
Feb. 12, 6-8 p.m.
The opening of this exhibit will feature an artist talk, refreshments and live entertainment by Acoustix with Rod P. featuring Bijoux.
Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
501 W. Ninth Street
Little Rock, Arkansas
Contact Info: 501.683.3593
Feb. 13, 2016
A Visual Arts Sankofa
Feb. 13, 11:30 a.m.
This exhibit evokes specific aspects of the African-American experience to explore young artists’ perceptions of the world through the African-American lens.
Fayetteville Public Library, Children’s Reading Room
401 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 479.586.7000
Gallery Conversation “Compassion in Our Community”
Feb. 13, 1-2 p.m.
Discover art through stories of compassion, inclusion, and unity in this Gallery Conversation honoring Black History Month
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Main Lobby
600 Museum Way
Bentonville, Arkansas
Feb. 15, 2016
Conversations Matter
Feb. 15, 10-11:30 a.m.
Fayetteville Senior Activity and Wellness Center
945 South College Avenue
Fayetteville, Arkansas
This event focuses on race and will be shaped by the personal, local and immediate experiences of discussants/participants.
Contact Info: To sign up for the event, contact Mary Cochran at drmaryvc@aol.com
Feb. 16, 2016
Black History Month Keynote Address
Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Listen to COL George T. Hudgens (Ret.) discuss his experiences as a Tech student in a tough historical time
Venue: Arkansas Tech University, Doc Bryan Lecture Hall
1605 Coliseum Drive
Russellville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 1.800.582.6953
Feb. 17, 2016
Celebration of Black Culture
Feb. 17, 7 p.m.
Performances honoring the importance of black culture
Arkansas Tech University, Doc’s Place
1605 Coliseum Drive
Russellville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 1.800.582.6953
Courageous Conversation
Feb. 17, 7-8 p.m.
This community conversation focuses on race, including whiteness. It will be shaped by the personal, local and immediate experiences of participant.
St. James Baptist Church
764 North Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 479.521.0961
Feb. 18, 2016
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Books Monthly Luncheon
Feb. 18, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Join Compassion Fayetteville Black History Team members Jimmye Whitfield and Pattie Williams as they discuss “The Edge of Campus: A Journal of the Black Experience”. This book chronicles the setbacks and triumphs the co-authors experienced in their attempts to bring true integration to the University of Arkansas.
Bordino’s Restaurant
310 West Dickson Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: RSVP to Melinda Nickle at melindanickle@outlook.com
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Book Review
Feb. 18, 2-3:45 p.m.
A session on the historical overview of Fayetteville Black History
Pryor Center
1 East Center Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: RSVP to OLLI at olli@uark.edu or call 479.575.4545
“Celebrating Black History Month: Preserving African-American History in Northwest Arkansas”
The talk focuses on African-American history in Washington County, Arkansas.
Feb. 18, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Pryor Center for Oral and Visual History
1 East Center Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: For more information, contact Tameka Lee at 501-683-6320 or tameka@arkansasheritage.org.
Feb. 18-19, 2016
Black History Month School Days
Celebrate the rich African American history of the Parkin area! Stations will include education, food, music, and other forms of entertainment that kept the historic kids and adults busy in Parkin. Reservations are required and this event fills quickly.
Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 – Friday, Feb. 19, 2016
9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Parkin Archeological State Park
Parkin, Arkansas
Admission: $2 per student, $3.53 per parent
Feb. 20, 2016
Community Engagement Event
Feb. 20, 1-5:45 p.m.
Watch a movie set at a historically Black university, then stay for a panel discussion about the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Fayetteville Public Library
401 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Black History Month Showcase Fashion Show
Feb. 20, 6-8 p.m.
Come witness various skits with local performers and everyday citizens.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
2925 North Old Missouri Road
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: To participate in the show, please sign up before 2/6. Email umojasoulnwa@yahoo.com for more information.
Feb. 24, 2016
Privilege Talk
Feb. 24, 6-7:30 p.m.
This event is a second part to the Feb. 1 Privilege Walk which allows participants to follow up on newly discovered perspectives, newly developed desires, or freshly uncovered contradictions from the Privilege Walk event.
Fayetteville Public Library
401 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 479.586.7000
Feb. 25, 2016
Parkview’s Black History Program
Feb. 25, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School will partner with the Clinton Presidential Center in hosting an event that celebrates voices of the Abolitionist Movement from Frederick Douglass to Sojourner Truth.
Clinton Presidential Center
1200 President Clinton Ave
Little Rock, Arkansas
Tech Talk
Feb. 25, Noon
Open forum discussion on #blacklivesmatter and #alllivesmatter movements
Arkansas Tech University, Baz-Tech
1605 Coliseum Drive
Russellville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 1.800.582.6953
An Evening with Eunique Jones Gibson
Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m.
Join in for an evening with the creator of “Because of Them We Can”
Walton Reading Room of Mullins Library, University of Arkansas
Feb. 28, 2016
Soul Food Sunday
Feb. 28, 3 p.m.
Enjoy food, a musical presentation and guest speaker
Arkansas Tech University, Young Ballroom
1605 Coliseum Drive
Russellville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 1.800.582.6953
Month-Long/Ongoing Activities
“Let There Be Light: 100 Black Men”
Photographic project that opens a channel for the viewer to gaze into the soul of the person photographed, thereby helping make Black lives more relevant and visible in Northwest Arkansas.
Fayetteville Public Library, Reading Room
401 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 479.586.7000
“A Visual Arts Sankofa”
The exhibition evokes specific aspects of the African-American experience to explore young artists’ perceptions of the world through the African-American lens.
Fayetteville Public Library, Children’s Reading Room
401 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Contact Info: 479.586.7000
A Living History: The Arkansas Black Hall of Fame
The exhibit highlights art, music, sports, education and civil rights by emphasizing the achievements of black Arkansans beginning in the early 20th century.
Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 3rd Floor
501 West Ninth Street
Little Rock, Arkansas
Contact Info: 501.683.3593
African-American in Arkansas: 1870-1970
These stories and countless others make up the fabric of Arkansas’s African-American history.
Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 3rd Floor
501 West Ninth Street
Little Rock, Arkansas
Contact Info: 501.683.3593
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