February
is the month we set aside to celebrate and
remember the achievements of African
Americans in our society.
To aid in our
remembrance and education during Black
History Month, numerous Charlotte area
organizations are celebrating with a variety
of cultural events, from theater to
informational discussions and workshops to
tours of important historic locations. Join
with family and friends to learn African
American heritage throughout the month of
February during your visit to Charlotte.
The
Afro-American Cultural Center (401 N. Myers
St., 704-374-1565) is the hub of Black
History Month in Charlotte. February 2 is a
music program, “The Sounds of Freedom.”
February 9 covers visual art with “Signs &
Symbols of Freedom.” February 16 involves
creative dramatics in “The Characteristics
of Freedom.”
The
final Saturday, February 23, is the dance
program “Freedom, A Movement.” For a truly
in-depth exploration of African American
history in the Charlotte region, enroll
yourself in the Afro-American Cultural
Center’s CultureCamp Heritage and Arts
Family Workshop “Passage to Freedom: A
Four-Week Exploration of the Underground
Railroad.” Relive the hard work, planning,
trust, decision-making, and tragic ordeals
involved in these heroic escapes to freedom.
The series is from 10am to noon every
Saturday in February.
If you want a
more theatrical experience during your
February celebration, take in a performance
of Gem of the Ocean at Actor’s Theatre of
Charlotte (650 E. Stonewell St.,
704-342-2251). The award-winning play is set
in 1904 and stars Aunt Ester, a spiritual
advisor to the community and an ancestor to
the first slaves brought to America. Aunt
Ester carries the 285-year collective memory
of her people and shares their experience
with the audience throughout the play.
Performances begin February 8 and play
through March 1. Show times are 7:30pm on
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8pm on Fridays and
Saturdays, and 2:30pm on Sundays.
On
February 9 from 10am-4pm, Historic Latta
Plantation (5225 Sample Rd., Huntersville,
704-875-2312) will host the educational
program “Back of the Big House.” Learn how
the enslaved population was the backbone of
a plantation as the African American
reenactment group Voices From The Past shows
how slaves lived while serving at a
plantation.
Just a five
minute drive from Center City will bring you
to a beautiful surprise tucked in the heart
of Charlotte—Historic Rosedale Plantation
(3427 N. Tryon St., 704-335-0325). A
gorgeous plantation home beautifully
restored to its original 1815 splendor,
Historic Rosedale offers two particularly
interesting educational experiences for
Black History Month. On February 9 at 1:30pm
Rosedale will host its yearly Unheard Voices
program, featuring a reenactment by Barbara
Jackson, followed by a lecture and
discussion of the experiences of African
women during slavery and the treacherous
middle passage.
Sowande M.
Mustakeem of Michigan State University will
share her research of the experiences of
African women, chronicled from the archives
of British Parliament. On February 23 the
plantation will host a discussion and open
forum with UNC-Charlotte faculty regarding
slavery. The discussion will compare and
contrast the socio-economic realities of
slavery in the Carolinas and throughout
various regions of Latin America and the
Caribbean and will kick off with a lesson
about slavery at Rosedale. In addition to
these special Black History Month events,
visitors can tour the plantation home every
Thursday through Sunday at 1:30 and 3pm.
Adults are $5, seniors and students K-12 are
$4, and children under 3 are free.
The
Museum of York County (4621 Mt. Gallant Rd.,
Rock Hill, 803-329-2121) will throw a
celebration on February 23 with dancing and
music. This Africa Alive! program will honor
African life, culture, and history from the
motherland to the shores of America with
storytelling, crafts, hands-on activities,
and planetarium programs.
The Levine
Museum of the New South (200 E. 7th St.,
704-333-1887) welcomes February with a new
exhibit that demonstrates the divide created
by race and class, both in antebellum times
and the present. When encountering In Mixed
Company, running through May 30, visitors
will explore the barriers of prejudices
typically found in the South.
A floating
forest of fourteen jeweled and adorned
walking sticks hover above the ground as
snatches of Jim Crow songs and sound effects
fill the gallery space with humor, surreal
reality, and emotional truth. This
interactive exhibit even invites guests to
become a part of the creativity as they make
their way past the artwork.
Planning
to take a tour of Charlotte during your
visit? Incorporate Black History Month
celebrations into your stay with the help of
Queen City Tours’ 10th Annual Charlotte
Black Heritage Toursm and Pilgrimage 2008.
See and learn the rich African American
history of Charlotte with this motorized
climate-controlled tour covering over 50
sites and 50 miles of historic terrain.
During the tour visitors will see three
slave cemeteries, a former slave church,
hear traditional African music, visit a home
that was bombed during the Civil Rights era,
and see three historically black
neighborhoods.
All of these
visits combine to educate visitors in over
250 years of Charlotte history! Tickets are
$30 for adults, $28 for seniors, and $26 for
children and students. The buses depart from
the Levine Museum of the New South on
Saturday, February 9, 16, and 23 at 10am and
1:30pm. These tours are three hours each and
very popular, so call 704-566-0104 ahead of
time to reserve your space.
