Traditionally, Mosaic organizes a Black History Month event for the Hunter community each February. This year, in lieu of an event, we are offering varied educational resources for Hunter families to view, share and, hopefully, spark conversation. While this decision is certainly due to the effects of the ongoing global pandemic, it is also informed by the origins of what we today know as Black History Month, and Mosaic’s relevant role in promoting diversity, inclusivity, equity, fluidity, affinity, allyship and intersectionality at HCCS today.
Founded in 1926 by Carter Godwin Woodson, “Negro History Week” was intended to be a celebration of what had already been learned throughout the previous year’s study of what he called “Negro life and history.” Meaning, Woodson saw this annual observance of Black life not as an occurrence to discuss the race problem in America, but instead to acknowledge and review an ongoing and consistent education of the African-American contributions to the development of civilization. Expanded from a week to a month in 1976, Black History Month remains an extension of Woodson’s life-long dedication to link the deeper study of Black life to acts of community consensus and coalition building.
Woodson’s fight in the struggle for intellectual liberation of the Black experience continues today. And Mosaic, however small, aims to be a force within our children’s educational institution for the expansion of study to encompass a version of what Woodson called “…not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.”*
Below, you’ll find, a list of virtual events and resources that are occurring throughout the month by other institutions. Sourced from the Hunter community, we welcome further listings and resources from you! Please contact racheldozierezell@gmail.com to add an event or resource you think honors Black history, Black voices, and Black lives.
*Carter Godwin Woodson, “The Celebration of Negro History Week, 1927,” Journal of Negro History, April 1927
Black History Month Events
| Title & Description | Date & Time | Sponsor/Creator |
| My Soul Sings of Freedom: An Interactive Musical and Spoken Word Workshop with Gwendolyn Black We invite you to join us for an afternoon of celebrating the Black experience through interactive music, dialogue, and instrument playing. Join us as we listen to significant music, such as Spirituals, which became the compass for the fight for freedom and dignity. The workshop includes the artistry of Broadway Composer and Pianist Emme Kemp with Spoken Word by exhibiting Visual Artist Gwendolyn Black and special guests. Bring your instruments and join in as we take a look at different rhythm patterns. |
Saturday, January 23, 2:00 – 3:00 pm | Dyckman Farmhouse Museum |
| A Catalyst For Humanity: Isabel Wilkerson in Conversation with Don Lemon | February 1, 1:00 pm | Harvard University |
| Black Lives Matter at School Week Symposium – Bank Street College of Education Bank Street’s Center for Culture, Race & Equity is hosting a free symposium this week called “Disrupting Anti-Black Racism in Early Childhood Education: Center, Abolish, Liberate.” The symposium is this Thursday, February 4, from 5.30-7.30 pm via Zoom. It’s free, but registration is required in order to receive a Zoom link. More information on the event, including speaker bios and registration information, is available at the link below. |
Thursday, February 4, 5:30 – 7:30 pm | Bank Street College of Education |
| MICHAEL MWENSO: HOPE, RESIST & HEAL, performance and conversation with Shannon Effinger Musician, artist and social commentator Michael Mwenso offers his unique and ancestral perspective on Black music and its power to heal us. As an African-born queer man growing up in London and New York, Mwenso will dive into a wide range of his own discoveries while shedding light on the Black experience through interludes of his own music. This live studio recording with Mwenso and the Shakes and commentary with arts journalist Shannon Effinger will take us on a ride through the continuum and power of Black roots music. He will be joined by his group, Mwenso and the Shakes, a multicultural New York jazz group. |
Thursday, February 25, 7:00 – 7:45 pm | NY City Parks Foundation |
| Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling Virtual Storytelling Free, registration required |
Month-long:
Sunday, February 7, 1:00 pm — Therese Plair Presents ALL IN TOGETHER! Sunday, February 14, 1:00 pm — April Armstrong Presents Come join Storyteller, April Armstrong and her Jazzy Twist Friends Sunday, February 21, 1:00 pm — Tammy Hall Presents Tales of Black Heritage |
Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling |
| Celebrating Black Botanists: The Genius of George Washington Carver MIDWINTER BREAK VIRTUAL FAMILY PROGRAMS In this first online workshop of the series, we’ll explore the work and impact of George Washington Carver. Called the “Wizard of Tuskegee,” Dr. Carver made significant contributions to the field of botany. Learn how plants played a very important role in his early life and later achievements. We will also demonstrate some plants Carver worked with and paint with plants, using plant materials for pigment and painting instruments. Suggested Materials: overripe berries, turmeric, spinach leaves, paper, brush. $10 Non-Member / $8 Member / Free with Urban Advantage Student +3 Voucher Registration required. |
Monday, February 15, 10:00 am | Queens Botanic Garden |
| Celebrating Black History Month At The Tiny Desk NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series will celebrate Black History Month by featuring 13 Tiny Desk (home) concerts by Black artists across genres. The lineup includes both emerging and established artists who will be performing a Tiny Desk concert for the first time. Free and archived online |
Month-long:
WEEK 1: JAZZ WEEK 2: R&B WEEK 3: HIP HOP WEEK 4: WILDCARD WEEK |
NPR Music |
| Schomburg Center Public Programs The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture advances the knowledge of the global black experience through dynamic programs and exhibitions. Free online events for adultsRegistration required |
Month-long:
Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 pm — Four Hundred Souls by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain Tuesday, February 16, 7:00 pm — LAUNCH: Unsung: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery & Abolition Monday, February 22, 6:30 pm — Mother Tongue: The Philosophy of Malcolm X Thursday, February 25, 6:30 pm — 30 Years of Easy Rawlins with Walter Mosley |
NYPL The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture |
Resources for Black History Month
| Center for Racial Justice in Education, Black History Month Resource Guide for Educators and Families and Black History Month Resources #2 | Two collections including dozens of resources organized into categories to support the integration of Black history and experiences in school curricula and at home. |
| NYCDOE School Library System, Black History Month: Remembering the Past Shaping the Future Collection | A collection of 333 ebooks and 112 audiobooks for young people relating to the Black experience in the US and beyond. Available to NYCDOE students and teachers by logging into the Sora app with their NYCDOE credentials. For families with students in DOE schools. |
| New York Times, Honor and Learn This Black History Month | List of cultural and historical events occurring in February to honor Black History Month with registration links. |
| New York Public Library, Black History Month at NYPL | The New York Public Library celebrates Black History Month throughout February with live online events and programs, blog posts, recommended reading, and a wide array of digital resources available to anyone with a library card. |
| Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Black Liberation List for Teens and Black Liberation Reading List for Kids | For 95 years, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has preserved, protected, and fostered a greater understanding of the Black experience through its collections, exhibitions, programs, and scholarship. In response to the uprisings across the globe demanding justice for Black lives, the Schomburg Center has created a Black Liberation Reading List. The titles on the list represent books we and the public turn to regularly as activists, students, archivists, and curators, with a particular focus on books by Black authors and those whose papers we steward. |
| Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Public Programming | A listing of the public events hosted by the Schomburg Center for the month of February. |
| National Geographic Kids, Black History Month | Description: A short reading about the history of Black History Month for elementary school readers.
Focus Question for Black History Month: What is Black History Month and how did it develop? Discussion Questions: |
| USA Today,Why Is Black History Month In February? How Do You Celebrate? Everything You Need To Know\ | Description: Article with a short history of Black History Month and a discussion about how to expand the teaching of Black history beyond the month of February.
Focus Question for Why Is Black History Month In February?: Why is Black History Month important? Discussion Questions: |
| Black History Month: Black History in Queens | Celebrate Black History Month in Parks with the Urban Park Rangers. This program highlights the significance of Queens for notable and impactful Black historical figures throughout history. |