Seasonal & Holidays
Bus Tour, Trail Ribbon Cutting: Black History Month Events In Alexandria
From the African American Waterfront Heritage Trail ribbon cutting to a traveling exhibit, here's what's planned for Black History Month.
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Numerous events are planned in Alexandria this February to observe Black History Month, which this year celebrates “African Americans and the Arts.”
Black History Month begins Thursday and continues through Leap Day on Feb. 29. Since 1976, every U.S. president has set aside February as a month to celebrate the achievements of African Americans and their role in U.S. history.
African American art is infused with multiple cultural influences, including African, Caribbean and the Black American lived experiences, according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the founder of Black History Month.
Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
These influences are seen in the visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression.
In Alexandria, here are upcoming Black History Month events:
Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Exhibit: “Searching for Truth in the Garden” at Freedom House Museum: Through April 15
Freedom House Museum, 1315 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Cost: $5 per adult, $3 per child (ages 5-12) and free for City of Alexandria residents
Gonzaga High School presents its research on slavery, "Searching for Truth in the Garden," at the Freedom House Museum. The traveling exhibition looks at the life of Gabriel, a teenager enslaved at Washington Seminary (now Gonzaga) in 1829.
"African American Emancipation in an Occupied City" Book Launch: Feb. 3, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Cost: Free
Speakers at this event will be editor Audrey Davis and the authors of "African American Emancipation in an Occupied City," which tells the story of formerly enslaved and self-emancipated people in a newly occupied city during the Civil War. They came to Alexandria seeking freedom, but many did not live long with freedom. Those who survived used their labor for the cause of freedom. A book signing will follow after the authors’ presentations. The event is free, but online registration is recommended.
African American Film Series: Feb. 8, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (“Banker”) and Feb. 29, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library, 4701 Seminary Roud Suite 104, Alexandria, VA 22304
Cost: FreeTo mark Black History Month, the library will be showing a series of films throughout the month.
Manumission Tour Company Black History Bus Tour: Feb. 10, 10. a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Feb. 17, 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tour meets at the Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Cost: $35 per person
This returning 90-minute guided bus tour by Manumission Tour Company goes to various African American historic sites in Alexandria. Attendees will hear stories of both enslaved and free African Americans prior to the Civil War as well as understand the stories behind some of Alexandria's most well-known African American historic sites. Sites will include the Alexandria National Cemetery, Alfred Street Baptist Church, Shiloh Baptist Church, Church Alley, the African American Heritage Park, the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery, Barrett Library and more. Manumission Tour Company is run by Alexandria City Council member John Taylor Chapman.
African American Waterfront Heritage Trail Signs Ribbon Cutting: Feb. 10, 11 a.m.
New Fishtown sign on the river side of Founders Park, 351 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Cost: Free
The African American Heritage Trail Committee invites the public to join in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the installation of new interpretive signs along Alexandria’s historic waterfront. The 11 signs and two orientation panels illuminate the history of the African American community in Alexandria over the span of several centuries. The event will begin at 11 a.m. at the new Fishtown sign on the river side of Founders Park (351 N. Union Street). A reception following the ribbon cutting will be held in the Overlook Room (#325) on the third floor of the Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union Street. This event will be rain or shine.
Concert: Washington Revels Jubilee Voices: Feb. 18, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Alexandria’s History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Cost: Free
Join Washington Revels Jubilee Voices for an exploration of the Gullah-Geechee culture and life in St. Simons Island, Georgia. This multimedia program, “Wade in the Water,” is a collaboration with Mercer University, blending songs and stories of the Gullah Geechee community and featuring six student films that capture the history, lives and spirit of the Gullah-Geeche community. The community's numbers are declining due to development and other factors. The event is free, but online registration is recommended.
Virtual Documentary Viewing: “Still Bill”: Feb. 21, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
For African American History Month, enjoy a virtual screening of the documentary "Still Bill" about music legend and Hall of Famer Bill Withers. Register with an email address to receive the screening link. Registration closes at 7 p.m. on Feb. 20.
Black Dance: Housing the Past and the Present: Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Join this virtual presentation exploring how colonialism brought an end to authentic African dance with Associate Professor of Dance at George Mason University Lawrence M. Jackson, who in 2011 co-authored and edited a special edition on Black dance in the Journal of Pan African Studies. In this presentation, he explains how Black dance keeps those African cultural traditions alive and is an affirmation of identity and independence.
Alma Thomas Art: Feb. 24, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Beth Patridge Meeting Room in James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library, 2501 Commonwealth Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301
Celebrate the conclusion of Black History Month by creating your own art piece inspired by Alma Thomas. All materials will be provided. The event is for children ages 6 to 12 and teens.
Bright Star Theatre: George Washington Carver and Friends: Feb. 27, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
Cost: Free
Meet Black entrepreneurs and groundbreakers like George Washington Carver, Madame CJ Walker, Thurgood Marshall and more in this interactive theater performance. The event is for children grades K to 5.
Burke Book Club: “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison: Feb. 28, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
In honor of Black History Month, join a virtual Zoom discussion put on by Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library on the 1952 classic novel, "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison. This program will take place by Zoom, and registration is required. After registering, you will be emailed the link to join this Zoom meeting. If you have questions about the program or need help with set up, contact Caroline at [email protected].
The first Black History Month observance was held nearly 100 years ago. Called Negro History Week at the time, it was established by Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson, the son of illiterate former slaves, who believed that the important contributions of Black Americans had been largely overlooked in published accounts of U.S. history.
Revered as the “father of Black History Month,” Woodson established the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in 1915 to create a social scientific collection recording and publicizing the accomplishments of Black Americans.
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