Black History Month: A look at events in Clark, Champaign counties

Colleges and community groups will have events in recognition of Black History Month, including the third Art Noire event that celebrates local Black excellence at the Springfield Museum of Art. File photo by Brett Turner

Colleges and community groups will have events in recognition of Black History Month, including the third Art Noire event that celebrates local Black excellence at the Springfield Museum of Art. File photo by Brett Turner

Colleges and community groups will have several events in recognition of Black History Month.

Entire month

Book Display: The Clark State Library (Springfield/Leffel Lane Campus) will feature a book display that’s open to the public during regular business hours, highlighting Black authors, stories, contributions, literature and more. They will also be doing weekly trivia (via email) available to internal employees sharing different facts connected to Black history and contributions.

Tuesdays, Feb. 20 and 27

Clark State displays/tables, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The college will host Black History Month Tables, where there will be a display of information and trivia to provide students an opportunity to engage and win prizes on each campus — Xenia campus on Feb. 20 and Springfield campus on Feb. 27.

Sunday, Feb. 18

The 1850 Kitchen Garden: Then & Now, 2 to 4 p.m., Gammon House, 620 Piqua Place: Guest lecturer Jim Embry, 2023 James Beard Award winner and Agrarian Intellectual Activist, will discuss “The 1850 Kitchen Garden: Then & Now” and share his insights into the past, present, and future of kitchen gardens.

Dance, Stomp, Shake, 3 p.m., Dayton Masonic Center, 525 W. Riverview Drive: This year’s competition features hip hop and majorette teams from two states and seven cities competing for $4,500 in cash.

Monday, Feb. 19

Wittenberg University series, 9 a.m., Chakeres Memorial Theatre: Howard Washington, founder and creative director of Dance Elevated Studio in Independence, Ohio, who specializes in choreography, will present a dialogue and mini-dance workshop “Elevating the Creative in You.”

Tuesday, Feb. 20

The Queer Documentary Series feature “Tongues Untied,” 4:30 p.m.: This event is free and open to current Wittenberg students and will take place at a location to be announced later. A panel discussion will follow.

Thursday, Feb. 22

Line Dancing with Dayton native Jaizane “Jai” Russell, 6 p.m., Springfield main campus in LRC Room 207/209: In Black culture, line dancing can be viewed as an unspoken way Black people bond and socialize that’s been around for centuries as many cultures used synchronized dancing to tell stories, conduct rituals, celebrate and connect. This event is free, but tips for the dance instructor are welcomed. Registration is recommended at http://bit.ly/BHM-Line-Dancing.

Thursday, Feb. 29

African American Read-In, 11:30 a.m., Springfield/Leffel Lane Campus in ASC Room 125: Participants are to choose a text by an author who is Black, African American, or African descent, then read the text followed by a recap sharing their reading experience at the read-in. This read pays homage to the past and works to help ensure diverse voices are never silenced. To sign up as a reader for this event, contact Parker at parkett@clarkstate.edu.

Healing Histories: A Community Conversation, 6 p.m., Gloria Theatre, 216 S. Main St., Urbana: Urbana’s Black Heritage Festival organizations will host the conversation to “create a space where pain is acknowledged, where the stories of the past are heard, and most importantly where healing can begin.”

Tuesday, March 19

Wittenberg University series, 2:30 p.m., Koch Hall Auditorium: Kent Brooks, professor of religious and spiritual life at Northwestern University, will discuss “Black Musical History: Blurring the Sacred vs. Secular Line.”

If your organization is offering public local Black History Month events, email the information to sns-local@coxinc.com.

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