ALLEGANY COLLEGE OF MARYLAND CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH:
Offers Connections to National Virtual Events
CUMBERLAND, Md. (Feb. 1, 2021) – Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and their central role in the history of the United States. Allegany College of Maryland is honoring the importance of Black History Month by sharing virtual events that encourage historical understanding, acknowledge deep-seeded racial inequities, and promote social justice. Unable to host large in-person gatherings due to COVID-19, the college recommends the following events offered by national organizations and museums to foster civil engagement and critical thinking.
February 2 - The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture will host “Four Hundred Souls – A Conversation with Ibram Kendi and Keisha N. Blain” from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on February 2. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Blain, author of Set the World on Fire, assembled 90 writers to document the four-hundred-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present. The moderated discussion will focus on historic eras such as Slavery, Reconstruction, and Segregation, and their sustained impact on the United States. More information, including event registration, is available at https://s.si.edu/3j1Mhqz.
February 6 - The Smithsonian Anacostia Museum will host “Men of Change: Taking it into the Streets” from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on February 6. The virtual panel discussion, moderated by CNN Correspondent Omar Jimenez, will kick off the Museum’s installation of the Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets exhibit which shares the vibrant stories of more than two dozen African American male leaders, including Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Kendrick Lamar, among others. More information and event registration is available at https://s.si.edu/3iSMdJP.
February 10 - The Enoch Pratt Free Library in partnership with the Reginald F. Lewis Museum will host a Brown Lecture Series event “Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, James Dale, and Dr. Freeman Hrabowski on the Life and Legacy of Elijah Cummings” from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on February 10. The event will focus on We’re Better Than This: My Fight for the Future of Our Democracy, a memoir and call to action by Elijah Cummings with James Dale. Registration is available at https://bit.ly/3psQNAW.
February 23 - The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture will host “Historically Speaking: COVID-19 and The Economy” from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on February 23. This online panel explores the impact of COVID -19 on the housing, jobs, education and entrepreneurial sectors by exploring the question: What aid could all levels of government bring to the American people? More information, including event registration, is available online at https://s.si.edu/3qXvVC6.
ACM’s Donald L. Alexander Library is home to the Appalachian Collection and the Genealogical Society of Allegany County, Maryland. Volunteer genealogists and researchers are available to help ancestors of enslaved people research their family histories. Knowing the difficulty in this process, the college recommends an event focused on this topic. Through the National Museum of African American History and Culture, LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson will host “Courthouse Research: Using Probate Records To Research Enslaved Ancestors” from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on February 6. More information and registration is available online at https://s.si.edu/3psna2C.
