Black History Month: Community Resources

by | Jan 22, 2021

The Clinton County History Center, in partnership with WAMA (Wilmington Area Ministerial Association), is happy to present a wide variety of Black History resources to celebrate February’s Black History Month in 2021. These links feature a collection of national, state, and local resources to learn more about the history of both Black and African American people.  Due to COVID19 we are unable to gather to celebrate Black History Month as a community such as last year when Kentucky Humanities performer Debra Faulk stared as “Nancy Green: Being Aunt Jemima, the Pancake Queen” on the historic Murphy Theater’s stage. We are hopeful next year will provide an opportunity to host a public performance of some type to honor Black History Month as social distancing restrictions may be lifted. In the mean time, we hope you will enjoy and benefit from the following resources…

Local Links:

Virtual Events (from Ohio Humanities):

Courage in the Skies: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen
Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 12pm
Sponsored and broadcast online by the Ohio Statehouse and presented by living historian Anthony Gibbs

After Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Black Voices for Justice Discussion Series
Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 7pm
Sponsored by the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and featuring Dr. John Getz, Professor Emeritus, Xavier University and Dr. Jerry Cline-Bailey, Associate Professor of English, Xavier University

Children’s Storytime: The Last Stop on Market Street
Saturday, February 6 at 2pm
Sponsored and streamed on Facebook live by the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library. Featuring a story about what an African-American child learned on a bus ride with his grandmother.

A People Denied: Tri-Racial Appalachian Heritage
Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 12pm
Sponsored and broadcast online by the Ohio Statehouse and presented by storyteller Lyn Ford.

Before Her Time: The Life of Virginia Hamilton
Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 11 am
Sponsored by Ohio History Connection and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. Featuring author Julie Rubini and presented by Ohio Humanities.

Black in the Middle: An Anthology of the Black Midwest Virtual Book Conversation Series
Saturday, February 13 at 7pm
Presented by White Whale Bookstore and featuring contributors Curtis L. Crisler, Nia Easley, Lyndsey Ellis, Deva Rashed-Boone, Wylliam Smith, Vanessa Taylor, DeMar Walker, and Kim-Marie Walker.

Behind the Mask: Black Power in Comics
Monday, February 15 at 7pm
Sponsored by Ohio History Connection and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. Co-hosted by the Wright Memorial Public Library.

Henry “Box” Brown:  Magician Escapes to Freedom
Tuesday, February 16 at 12pm
Sponsored and broadcast online by the Ohio Statehouse and presented by Rory Rennick.

Queens of the Queen City: Cincinnati Stories of African American Women
Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 4pm
Sponsored by the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and Ohio History Connection and featuring Hadley Drodge, assistant curator of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center.

“Remember the Ladies:” The 1850 Women’s Rights Convention in Salem, OH
Thursday, March 11 at 7pm
Sponsored by Ohio History Connection and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. Presented by Ohio Humanities and Cathy Nelson.

 

Reading List (via Ohio Humanities):
Devote time to reading these books about Black Ohio history or written by Black Ohio authors:

The Northern Stories of Charles W. Chesnutt edited by Charles Duncan

Beyond the River: The True Story of the Unsung Heroes of the Underground Railroad by Ann Hagedorn

Tigerland, 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing by Wil Haygood

Answering the Call: An Autobiography of the Modern Struggle to End Racial Discrimination in America by Nathaniel R. Jones

How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir by Saeed Jones

Historic Black Settlements in Ohio by David Meyers and Elise Meyers Walker

Home by Toni Morrison

Virginia Hamilton: America’s Storyteller (Biographies for Young Readers)by Julie Rubini

Clinton County Reads Book Selection: “The Girl with the Louding Voice” – the debut novel of Abi Darè that tells the inspiring story of a teenage girl, Adunni, who grows up in a rural Nigerian village. Clinton County Reads is sponsored by the Blanchester Public Library, the Sabina Public Library and its New Vienna branch, the Wilmington Public Library and its Clinton-Massie branch, and BooksNMore.org. Physical copies of “The Girl with the Louding Voice” are available at each library location, and ebooks and audiobooks are available via library apps such as Hoopla, Libby, or Overdrive. The book can also be purchased through Clinton County-based BooksNMore.org

 

Check back soon! This page will be updated throughout the month of February with more resources and links.