The Forsyth County Public Library will host a series of free educational events at all its locations in February to celebrate Black History Month.
The Celebrating Black Heritage series will feature a variety of historians, musicians, professors, and storytellers who will use their respective skills to educate and celebrate Black history and cluture with all who attend.
Saxophonist Dwan Bosman will kick off the series with an afternoon of jazz on January 28 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Sharon Forks Library, 2820 Old Atlanta Road.
“FCPL is delighted to welcome Mr. Bosman back to Sharon Forks for the third year,” Sharon Forks Library Information Services Supervisor Brooke Rose said. “If you love soulful saxophone and jazz artists like John Coltrane and Miles Davis, you won’t want to miss this performance.”
The series will continue with a one-hour lecture titled Discovering Black Historical Sites in Atlanta on February 3 at 1:30 p.m. at Hampton Park Library at 5345 Settingdown Road. The lecture will discuss relevant historical sites in the Atlanta area, such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Dr. King’s birthplace and childhood home, Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, the World Peace Rose Garden, Dr. and Mrs. King's Tombs, the Eternal Flame and the surrounding Sweet Auburn area.
Associate Professor of American Literature at the University of North Georgia Dr. Ian Afflerbach, will hold a program discussing the life of Frederick Douglass on February 4th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Sharon Forks Library, 2820 Old Atlanta Road. The program is also the fifteenth in FCPL’s ongoing Race and American Culture series and will explore excerpts from Douglass’s autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The excerpts covered in the discussion can be accessed in advance at all FCPL locations and the library’s website.
Additional events in the series include a theatrical performance about Jackie Robinson for all ages by Bright Star Touring Theatre, a historical and cultural exploration of 50 years of Hip Hop, and the history of Black radio and the first Black-owned radio station in Atlanta.
FCPL’s Celebrating Black Heritage series will conclude with Forsyth 1912: Working to Heal, a panel discussion facilitated by community leaders from Atlanta History Center, the Community Remembrance Project of Forsyth County, Forsyth Descendants Scholarship Organization, and leadership Forsyth on Thursday, February 29, at 7:00 p.m. at Post Road Library, 5010 Post Road.
“This series is always so interesting and culturally rich, but the variety of events we’ve put together this year is fantastic,” FCPL Programming Manager Kim Ottesen said. “There is definitely something for everyone looking for a community-centered way to celebrate Black History Month.”
President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in the United States in 1976.
Each event in the series is free and open to the public. For more information on the forthcoming events, click here.
