Black History Month in Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is home to attractions and cultural organizations that are hosting activities honoring the history and culture of the Black community during Black History Month.
February 11, 2022
Get tickets for An Untitled Love at BAM. A musical set to the tunes of Grammy Award-winning R&B artist D’Angelo, An Untitled Love is American choreographer Kyle Abraham’s love letter to Black unity. He dedicates this performance to families, cultures, and communities strengthened over generations and lifetimes. Shows start Wednesday, February 23 and go on for four consecutive nights. Get tickets.
Join Center for Fiction and Nigerian poet Ben Okri for a virtual literary discussion. Okri will be discussing two of his works with Afrofuturism and Afrofantasy themes. First, Okri will discuss Every Leaf a Hallelujah, a beautifully illustrated fairy tale which follows a young girl’s magical adventure to save her mother. Astonishing the Gods, on the other hand, examines the complex relationship between suffering and creativity, set with characters on an enchanted island. The conversation will follow Okri’s approach to some of the most pressing matters of our time, and is a must-see for anyone still captivated by the magic of fairytales. Register for the discussion on Wednesday, February 23.
Discuss Black feminism with authors Lola Akinmade Åkerström and Zakiya Dalila Harris. Center for Fiction is also hosting a virtual discussion of Åkerström’s debut novel In Every Mirror She’s Black on February 16. The story follows three Black women— a powerhouse executive, a former model, and a Somali refugee — and is a complex exploration of Black womanhood. Register.
Tune into BRIC’s virtual Gold Fronts Watch Party on February 26. Through the work of two rising visual artists, Sophia Johnson and Jasmine Cee, Gold Fronts will take viewers on a historical journey of self-representation and adornment as it relates to Black women. The watch party includes an intimate conversation with curator and educator Bre’Lynn Lombard, where participants will explore how artists exemplify the agency Black women use to participate and shape our culture. Let them know you’re attending!
Seeing Into Tomorrow murals all around Downtown Brooklyn. The Poetry Society of America’s Seeing Into Tomorrow features short poems by poet Richard Wright transformed into large-scale murals. The murals commemorate the achievements of this major Black writer, who lived on Carlton and Myrtle in the 1930s. Learn more and see a map showing the murals’ locations.
BEACON, a public art installation at Albee Square. BEACON is an interactive, 13-foot-tall steel and LED sculpture in the shape of a lightbulb by artist Shervone Neckles. Inspired by African American inventor Lewis H. Latimer’s 1880s patent drawings, this sculpture engages the public in local history and commemorates Latimer’s legacy as a Black inventor. Learn more about this public art piece. This project is made possible through the Downtown Brooklyn and Dumbo Arts Fund, a New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative, in partnership with ConEdison.
Learn more about BEACON and the life of Lewis H. Latimer in an online conversation with Beam Center. Continue honoring Black history early next month on Sunday, March 3. BEACON artist, Shervone Neckles; Brooklyn historian and scholar, Prathibha Kanakamedala; Lewis Latimer House Museum Director, Ran Yan; and Beam Center Director, Brian Cohen will lead a conversation exploring Lewis H. Latimer’s life, work, and activism in Brooklyn during the turn of the 19th century. Register now.
