Two free fun events in Raleigh on Saturday, Feb. 7, offer kids and their families a chance to learn how African-Americans shaped local history and great literature. They’re part of Black History Month celebrations across the nation this February.

Families and groups are invited to take a book to the N.C. State Capitol and take turns reading to one another at the 2009 National African-American Read-In on Feb. 7. The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Capitol's Old Senate Chamber, in downtown Raleigh. Local authors, community leaders, students and lovers of literature will also be reading a passage from their favorite African-American fiction or nonfiction to the age group of their choice. Part of the National African-American Read-In Chain, the Read-in is hosted by the State Capitol and Raleigh’s Richard B. Harrison Public Library. To volunteer as a reader, contact terra.schramm@ncdcr.gov. For more information, call 919-733-4994 or go to http://www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol.

Also, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, the Raleigh City Museum invites families to journey into the past to see the people who shaped Raleigh’s history through “5 Faces & Places of Raleigh’s African-American Community.” Kids will learn how places like Chavis Park got their name and get to take a souvenir of their visit home as well. Every kid will receive a free coloring book with local landmarks such as Shaw University and the Pope House, and all visitors get can create a own cornhusk doll, which was a popular pastime of African-American children in the 1800s.

The Raleigh City Museum is located in the Historic Briggs Building at 220 Fayetteville Street. For more information, call (919) 832-3775 ext. 11, or visit the museum’s Web site at http://www.raleighcitymuseum.org.

Find more family-friendly fun in Carolina Parent's Calendar Highlights.