Black History Month guide: Exhibits, tours and events around the Triangle
Here's a look at some of the best exhibits, tours, historic sites, events and opportunities to support Black businesses coming up in the Triangle this February.
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Here's a look at some of the best exhibits, tours, historic sites, events and opportunities to support Black businesses coming up in the Triangle this February.
Black History Month events in Raleigh
1. Tour the Pope House Museum
Inside the house is a time capsule to the life of a Black doctor in the early 1900s. The shelves are full of Dr. Manassa Thomas Pope's antique books. An old-timey phone hangs on the wall. Have fun guessing what some of the old, historic items were once used for!
2. Bazaar for Black History Month at Transfer Co. Food Hall
3. Driving tour of African American landmarks around the city
How many Black H\history landmarks do you drive past every day and not even realize it? From the carousel at Chavis Park, to the lost remnants of an African American university at Latta Park, to the incredible history at Oberlin Cemetery and Mt. Hope Cemetery – there's a lot of Black History around the city.
4. Events at the North Carolina Museum of History
- Register now: FREE family arts & craft kits based on the work of artist Pinkie Strother. Start your celebration of Black History Month with these engaging, take-home, hands-on figurines. Each kit includes craft supplies and instructions, activities, a book list, and more. Only 50 kits are available. Learn more.
- Feb. 9 at noon: Virtual talk uncovering the history of segregated North Carolina beaches during Jim Crow. From the 1920s to the 1950s, African Americans had few opportunities to spend time enjoying oceanside recreational activities. Though North Carolina had several other segregated beaches, Seabreeze was the largest and operated the longest. Learn more.
- Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.: Virtual talk on the history of North Carolina's 12 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Dr. Jelani M. Favors will discuss how HBCUs became a refuge during the oppressive Jim Crow era and operated as vital seedbeds for politicians, community leaders, reformers and activists. Learn more.
5. City of Raleigh Museum: African-American Genealogy Symposium
- Uncovering the stories of those who were enslaved at the Spring Hill Plantation, where Dix Park is today.
- Investigating a compilation of newspaper ads for enslaved individuals who ran away from plantations in North Carolina.
- Uncovering individual narratives for the nearly 140 enslaved workers employed at the Capitol.
- Slave petitions project at UNC Greensboro.
6. North Carolina Museum of Art exhibition on architect Phil Freelon
Starting on Feb. 26 and running until May 15, the NCMA will host an exhibition highlighting the career of storied NC architect Phil Freelon, who designed the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
"Freelon’s work examines the multiple functions and meanings of skin—as both a protective covering and a visual form of identification. In his designs for African American communities and institutions, he expanded the idea of skin with complex building envelopes that explore the use of color, pattern, and material," says the NCMA website.
Black History Month events in Cary
1. Backyard History: Cary's African American Community
2. Two Black cultural films for online viewing courtesy of the Town of Cary
Take a moment to watch these two powerful films from the comfort of your own home.
Black History Month events in Durham
1. Visit Historic Stagville Plantation
One of the largest plantations in North Carolina before the Civil War, the buildings at Stagville date back to the 1780s and the tour spans 163 acres.
2. Tour Geer Cemetery
There are an estimated 2,000 men, women and children buried in Geer Cemetery in Durham, but only around 200 existing grave markers or headstones. It's a lovely place to walk and take in Black history firsthand.
3. Celebrate Black culture and music at the Hayti Heritage Center
On Feb. 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., the Hayti Heritage Center will be hosting their Black American Music Series with a tribute to jazz legend Charlie "Bird" Parker.
Aside from attending the live show, the building itself holds a lot of Black history from the Hayti community and Durham.
Black History Month coverage on WRAL News
If you have an event you'd like to see added to the list, please email hleah@wral.com.
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