Mark your calendars: NC Museum of History's 19th annual African American Cultural Celebration this month
The 19th annual African American Cultural Celebration is slated for 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 25, at the NC Museum of History.
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The free annual event offers up opportunities to see more than 75 musicians, storytellers, dancers, chefs, historians, playwrights, authors, artists and reenactors in action.
It all begins with an opening procession featuring reenactors with the United States Colored Troops, followed by the Tryon Palace Jonkonnu Drummers, who reenact an African American celebration with roots that can be traced back to Jamaica and West Africa, and by first-time performers Superior Sound Marching Band and Drumline from Saint Augustine’s University, according to a press release.
From there, the day includes a variety of hands-on activities and opportunities to learn. Highlights for children, in particular, include, according to the museum:
- Baseball legend Clifford Layton, who spent spent four years in the Negro leagues playing with and against such other legends as Hank Aaron, who went on to hold the record for most home runs in a career, and Satchel Paige, one of the greatest pitchers of all time;
- A collection of storytellers and spoken word artists, including several vignettes by artists with the North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers, and the award winning Donna Washington, who performs on the international stage to entertain, educate, and inspire audiences to bring folklore, literary tales, and personal narratives to life.
- Hands-on activities that include a head-wrapping demonstration, cowrie-shell necklace–making, taking a spin with the Wheel of History to test their knowledge, and a passport activity hunt through the galleries.
- Opportunities to meet up with Black Jedi Zulu, which focuses on fostering hip-hop culture and the arts, and Miss Black North Carolina.
- Activities with Lollipop and Mop Top, the Hip-Hop Scientist, and the Jonkonnu Drummers of Tryon Palace.
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