Celebrate Black History Month!
February is Black History Month and Glendale Library, Arts & Culture (GLAC) is paying tribute to Black Americans of the local community in a celebration of history and culture and in recognition of the community’s struggle for inclusion and equity.
In celebration of Black History Month GLAC has an exciting line-up of virtual events, programs, and booklists for all ages!
· 21 Day Challenge: January 18 through February 7 – Join GLAC and YWCA Glendale for a 21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge! Sign up here.
· The Color of Law: A Conversation with Richard Rothstein: Thursday, February 4, at 6:30 pm – Richard Rothstein will discuss his book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America. This book expands upon and provides a national perspective on his recent work that has documented the history of state-sponsored residential segregation. Richard Rothstein is a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and a fellow of the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and of the Haas Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.
This event is part of the Be the Change series. Register for the event and check out The Color of Law as an eBook.
· Black in Glendale: Healing Circles: Step into a safe and accepting environment in which each of us can explore our own healing and enjoy Therapeutic Art on Tuesdays, Movement Affirmation on Thursdays, Healing Dance on Saturdays, and Spoken Yoga on Sundays. These programs are in partnership with Black in Glendale (BIG). BIG's mission is to promote awareness and respect for Black culture through events that honor the heritage, creativity, and contributions of Black people and builds community among Glendale neighbors and friends.
· Death Sentence: A Literary-Protest Performance: Monday, February 22 through Friday, February 26 – Death Sentence is a literary-protest performance that is a direct response to police brutality against Black bodies. The creator of the project, Victor Yates, will interweave the last words of Black people murdered by the police into an original spoken word poem that contains five parts. The project examines collective Black pain from police violence, the importance of passing down history, and queer identity within the Black Lives Matter movement. The goal is to help viewers work through and heal from the trauma.
· Black Artists Panel Discussion: Thursday, February 25, 6:30 to 8:00 pm – Join moderator Cameron Shaw (Deputy Director and Chief Curator of California African American Museum), artist April Bey, and more in a panel discussion.
· Black History Month Beanstack Reading Challenge – Join this challenge that recognizes and celebrates the lives of Black Americans. Earn badges for reading, completing activities, attending programs, and upon sign-up and completion of the challenge! Register here.
· Special Programs –
- Glendale High School Jazz Band: Monday, February 1, at 10:00 am – Enjoy the music played by Glendale High School’s Jazz Band, directed by Amy Rangel. Amy Rangel was a 2019 Grammy Award Music Educator finalist.
- World Percussion Journey with Delton Davis: Monday, February 8, at 4:30 - 5:30 pm – Let’s go on a world percussion journey. Join Delton Davis, last seen at Brand Library, as he shares all different types of drums and how to play them. You can ask him questions and drum along. So grab your drum (bucket, pot or pan) because it’s bongo time! Register to attend this interactive virtual event!
The Children’s Services team will also be featuring a variety of virtual content as a part of their regularly scheduled online programming throughout the month of February in celebration of Black History Month. Please click here for even more virtual programming, including read alouds, story starters, book talks, and more.
· Teen Glendale Empowerment Now (G.E.N.) Talks: Black artists, activists, and educators speak with our Teen G.E.N. Talks hosts Melissa and Desiree as they discuss identities, passions, and what inspires them. On Friday, February 5, at 4:30 PM meet singer/songwriter, actress, poet, educator, and writer, Lacresha Barry. On Friday, February 12, at 4:30 pm meet Shermena M. Nelson, Chief of Staff/Director of Programs and Community Engagement for the African American Policy Forum (AAPF).
· Teen Story Starters: Listen to snippets of selected novels every Friday at 3:00 pm.
· Teen Book Reviews and Teen Book Talks: Enjoy book reviews and book talks from GLAC Teen Services staff every Friday at 3:00 pm.
“Reckoning: Racism & Resistance in Glendale” launches February 1. This virtual exhibition is a public art installation and community engagement project that examines and responds to Glendale’s racist history, the resistance to that racism, and our current moment of reckoning. Visit the exhibit.
Be the change by exploring these booklists as well as these local and general resources. The Be the Change series is focused on inclusion, diversity, equity, and antiracism. Click here to learn more about this initiative.
We hope that you enjoy GLAC’s Black History Month line-up of programs, events, resources, and booklists, and get a chance to learn something new!