See our 2017 Black History Month calendar.
February is Black History Month, and there are so many performances, film screenings, art shows, and other events happening in Seattle that we’ve collected them all in our Black History Month calendar, which will be updated as new events are announced. Read on for a taste of them—including events at the EMP and MOHAI this weekend.
FEB 12
1. Northwest Tap Connection
Northwest Tap Connection youth performers headline at this dance event in honor of Black History Month, also featuring poetry from Lashaunycee O’Cain and a discussion with Melba Ayco (Artistic Director, Northwest Tap Connection) and Donald Byrd (Artistic Director, Spectrum Dance Theater).
FEB 13
2. Black History Month Celebration
MOHAI will have $7 special admission pricing all day, plus special film screenings, performances and a panel discussion on the role of Black Lives Matter and the civil rights movement.
3. Freedom Train
Freedom Train is a 1974 musical about Harriet Tubman, written by Marvin Gordon, featuring songs like “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” “Steal Away,” “Wade in the Water,” and “Good News, the Chariot’s A-comin’.”
4. A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
Book-It Theater presents the story of African American painter Horace Pippin in A Splash of Red, geared towards kids under 10.
FEB 14
5. Charles Parrish Art Show and Sale
Sculptor Charles Parrish, whose art frequently features the heads of Black Americans, has a show opening at the James and Janie Washington Foundation, itself a museum for the late artist and Seattle civil rights leader. The show will be up through the end of the month.
FEB 15
6. Invisible: The Dilemma of the Black Artist in America
Spectrum’s artistic director Donald Byrd will join local artistic, cultural, and scholarly leaders for this discussion of why black artists’ work often isn’t awarded the recognition and acclaim that it is due.
FEB 16
7. The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
The Indie Lens Pop-up series presents this free screening of Stanley Nelson’s The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, a documentary that uses both archival footage and current interviews with Panthers and FBI agents looking back on their actions.
FEB 18
8. David Binder: Calling My Children
The Central Library presents this free screening of David Binder’s Calling My Children, a documentary (25 years in the making) about AIDS and the devastating losses it causes. Binder will be in attendance and speak about his work.
FEB 18-21
9. RAMBUNCTIOUS 2.0: A Festival of Music and Dance…Continued
This show opens Spectrum’s 2015/16 Season #RACEish, featuring five world premiere dances focusing on Black American composers, including T.J. Anderson and Wynton Marsalis. The season continues with DANCE, DANCE, DANCE, a trio of dance works by Donald Byrd, from Feb 25-28.
FEB 20
10. Unveiling the Hidden Story of Black Burlesque
Learn about the history and current state of black burlesque from the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture and the International Black Burlesque Company.
FEB 22
11. Bob Santos & Larry Gossett: The Gang of Four
Seattle’s “Gang of Four” refers to four men of different races—Bernie Whitebear, Bob Santos, Roberto Maestas, and Larry Gossett—who came together to question the development, poverty, and gentrification that was being pushed forward by city leaders in the 1960s. In 1981 they founded Seattle’s Minority Executive Director’s Coalition, and on Feb 22, Bob Santos and Councilman Larry Gossett will come to the Magnolia library to discuss their “Gang of Four.”
FEB 26
12. Through the Eyes of Art
EMP and Brandkings present this celebration of Black History Month, with a lineup that includes a talk by King County Councilmember Larry Gossett and Seattle King County NAACP president Gerald Hankerson, an album drop and performance from Draze, and an exhibit of local painting and photography.
13. Damon Tweedy
African-American psychiatrist Damon Tweedy will discuss his memoir, Black Man in a White Coat, about his experiences dealing with race and bias in medicine.
FEB 28
14. Speakeasy Series: The Color of Dance – History of Black Dance in Seattle
Velocity Dance Center hosts this free discussion featuring black dance artists currently working in Seattle and Seattle dance legends. Food from That Brown Girl Cooks and desserts from Bessie’s Cakes will also be available.
THROUGH FEB 29
15. Alki Arts’ 5th Annual Exhibit Honoring Black History Month
For the fifth year, Alki Arts presents their annual exhibit celebrating Black History Month. For the first time they’re expanding their scope to include national artists, while also continuing to feature local contributors.
THROUGH MARCH 12
16. Fabrice Monteiro: Maroons
Mariane Ibrahim Gallery presents this solo show of photography by Fabrice Monteiro. The viscerally uncomfortable images feature Beninese models wearing shackles that Monteiro designed to match examples depicted in historical documents. For the location, he chose Ouidah, Benin—a city that served as a major port along the “Slave Coast” in West Africa.
