The 19th Annual African American Cultural Celebration will take place at at the North Carolina Museum of History, 5 East Edenton Street, Raleigh, on Saturday, January 25th, 2020, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This is a free event.

Named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society, the 19th annual African American Cultural Celebration will feature:

Musicians
Storytellers
Dancers
Chefs
Historians
Playwrights
Authors
Artists
Re-enactors
More

African American Cultural Celebration Schedule

Learn more about all of these events and activities here.

Opening Kickoff

10:30–11 a.m.
Bicentennial Plaza to Staircase Stage, Level 1

Procession
Join the procession up Bicentennial Plaza and into the museum lobby to open the event!

United States Colored Troops Color Guard and Reenactors
Tryon Palace Jonkonnu Drummers
Saint Augustine’s University Superior Sound Marching Band and Drumline

Welcoming Remarks

Angela Thorpe, director, North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson, professor, Bennett College, and chair, North Carolina African American Heritage Commission

Musical Performance

Lynette Barber, actor, singer, musician, teacher: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

Celebrate Culture: Exhibits

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Level 1

Collecting Carolina
The Story of North Carolina

Level 3

Toy Boom! Toys from the 1950s and 1960s
Quiltspeak: Uncovering Women’s Voices Through Quilts

Bicentennial Plaza

Princeville Mobile Museum

Celebrate Music, Movement and Drama

Auditorium Stage, Daniels Auditorium, Level 1

Host: Warren Keyes
11 a.m.: Majestic Angels–senior citizen dance troupe
11:45 a.m.: Lynnette Barber–performer as Sojourner Truth
12:30 p.m.: North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers
1:45 p.m.: Eugene Taylor–djembe drum performance
2:45 p.m.: Lucretia Wooten and Promise–gospel music group
3:50 p.m.: Tamisha Waden–R&B artist)

Roaming Performers

Freddy Greene–saxophone
Dwight Hawkins–guitar with saw and bones

Celebrate Literature and the Spoken Word

Demonstration Gallery, Level 1

Cohosts: Eleanora E. Tate, author, lecturer, manuscript consultant; Wanda Cox-Bailey, branch supervisor, Wake County Public Libraries; Johnny Ray Moore, author

11:15 a.m.: A Tureen of Tales (Donna Washington)
12 p.m.: Happy to be Stuck int he Middle: Writing for Middle School Audiences (Alicia D. Williams, Kwame Mbalia)
1 p.m.: Sing a Song (Kelly Starling Lyons)
1:45 p.m.: The Color of Character (Karla Holloway)
2:30 p.m.: The Mental Game: Talking About Health (Nick Courman)
3:15 p.m.: River Hymns (Tyree Daye)
4 p.m.: Reflections on Writing The Maid Brigade and Other Plays (Ella J Stewart)

Celebrate History, Enterprise, and Film

Longleaf Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R
Host: Earl Ijames, curator, North Carolina Museum of History

11:45 a.m.: Princeville, a Story of Resilience
12:25 p.m.: Meet Negro Leagues Baseball Player Clifford Layton
1:05 p.m.: Historic Preservation of the George Henry White Community Memorial Center
1:45 p.m.: Researching the Underground Railroad and Historic Preservation of the Picot-Armstead-Pettiford House
2:25 p.m:The Unspoken Brotherhood of Vietnam Veterans: Archiving the Military Collection of Pvt. Lewis J. Raynor
3:05 p.m.:The Historic Preservation and Repurposing of Magnolia House
3:45 p.m.: Envision St. Agnes

Celebrate Craft and Art Traditions

Level 1

Warren Goodson: walking stick carving and woodburning
ERAGS: quilting
Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins: puppet making
Triangle Friends of African American Arts: visual and performing arts
Jim McDowell: pottery
Derisha Baker Brooks: display of Bennie Baker’s pipes

Level 3

Jonathan Daniel: wire art
Pinkie Strother: miniatures and clay figurines
Betty Williams White: millinery (hat making)
Mike Bennett: drawing and painting
Katrina Brown: leather and wire jewelry
Brandon Dudley: visual art
Neal Thomas: white-oak basketmaking
Rachel “Gemynii” Storer: visual art
Shawn Etheridge, painting

SECU Education Center

Ben Watford: pottery

Celebrate Sports and Games

10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Bicentennial Plaza

On the Right Track: Check out the cars and talk with members of the Eugene Coard drag-racing team about their experiences on and off the track, then take the seatbelt challenge!

Celebrate Education and Heritage

Dogwood Classroom, SECU Educational Center, Level R

11:30 a.m.: The Impact of Genealogy Studies
12:30 p.m.:Standing for Sacred Spaces: NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the African American Burial Ground Network Act
1:15 p.m.: The Business of Durham
2 p.m.: Princeville: Remember the History; Maintain the Heritage
2:45 p.m.: Louis Austin and the Carolina Times: A Life in the Long Black Freedom Struggle
3;30 p.m.: Walking int he Footsteps of the Past

Celebrate Food, Health, and Beauty

Cardinal Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R

11:45 a.m.: Refresh your Style: Looking Good Through the Ages
12:45 p.m.: Boricua Soul: Blending Puerto Rican and African American Flavors and Culture
2 p.m.: Sankofa Farms Provides Fertile Ground for Young Black Men
3 p.m.: His Side Hustle Takes the Cake
4 p.m.: Black Beauty: A Primer on Skin Care for People of Color

Bicentennial Plaza

Sweet Tea & Cornbread, museum restaurant
The Kupkake Fairy
Black Farmers Market

Hands-On Activities and Information Tables

Level 1: The Story of North Carolina Exhibit

Passport Activity Hunt
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens: Meet and play along with the Jonkonnu drummers.
Somerset Place State Historic Site: Handle reproduction objects.
State Capitol: Make “freedom hands” and learn about the 13th Amendment.
Historic Stagville State Historic Site: Make a cowrie-shell necklace.
Historic Edenton State Historic Site: Hear the Harriet Jacobs story.
Historic Halifax State Historic Site: Learn about the Underground Railroad
Civil War Reenactors: Battery B, 2nd Regiment, US Colored Light Artillery; 18th Army Corps; 37th US Colored Infantry
Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum: Create a badge of the CHB pirate mascot.
Pope House Museum, City of Raleigh Museum: Make a doctor’s head mirror and learn the history of Dr. M. T. Pope.
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Inc. (AAHGS)
Black Jedi Zulu: See Hip-Hop culture connect with the arts.
Gresham’s Coins, Stamps, and Medals: Trace African American history through stamps
Miss Black North Carolina
MopTopShop: Let off some STEAM with Lollipop and Mop Top, the Hip-Hop Scientist.
North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers
North Carolina Museum of History Associates: Sign up for half-price museum memberships TODAY only
North Carolina Writers’ Network
Triangle Friends of African American Arts
Wells Fargo
You Can Vote

Level 3

Head-Wrapping Demonstration: Techniques by Taji Shabu Jones, owner, Taji Natural Hair Styling; while supplies last, get your own head wrap ($)
Rosenwald Schools Project
Wheel of History: Test your knowledge of black history.
Make a Hat or Crown: Create your own celebratory hat or crown out of paper.
Adinkra Stamps: Learn about traditional West African symbols and create your own sticker to take home.

SECU Education Center, Level R

Family Resource Center South Atlantic
North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, featuring Journeys Toward Freedom
North Carolina Freedom Monument Park Project
North Carolina Government and Heritage Library
North Carolina Leadership Immersion Program
State Archives of North Carolina, Special Collections Section
Triangle Tribune
Wake Technical Community College