The 22nd Annual African American Cultural Celebration will take place at North Carolina Museum of History, 5 East Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC, on Saturday, January 28th, 2023, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
North Carolina Museum of History’s annual event will, as always, be free to experience.
Learn about more Black History Month events throughout the Triangle.
The theme this year is “Pathways to Freedom: To Learn, To Vote, To Build.”
It’s the kickoff to Black History Month in Raleigh.
You can also follow the Facebook event for updates.
Schedule for African American Cultural Celebration
Find more details about each component of the celebration, as well as updates.
Opening Kickoff
10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Procession: Join the procession up Bicentennial Plaza and into the museum lobby to open the event
- Welcoming remarks
- Musical performance by Dorthea Taylor, singer, musician, Shaw University choir director: “Lift Every Voice and Sing
Exhibits
Level 1:
- The Story of North Carolina
- Seeking Liberty in Halifax
Level 3:
- North Carolina A to Z
- Answering the Call: Experiences of North Carolina’s Mitary Veterans
- North Carolina Sports Hall of FAme
Music, Movement and Drama
Lobby Stage, Level 1:
- Noon to 12:30 p.m.: Freddy Greene, saxophone
- 1 p.m.: Winifred Garrett, harpist
- 2 p.m.: Dwight Hawkins, guitar, with saw and bones
- 3 p.m.: Corey Leak, vocalist
- 4 p.m.: Sandra Dubose, vocalist
Auditorium Stage, Daniels Auditorium, Level 1:
- 11 a.m.: Singing in a Strange Land: A History of Negro Spirituals
- 11:45 a.m.: SOULOWORKS: Andrea E. Woods and Dancers
- 12:30 p.m.: North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers
- 1:30 p.m.: Shelton Powe, blues
- 2:15 p.m.: Sallie B. Howard School Student Showcase
- 3 p.m.: United Strings of Color
- 4 p.m.: Marc Silvey and the Wandering Disciples
Literature and the Spoken Word
Demonstration Gallery, Level 1:
- 11:15 a.m.: Pickture Book Panel: Embodied History and Sense of Place
- 12:15 p.m.: Historic Black Neighborhoods of Raleigh
- 1 p.m.: Poetry and Spoken Word Showcase with Khalisa Rae Thompson
- 1:45 p.m.: Fantasy Worlds for Young People with Kwame Mbalia and Stephanie Williams
- 2:45 p.m.: Adult Fiction Novelist, Brendan Slocumb
- 3:15 p.m.: Black Booksellers: Curating Rofhiwa Book Cafe
History, Enterprise and Film
Longleaf Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R:
- 11:45 a.m.: Africa to Carolina Exhibit
- 12:30 p.m.: Interview with sam Lathan: Keeping the Beat
- 1:15 p.m.: Harnett County: The African American Experience
- 2 p.m.: Freedom Farmers in Edgecombe County
- 2:45 p.m.: Freedom Town, Union Town, Beaufort
Craft and Art Traditions
Level 1:
- Warren Goodson, walking stick carving and woodburning
- African American Quit Circle
- Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, puppet making
Level 3:
- Jonathan Daniel, wire art
- Pinkie Strother, miniatures and clay figurines
- Betty Williams White: Millinery
- Neal Thomas: white-oak basketmaking
- Shawn Etheridge: painting the North Carolina HBCU Series
- Yolonda Jordan: crochet dolls
- Ann Miller Woodford, painting
- Corliss Owen, painting
SECU Education Center:
- Ben Watford, pottery
Education and Heritage
Dogwood Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R:
- 12:15–12:45 p.m. Sallie B. Howard School
- 1–1:30 p.m. BLACK EDUCATION, Part I: Virtues of the Past—Legacy of Peabody Academy (1880–1968)
- 1:45–2:15 p.m. BLACK EDUCATION, Part II: Voices of the Present and a Vision for the Future—The Laurinburg Institute (1904–2017)
- 2:30–3 p.m. The Legacy of Clara Mohammed Schools in NC and Beyond
- 3:15–3:45 p.m. Are We READI? Building Healthy Black Communities
- 4–4:30 p.m. The Twin Colleges of North Carolina
Food, Health and Beauty
Cardinal Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R
- Noon–12:30 p.m. Amazing Grace Etiquette — Dr. Donna Corbett, executive director, Amazing Grace Etiquette
- 12:45–1:15 p.m. The Importance of Birth Doulas — Ste’Keira Shepperson, owner, Triangle Doulas of Color
- 1:30–2 p.m. Sickle Cell Anemia in the Black Family — Paula Snelling, consumer experience supervisor, Wake County
- 2:30–3:15 p.m. Creative Cooking on Every Level — Chef Eric Marshall, recent champion of Food Network’s Chopped, private chef, culinary entrepreneur
- 3:45–4:30 p.m. Leading with Food: What Good Leadership Tastes Like — Chefs Subrina and Greg Collier, James Beard Award finalists and organizers of Bayhaven Food and Wine Festival, Charlotte, NC
Bicentennial Plaza, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
- Food Trucks and Vendors
- Black Farmers Market
Hands-On Activities and Information Tables
The Story of North Carolina Gallery, Level 1
Passport Activity Hunt:
- Tryon Palace: Meet and play along with the Jonkonnu drummers.
- Somerset Place State Historic Site: Handle reproduction objects in the Made from Off the Land display
- State Capitol: Activity TBD
- Historic Stagville State Historic Site: Make a cowrie-shell necklace.
- Historic Edenton State Historic Site: Hear the Harriet Jacobs story.
- Civil War Reenactors: Battery B, 2nd Regiment, US Colored Light Artillery; 37th US Colored Infantry
- Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum: Help create a piece of community art in the style of Lois Mailou Jones, Palmer Memorial Institute’s first art teacher.
- Pope House Museum, City of Raleigh Museum: Make a doctor’s head mirror and learn the history of Dr. Manassa T. Pope.
More in The Story of North Carolina Gallery, Level 1:
- 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.
- *MopTopShop: Let off some STEAM with Lollipop and Mop Top, the Hip-Hop Scientist.
- North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers
- Historic Black Neighborhoods of Raleigh: Carmen Cauthen
- North Carolina Museum of History Associates: Sign up for half-price museum memberships TODAY only!
- Triangle Friends of African American Arts http://www.africanamericanarts.org/
- You Can Vote https://www.youcanvote.org/
Level 3:
- 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.
- Rosenwald Schools Project
- SPARKLE Mentoring Program https://www.sparklementoring.org/
- Black Oak Society https://www.facebook.com/blackoaksociety
- Historic Turner House Foundation and Tours: Explore the artifacts and stories from the Historic John T. and Mary Turner House located in the Oberlin Village Historic Overlay District.
- Edward Cheek House Museum
SECU Education Center, Level R:
- North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, featuring Journeys Toward Freedom
- State Library of North Carolina, Government and Heritage Library, and Accessible Books and Library Services
- North Carolina HBCUs: Find out more about the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
- North Carolina Leadership Immersion Program
- State Archives of North Carolina, Special Collections Section
- Triangle Tribune
- Wake Technical Community College
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More Black History Month Events
Check out a list of Black History Month events and sites in the Triangle, or look at a quick list here:
