Celebrating Black History Month in Washtenaw County

As we celebrate Black History Month across the US, we wanted to take a moment and spotlight some of the Black History events happening right here in our own backyard. From art exhibits to open mic nights to historical discussions, there are plenty of wonderful ways to celebrate in Washtenaw County. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• Just a Kid from Ypsi 

When: Tuesday February 14 l 11:45 am-1:00 pm 
Where: Online l Zoom info: Meeting ID 378 111 0170 Passcode YpsiStrong
Description: Chat with professionals that grew up in the 48197 and 48198 zip codes 
and now have amazing careers through hard work, dedication, and community!
Featuring Kid Jay, Tashauna Hall, Jesse Davis, Lorenzo Brown, Brian Jones-Chance,
Kenya Glover, Crystal Lyte, and Travis Willis. Brought to you by the YCS Black History
Month Speaker Series 

• The Great Migration 

When: Saturday February 18 l 1:00-2:30 pm
Where: Ann Arbor District Library Westgate Branch
Description: The Great Migration transformed America’s cultural landscape, impacting cities and towns across the nation, including Detroit and Washtenaw County. Participants will learn about the exodus of more than 6 million African Americans from the deep South to the North, Midwest, and West Coast between 1910-1970. Attendees will view highlights of the Intergenerational Dialogue on the Great Migration, which captured the oral histories of local older adults whose families migrated from the South. *The Great Migration: Millions Moved is also open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm to 4pm at the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County through March 26th, 2023*

• Culinary Historians: Bound to the Fire: How Virginia's Enslaved Cooks helped Invent American Cuisine 

When: Sunday February 19 l 4:00-5:30 pm
Where: Online l Check this page 15 minutes before event for Zoom info
Description:  In her book Bound to the Fire: How Virginia’s Enslaved Cooks Helped             
Invent American Cuisine, Kelley Fanto Deetz draws upon archaeological evidence, cookbooks, plantation records, and folklore to present a study of the lives of enslaved plantation cooks from colonial times through emancipation and beyond. Deetz's talk focuses on enslaved cooks at Virginia plantations including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and George Washington's Mount Vernon. She restores these forgotten figures to their rightful place in American and Southern history. This event is in partnership with the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.

• Open Mic-Celebrating Black Culture
  

​When: Tuesday February 21 l 6:00-8:00 pm
Where: Neutral Zone
Description: Attention Teens! Come to NZ for our Celebrating Black Culture event! Join for this Black culture themed open mic, hip-hop cypher and art showcase

• Safely Talk about Race and Racism Film Discussion

When: Sunday February 26 l 2:00-3:00 pm
Where:  Ypsilanti District Library, Whittaker Branch
Description: During this event, watch an interview with Dr. Carol Anderson, professor of African American Studies at Emory University about her book "The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America". After the viewing, La'Ron Williams, local storyteller and peace activist, will facilitate an open, honest discussion about race and racism.

• AACHM Hold Me UP Exhibit (All Month) 

When: February (all month)
Where: Online 
Description: Narrative Histories of Black Community Building in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, 1920s-1970s. This project features five narrative histories of Black communal, institutional and political life in  Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti from the 1920s through the 1970s. Each account centers a particular topic: experiences of childhood, Black religious institutions, adult education and the importance of Black History, battles over racial inequality in housing, and Black Power institution building. The project builds upon and honors the storytellers and institutions that have long centered Black communities in the history of Washtenaw County (indeed, you can find a list of those important institutions and projects on the homepage). While students drew from the rich collections of the Bentley, they also relied significantly upon digitized materials from the Ypsilanti Historical Society, Ann Arbor District Library and the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County (AACHM).

​Five undergraduate fellows (Krista Albetins, Isabella Buzynski, Paige Hodder, Miriam Saperstein and Bennett Walling) collaborated with Greg Parker (Public Engagement Manager), Eshe Sherley (Doctoral Candidate, History) and UM Assistant Professor Jennifer Dominique Jones, Ph.D to create a public history project that expands the topical scope of the Michigan in the World Program. Given the reverberations of COVID 19, a significant portion of the Bentley Historical Library’s holdings had to be digitized prior to the start of the program. Sarah McLusky and Cinda Nofziger generously helped to survey the collections, while Brian Williams shared his expertise about and access to African American Alumni files. The digitization team scanned newspaper articles, photographs, correspondence, organizational records and a very fragile scrapbook from the 1930s so that students could access the documents remotely. Their labor and generosity combined with the generous support of Terry McDonald, Director of the Bentley- was instrumental to the project’s success

            Click Here to View Exhibit
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For more information on local Black History Month events, visit Ann Arbor District Library and Ypsilanti District Library. For more information about Black History in Washtenaw County, visit the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County