In celebration of Black History Month, check out these engaging and vibrant, virtual programs throughout the Pittsburgh area that highlight Black culture, art, and history. Most programs are local and free, but require registration.
(Many thanks to the Librarians at Mt. Lebanon Public Library for creating this list and permitting us to share it!)
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Heinz History Center
Please click links to register. All events require registration.
The Bonds of Family and Legacy:
Thursday, February 11, 2021 • 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/events/bonds-of-family-and-legacy
Online via Zoom
Free | Please register in advance.
VIRTUAL PROGRAM:
In partnership with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, this program will explore the Black family, a topic of study in many disciplines, including history, literature, the visual arts, social policy, and the culture of the culinary arts.
The Black family knows no single location, since family reunions and genetic-ancestry searches testify to the spread of family members across states, nations, and continents. While the role of the Black family has been described by some as a microcosm of the entire race, its complexity as the “foundation” of African American life and history can be seen in numerous debates over how to represent its meaning from a historical perspective. The family offers a rich tapestry of images for exploring the African American realities of the past and present.
The discussion will include Christin Haynes, founder of Black Family Scholar; Dr. Jessica Harris, award winning journalist and African Diaspora foodways expert; and Dr. Eric Jackson, Professor of History and Director of Black World Studies at Northern Kentucky University.
REGISTRATION:
Registration for this virtual program is free, but advance registration is required. Please register online. Please note that registration is through the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
7th Annual Black History Month Lecture – (Re)Making History: Memory, Mythmaking, and the Civil Rights Movement:
https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/events/black-history-month-lecture-remaking-history
Friday, February 12, 2021 • 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Zoom Webinar
Free | Please register in advance.
VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Join Dr. Hasan Jeffries for a lecture that will explore the ways popular misconceptions about the civil rights movement remake history, altering everything from the African American freedom struggle’s leadership, goals, tactics, and guiding philosophies, to the depth and breadth of the white opposition, including the form and function of racial terror. Drawing on popular media forms, including movies and political cartoons, this workshop will interrogate leading myths about the African American fight for equality. The films and cartoons will serve as a starting point for exploring the origins of these myths, clarifying the truths these fabrications conceal, and for illuminating the ways these stories shape contemporary discourse on racial inequality and Black protest.
REGISTRATION
Registration for this event is free. Please register in advance.
For more information, please contact Samuel W Black, Director of African American Programs, at swblack@heinzhistorycenter.org.
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August Wilson African American Culture Center
Please click links to register. All events require registration.
AW Studio Sessions: Gerald Veasley and Carol Riddick: “I Got Life: The Music of Nina Simone”:
February 4 @ 8:00 pm
https://aacc-awc.org/event/aw-studio-sessions-gerald-veasley-and-carol-riddick/
The new virtual series, AW Studio Sessions is an intimate music experience with the most talented musicians on the scene, LIVE in studio. These sessions will draw you in, and make you feel like you are sitting in, a part of the hang, so pour a beverage, sit back, enjoy the music with us the first Thursday of the month through April 2021.
“I Got Life: The Music of Nina Simone” pairs two legends of jazz and soul music to celebrate an iconic artist. The act, consisting of vocals and three instrumentalists, has performed in many festivals, jazz clubs and churches to a sold-out crowds.
“I feel more alive now that I ever in my life. I have a chance to live, as I’ve dreamed. I got Life.”
– Nina Simone
I Got Life is a an event that explores the powerful music and empowering messages of Nina Simone. The presentation moves through four aspects of Ms. Simone’s songbook: Quest, Passion, Fury and Hope. Vocalist Carol Riddick and bassist Gerald Veasley lead an ensemble that re-imagines Nina Simone’s work with inventive energy.
Why “The Music of Nina Simone”?
Riddick and Veasley share a deep appreciation for Ms. Simone’s music and her desire for social justice. As a result, “I Got Life” speaks to our current turbulent times with honesty and raw beauty. Veasley and Riddick understand there is no better time to present this timeless music.
“Carol Riddick and Gerald Veasley bring Nina Simone’s music to life with their mesmerizing performance. Carol’s emotional vocals backed by Gerald’s powerful musicianship keep audiences on the edge of their seats from the first to last note. I Got Life: The Music of Nina Simone is a must-see concert.” – John Ernesto, General Manager, Berks Jazz Fest
Pittsburgh’s Black Art Scene: Past, Present & Future:
February 12 @ 7:00 pm
https://aacc-awc.org/event/pittsburghs-black-art-scene-past-present-future/
In honor of Black History Month, the August Wilson African American Cultural Center is proud to present, Pittsburgh’s Black Art Scene: Past, Present & Future.
From theatre to jazz, Black art in Pittsburgh enjoys a history as rich and dynamic as the city itself. The birthplace of some of the country’s most acclaimed talent, Pittsburgh is home to a vibrant local art scene and an incubator of exciting new voices.
In celebration of Black History Month, we are thrilled to showcase the remarkable history of the National Negro Opera House, award-winning playwright, and director Mark Clayton Southers, and the young virtuosos of the funk-jazz collective, Funky Fly Project, representing the past, present and future of Pittsburgh’s dynamic art scene
Black Bottom Film Festival presents Mr. Soul!:
February 15 @ 7:00 pm
https://aacc-awc.org/event/black-bottom-film-festival-presents-mr-soul/
Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, Independent Lens, and Black Bottom Film Festival will present Mr. SOUL!. Join filmmaker Melissa Haizlip as she brings viewers to a critical moment in history and culture whose impact continues to resonate today. The public television variety show SOUL! offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of Black literature, poetry, music, and politics—voices that had few other options for national television exposure. Guided by enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, the series was among the first to provide expanded images of Black Americans on television and recognize the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement. Mr. SOUL! celebrates the groundbreaking PBS series against the backdrop of a swiftly changing political and social landscape, while also profiling Haizlip, the charismatic man behind one of the most culturally significant and successful TV shows in U.S. history.
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University of Pittsburgh
Please click links to register. All events require registration.
The Honest Struggle : Living as a Target (Note: You may also register at City of Asylum for both the film and discussion—see City of Asylum Listing)
Thursday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Virtual Event
Register at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/the-honest-struggle
The Pitt Jazz program of the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Music in collaboration with City of Asylum presents a two day event that includes a live screening of the film “The Honest Struggle” by filmmaker Justin Mashouf and a panel discussion followed by a musical performance. The film tells the story of Sadiq Davis, a Muslim convert who re-enters society in the Southside of Chicago after 25 years of incarceration to face the same streets that ruined his life. The film is a raw portrait of a man struggling to survive an honest life and redefine himself in a world in which he feels no belonging. You can view the trailer of the film at https://honeststruggle.co. This event will focus on the topic of stereotypes that follows people after being incarcerated and trying to make a decent and honest life for themselves in society. The project is also a testament to music as a saving grace for those facing extreme challenges.
Pitt’s Director of Jazz Studies, Nicole Mitchell Gantt has gathered a panel to discuss the film and its themes on the following day of the film screening. Along with Sadiq Davis and filmmaker Justin Mashouf, Gantt has invited Richard Garland, Director of the Reimagine Re-entry program at the University Pittsburgh and James Badue El, founder of the People’s Right to Obtain Our Freedom (PROOF). Gantt hopes to inspire the public on the need to transform the culture that places limitations of rights and respect given to ex-convicts who re-enter society, with the bigger goal of discussing the abolition movement and a complete transformation of American punitive culture.
The film “The Honest Struggle” will be streamed live on February 4th at 7:00pm. On February 5th at 7:00pm will be the panel discussion on the role of institutional racism in the prison industrial complex and the challenges of re-entry after incarceration. The panel is followed by a performance of orginal music by vocalist/pianist Sadiq Davis and vocalist Aquilla Sadalla. Events on both days are free and require registration.
Educators for Black Lives:
Tuesday, February 2 at 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Virtual Event
Register at: https://pitt.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z0OUA_TYRmW873PIaqX1Ug
Dr. Denisha Jones and Jesse Hagopian will discuss their newly published book “An Uprising for Educational Justice: Black Lives Matter At School” published by Haymarket books. Speakers will discuss their organizing around BLM in their school communities alongside colleagues, students, and families. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about Black Lives Matter At School’s National Demands, Year of Purpose, and Week of Action, and resources for educators for organizing with your own school community. This will be a webinar format, open to the public, and time will be left for participant questions.
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City of Asylum
Please click links to register. All events require registration.
Actors Talk August: Phylicia Rashad
Monday, February 1st 8:15-9:15 p.m. TONIGHT
https://www.alphabetcity.org/events/actors-talk-august-presented-by-august-wilson-house-8/
Streamed on City of Asylum’s Virtual Channel. (60 minute run-time) *please note 8:15 pm start time*
August Wilson House celebrates America’s greatest playwright with a new web series of substantial insider interviews called “Actors Talk August,” streaming on the first and third Monday of each month.
Featured are leading August Wilson actors and directors, national and regional, interviewed by Chris Rawson, veteran Pittsburgh Post-Gazette theater critic who chronicled Wilson’s career and came to know him well. The aim is to capture the memories, anecdotes and insights of those who know Wilson’s epic American Century Cycle from the inside and helped to bring it to life.
Phylicia Rashad is most widely known for her TV popularity (“Cosby Show”), but before that she had a career on Broadway (“Dreamgirls”). In this century she has concentrated on the stage, with Broadway stints in Raisin in the Sun (Tony), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and August: Osage County; classics both Off-Broadway and regionally; and committed work for the Negro Ensemble Company and other famous off-Broadway companies. But for Actors Talk August, her chief interest is as Aunt Ester in Gem of the Ocean (Broadway and elsewhere) and as director of several Wilson revivals since.
The Honest Struggle- In Partnership with Pitt Jazz (Please note: This event is also listed under the University of Pittsburgh events. Registering with the City of Asylum automatically registers you for both days of events.)
Thursday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, February 5 at 7:00 p.m.
https://www.alphabetcity.org/events/the-honest-struggle/
Pitt Jazz presents a two day event on life after incarceration. One time registration grants access to both evenings.
- Feb. 4th 7:00 PM Film Screening “The Honest Struggle: Living as a Target” (Run-time 58 min) Trailer Here
- Feb. 5th 7:00 PM Film discussion on the role of institutional racism in the prison industrial complex and the challenges of re-entry after incarceration. Live panel. (Run-time 60 min)
The Pitt Jazz program of the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Music in collaboration with City of Asylum presents a two day event that includes a live screening of the film “The Honest Struggle” by filmmaker Justin Mashouf and a panel discussion followed by a musical performance of original music by vocalist/pianist Sadiq Davis and vocalist Aquilla Sadalla.
The film tells the story of Sadiq Davis, a Muslim convert who re-enters society in the Southside of Chicago after over 25 years of incarceration to face the same streets that ruined his life. The film is a raw portrait of a man struggling to survive an honest life and redefine himself in a world in which he feels no belonging.
This event will focus on the topic of stereotypes that follows people after being incarcerated and trying to make a decent and honest life for themselves in society. The project is also a testament to music as a saving grace for those facing extreme challenges.
Pitt’s Director of Jazz Studies, Nicole Mitchell Gantt has gathered a panel to discuss the film and its themes on the following day of the film screening. Along with Sadiq Davis and filmmaker Justin Mashouf, Gantt has invited Richard Garland, Director of the Reimagine Re-entry Program at the University Pittsburgh and James Badue, founder of the People’s Right to Obtain Our Freedom (PROOF). Gantt hopes to inspire the public on the need to transform the culture that places limitations of rights and respect given to ex-convicts who re-enter society, with the bigger goal of discussing the abolition movement and a complete transformation of American punitive culture.
Contact the jazz studies office at pittjazz@pitt.edu or go to our website jazz.pitt.edu for further details.
Off Minor Jazz Series: Greetings to Saud, Celebrating McCoy Tyner
Sunday, February 21, 2021
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Streamed on City of Asylum’s Virtual Channel. (run-time 90 minutes) *Please note the 6:00 PM start time*
The world lost one of its greatest pianists and musical artists on March 6 of 2020 when McCoy Tyner passed away. Along with his groundbreaking work with John Coltrane’s legendary Classic Quartet, Tyner changed the way the piano in Jazz was played. His harmonic and rhythmic concepts spawned an entire school of pianists and his influence is still a primary one today. We will draw on his original compositions from all parts of his long for this concert.
The Off-Minor Jazz series are thematic concerts performed at City of Asylum @ Alphabet City. The series highlights the music of legendary jazz composers and players, and represents a style rarely played in commercial venues. Curated by drummer Thomas Wendt, the series features specialized musicians for each concert.
Featured Musicians:
Chris Coles, alto saxophone
Alton Merrell, piano
Tony DePaolis, bass
Thomas Wendt, drums
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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Presents
Please click links to register. All events require registration.
Historically Speaking: 400 Souls—A Conversation with Ibram Kendi and Keisha N. Blain:
Tuesday, Feb. 2; 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET
Renowned scholars Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire have assembled 90 extraordinary writers to document the 400 hundred-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present in their newly released book Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019. Each contributor writes about a five-year period of 400 years of African American history using essays, short stories, personal vignettes and fiery polemics. The authors approach history from various perspectives: through the eyes of towering historical icons, the untold stories of ordinary people, as well as landmarks, laws and artifacts. In a discussion moderated by museum curator Mary Elliott, featured editors Kendi and Blain will focus on historic eras such as slavery, reconstruction and segregation and their sustained impact on the United States. Several contributors to the book will join Kendi and Blain in a discussion about the impact of the African American community on social justice trajectory of American History. Admission is free; however, registration is required.
