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The Smithsonian Institution celebrates Black History Heritage Month with more than forty events - films, performances, talks, tours and demonstrations.

  WASHINGTON, D.C.
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Ongoing Exhibition, 10 am - 5:30 pm
Description: Graphic Eloquence: Limited-Edition Prints from The Smithsonian Associates Art Collections
During Black History Month, the Art Collectors Program offers Elizabeth Carlett's Children with Flowers at a 20 percent discount.
 
Location: Anacostia Community Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Ongoing Exhibition, 10 am - 5:30 pm
Description: Jubilee: African American Celebration
The exhibition looks at celebrations past and present, including Big Quarterly and Shrove Tuesday, which originated centuries ago and are still observed regionally.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, International Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Ongoing Exhibition, 10 am - 5:30 pm
Description: Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968
This exhibition of civil rights photography, which premiered last year at Atlanta's High Museum, includes nearly two hundred works, many of which had never been shown before.
 
Location: National Museum of American History, NMAAHC Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Friday, January 30 - Sunday, November 15, 10 am - 5:30 pm
Description: The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise
The National Museum of African American History and Culture presents a hundred images from one of the premiere photography studios in the country and one of the oldest black businesses in Washington.
 
Location: National Museum of American History, Second Floor East
City: Washington D.C.
Date: February 1, 7-8, 14-15, 21-22, and 28, 11 am, 12 noon, and 2 and 3:30 pm
Description: Join the Student Sit-Ins
Audiences take part in a training session for the famous 1960 sit-in at a Greensboro, North Carolina, lunch counter. The piece is staged at the museum's exhibit of the actual counter.
 
Location: National Museum of the American Indian
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Friday, February 1 - Friday, February 28, 12:30 and 3:30 pm (2 pm on February 21-22)
Description: Shared Experience: Telling Our Stories
The short films in this showcase explore the struggles that Native and African American youth have in common. Made possible with funding from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
 
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Sunday, February 1 - Saturday, February 28, 12 noon on weekdays, 1 pm on Saturdays and Sundays
Description: Daily Walk-In Tour at the Renwick Gallery
Throughout the month, the museum's hour-long daily tour features From a Birmingham Jail: MLK by L'Merchie Frazier, a textile work that evokes the history of the civil rights movement. Meet at the Information Desk.
 
Location: National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 10:15 and 11:30 am
Description: Are You Ready, My Sister?
In this stage production, a giant patchwork quilt tells the story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. As the plot unfolds, each square of the quilt comes to life. Recommended for ages 5-11. Resident Associate members, $4. General admission: $6 for adults, $5 for children. Call 202.633.8700.
 
Location: Smithsonian Castle, Commons
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 6:30 pm
Description: Author's Talk: At the Elbows of My Elders: One Family's Journey Toward Civil Rights
In this illustrated reading, author Gail Milissa Grant recounts the battles fought by her father, a lawyer and civil rights activist in St. Louis; her family's operation of a funeral home; and their earlier work on the railroad and on pleasure boats that plied the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Discovery Theater
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Thursday, February 5, 10:15 and 11:30 am
Description: Going the Distance
This inspiring performance tells the stories of Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph, who overcame obstacles of poverty and childhood illness to become the world's fastest man and fastest woman. Recommended for ages 6-11. Resident Associate members, $4. General admission: $6 for adults, $5 for children. Call 202.633.8700.
 
Location: Donald W. Reynolds Center, Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Thursday, February 5 - Saturday, February 7, 7 pm
Description: A Portrait of Porgy
This musical narrative is based on the life of Todd Duncan, the first actor to portray Porgy in George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess. The performance is free, but seating is limited. For reservations, call 202.633.8520 or e-mail NPGPublicPrograms@si.edu. Part of the National Portrait Gallery's Cultures in Motion series. Made possible with funding from the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Portrait Gallery.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Discovery Theatre
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Friday, February 6, 13, 20, and 27, 10:15 and 11:30 am
Description: Buh Rabbit & Friends
This interactive show introduces young audiences to stories, songs, and artifacts of the Gullah people from the Georgia Sea Islands. Recommended for ages 4-8. Resident Associate members, $4. General admission: $6 for adults, $5 for children. Call 202.633.8700.
 
Location: National Air and Space Museum, America by Air Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Friday, February 6 - Saturday, February 7, Fridays & Saturdays, February 13-14, 20-21, and 27-28, 11 am on Fridays, 11:30 am & 1:30 pm Saturday
Description: Story Time at Air and Space
This month's featured book is Nobody Owns the Sky, the story of Bessie Coleman by Reeve Lindbergh. An art activity is included.
 
Location: Anacostia Community Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Saturday, February 7, 10:30 am
Description: African Americans at Play
Former Antiques Roadshow appraiser Philip J. Merrill presents examples of African American-related toys and games. Recommended for the whole family. For reservations, call 202.633.4844.
 
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Saturday, February 7, 21, and 28, 2 pm; Thursdays, February 12 and 26, 12:30 pm
Description: Free Within Ourselves: African American Art from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Collection
This hour-long tour explores the personal and cultural experiences of African American artists in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The artists include Lois Mailou Jones, Allan Rohan Crite, William H. Johnson, James Hampton, and Robert Duncanson. Meet in the F Street Lobby.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Discovery Theater
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Sunday, February 8, 11 AM - 3 PM
Description: Black History Month Family Day Celebration
The whole family is invited to the Smithsonian's kickoff celebration of Black History Month. The day includes kalimba music, art activities, free performances by the Discovery Theater, self-guided tours of the National Museum of African American History and Culture's exhibition Road to Freedom, and a panel discussion of the history of the Shaw neighborhood.

This is the first feature event in the Smithsonian Heritage Month 2009 family-day series, sponsored by Target. The theme is "Living in Many Worlds," which explores the dynamic intersection of family, history, and cultural identity.
 
Location: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Millennium Stage
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Monday, February 9, 6 pm
Description: Christon "Christylez" Bacon
The National Museum of African American History and Culture presents the progressive sounds of hip-hop artist and D.C. native Christon "Christylez" Bacon. The performance showcases Bacon's mastery of diverse musical styles and his band's unique instrumentation.
 
Location: Anacostia Community Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Wednesday, February 11, 10:30 am
Description: Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Black History Month
Historian C. R. Gibbs discusses the origins of the oldest celebration of African American history and culture, offering insights into founder Carter G. Woodson's seldom-discussed life and work. For reservations, call 202.633.4844.
 
Location: National Air and Space Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Saturday, February 14, 10 am - 3 pm
Description: Family Days: African American Pioneers in Aviation
Visitors can meet some of the original Tuskegee Airmen in this daylong, museum-wide event, which includes hands-on activities and a story time.
 
Location: Donald W. Reynolds for American Art and Portraiture
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Tuesday, February 17, 7 pm
Description: Reel Portraits: Billie Holiday and Lady Sings the Blues
The National Portrait Gallery presents a screening Lady Sings the Blues. Diana Ross, in her film debut, earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the talented and troubled Billie Holiday. Though the film was commercially successful, many saw it as an incomplete view of a complicated life. Smithsonian archivist and poet Reuben Jackson leads a discussion. Doors open 6:30 pm. Made possible with funding from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (1972, 144 minutes)
 
Location: National Air and Space Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 12 noon
Description: Eugene Bullard, the First African American Military Pilot
Curator Dominick A. Pisano presents a brief gallery talk. Meet at the museum's "Great Seal," near the entrances.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Discovery Theater
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Wednesday, February 18 - Thursday, February 19, 10:15 and 11:30 am
Description: How Old Is a Hero?
The Discovery Theater presents a "children's civil rights play," which tells inspiring stories of such young people as Ernest Green, the first black student to graduate from an integrated high school. Recommended for ages 6-11. Resident Associate members, $4. General admission: $6 for adults, $5 for children. Call 202.633.8700.
 
Location: National Air and Space Museum, Steven Udvar-Hazy Center
City: Chantilly, VA
Date: Saturday, February 21, 10 am - 3 pm
Description: Family Days: African American Pioneers in Aviation
Visitors can meet some of the original Tuskegee Airmen in this daylong, museum-wide event, which includes hands-on activities and a story time.
 
Location: Anacostia Community Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Saturday, February 21, 10:30 am - 2:30 pm
Description: Mardi Gras Carnival—Art and Music Festival
The day includes music, costumes, storytelling, mask making, and (for those who arrive early) face painting. For more information, call 202.633.4844.
 
Location: National Postal Museum, Atrium
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Saturday, February 21, 1 - 4 pm
Description: Black History Family Celebration
The day's events focus on the history of African Americans in the postal service. Visitors can meet postal inspectors and help sort mail.
 
Location: Anacostia Community Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Wednesday, February 25, 11 am and 7 pm
Description: Black Orpheus
In 1959, French director Marcel Camus updated the Orpheus-Eurydice myth with an all-black cast, performing against the colorful background of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The film won the 1960 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. For more information, call 202.633.4844. (107 minutes, Portuguese with English subtitles)
 
Location: Anacostia Community Museum
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Friday, February 27, 10:30 am
Description: Today's Barry Farm Community
Community historian Kalem Umrani profiles Anacostia's Barry Farm neighborhood and discusses the efforts of citizens to help shape the character of the New Communities Project in the area. Reservations required. Call 202.633.4844.
 
Location: National Museum of African Art
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Saturday, February 28, 1 pm
Description: Kirikou and the Sorceress
This animated film from France recounts a West African folktale about a newborn boy who saves his village from the curse of an evil sorceress. Recommended for ages 7 and up. (71 minutes, 1998, French with English subtitles)
 
Location: Politics and Prose Bookstore
City: 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington D.C.
Date: Saturday, February 28, 6 pm
Description: The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise
The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington is the second exhibition of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Lonnie Bunch, the museum's director, leads a discussion of the companion book, which illuminates African American life through the art of photography.
 

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