February is Black History Month and the Washington, D.C. area is full of events to learn about history and African American achievements. Here are some of the events taking place February 2011:
The Renwick Gallery is offering free tours all month of works by or about African Americans. The tours are given most weekdays at noon and most Saturdays and Sundays at 1 PM. No tours are given on the second Tuesday of each month and on federal holidays. The gallery is at 1661 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. The gallery is Metro accessible by way of the Farragut North and Farragut West stations. There is limited on-street metered parking and public garages nearby.
The National Museum of American History is offering a free tour of The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, which illustrates the hardships and triumphs of the African American experience. The tours are offered most Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 AM, noon and 1 PM. The tours meet at the exhibition entrance on the second floor of the east wing. The museum is on the National Mall at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue. Take the Metro to the Federal Triangle station or the Smithsonian station. There is limited on-street metered parking and public garages nearby.
The National Museum of American History is also hosting a Family Day Celebration on February 5, 2011 from 11:30 AM to 5 PM throughout the museum. The day includes an interactive theatrical presentation called “Join the Student Sit-Ins,” as well as performances by the Washington Performing Arts, the debut of an American Girl self-guided Civil War family tour and several other interactive activities to celebrate family and heritage. The event is free and is first-come, first-serve.
The American Art Museum is offering free tours that will feature works by or about African American experiences from the museum’s collection. The tours take place most days at 12:30 PM and 2 PM. No tours are given on the second Tuesday of each month. The museum is at 8th and F Streets, NW, and is Metro accessible by way of the Gallery Place-Chinatown station. There is limited on-street metered parking and public garages nearby.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is presenting a short film series called “Shared Experience: Telling Our Stories.” This year’s program, which is free, features 12 short works of the Longhouse Media’s Native Lens program. The films will be shown at the American Indian Museum’s Rasmuson Theater on the first level. The series opens Feb. 1, 2011 at 12:30 PM and repeats daily at 3:30 PM through the end of the month. There are no showings on Wednesdays. (Note: The National Museum of African American History and Culture has not been built yet. Construction is scheduled to start in 2012.)
OnBoard DC Tours is offering African-American History Tours. The tour includes visits and lectures on four sections of the city, telling the history of slavery, civil rights, education and the contributions African Americans made to history and society. You’ll learn about Benjamin Banneker, who helped design the city, Phillip Reed, who helped with the statue of Freedom and Duke Ellington, a jazz musician from Washington. The four-hour tours can be booked for private tours of five or fewer with rates starting at $175 per hour. Lunch at a famous soul food restaurant is included. Tours can be booked online or by calling 301-839-5261.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Va., will offer special tours called “Slave Life at Mount Vernon” highlighting the estate’s slave quarters and the lives and contributions of the slaves who built and operated the plantation home of George and Martha Washington. The refurbished slave quarters building is newly opened this year, featuring reproduction clothing, tools, furniture, cookware, ceramics, toys and personal accessories. The pieces emphasize the living conditions and experiences of the slaves, who worked as craftsmen, house slaves and laborers. A wreath laying and presentation will take place daily throughout February at the slave memorial site. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for children ages 6-11 and free for children five and under. Tickets can purchased online or at the front gate. Mount Vernon, which is at 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, VA 22309, is located 16 miles south of Washington, D.C., at the southern terminus of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Parking is free and plentiful.
The S. Dillon Ripley Center’s Discovery Theater is showing a musical on Feb. 3, 2011 at 10:15 AM and 11:30 AM about the Negro Baseball League before it goes on tour. The showing is geared to kids and family and costs $6 for general adult admission, $5 for children older than 2, $3 for children under 2, $4 for Smithsonian members. Tickets can be purchased online. The S. Dillon Ripley Center is at 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW and the Discovery Theater is on the 3rd sublevel. The center is Metro accessible via the Smithsonian stop.
