Free Festival Celebrates African American Culture and History
The Charlotte Museum of History invited you to celebrate Charlotte’s Black history and culture with the free African American Heritage Festival. The free festival celebrates African American culture and history and runs June 8-12.
The festival is a combination of virtual and in-person events. Tickets for the in-person events are free but must be reserved ahead of time. View the full schedule of daily events at charlottemuseum.org/events.
Masks are required for all visitors over the age of 5 when indoors at the museum, and visitors ages 2-5 are highly encouraged to wear a face covering. When outdoors, all visitors over the age of 5 are required to wear a face-covering when they may be within six feet of anyone not in their group, including museum staff.
Schedule of Events:
Tuesday, June 8
- 11 a.m. – Live streamed: Charlotte Ballet will offer a live-streamed dance demonstration featuring West African dance traditions. The program will explore movement, music, costuming, and more.
- Noon. – Live-streamed: The “What’s in a Name?” live-streamed Lunch & Learn will feature a conversation with Charlotte community historian Tom Hanchett, JCSU archivist Brandon Lunsford and representatives from Tuskegee and Fisk universities. They will discuss the origins of the Rosenwald Fund, which helped build thousands of schools for African American children in the South during the Jim Crow era.
Wednesday, June 9
- Noon. Live-streamed: Playwright and actress Lakeetha Blakeney joins the museum for a live-streamed conversation that explores African American food, hair, and fashion as they were, as they are now and how they could be in the future.
Friday, June 11
- 4 p.m. In person at the museum: JazzArts will perform a concert in person at the museum. Limited tickets are free and must be reserved in advance.
Saturday, June 12
- Noon-4 p.m. In-person at the museum: Afternoon on the Grounds. Witness the “Chronicles of Adam” first-person historical narrative with interpreter Dontavius Williams, see a performance by Drums 4 Life, explore a new exhibit that tells the story of the historic Siloam School, and watch art in motion as local artists Makayla Binter, Abel Jackson, Marcus Kiser, and Ricky Singh paint portraits of notable Black Charlotteans. Visit charlottemuseum.org/events for specific performance times.
The 2021 African American Heritage Festival is made possible with support from the Arts & Science Council and Pride Magazine.
