Black History Month events around the Lower Hudson Valley

Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News

Black History Month started Feb 1. and local communities and organizations across the Lower Hudson Valley are hosting events to commemorate the lives and achievements of Black Americans locally and nationwide all month.

If you know of an event that is not listed, please contact Alexandra Rivera at arivera@lohud.com and the list can be updated.

Westchester

  • The Yonkers Public Library Riverfront branch will have a Black History Month coloring station for kids in the children's room available all month starting Feb. 1. Kids who hand in their artwork could be featured on the library's art wall. 1 Larkin Center, Yonkers.

  • The Clay Arts Center in Port Chester is displaying "Perspectives: An Invitational Exhibition Celebrating Black History Month" all month, starting on Feb. 1 The exhibit features local Clay Arts Center artists Earlene Cox and Gloria Nixon-Crouch and includes art that the center says "delves deep into the realms of human experience, identity and fragility, offering a profound exploration of these themes through the medium of clay." A Meet the Artists event will also be held on Friday, Feb 16. from noon to 2 p.m. Registration is required for this event. 40 Beech Street, Port Chester.

  • Yonkers Public Library is hosting a Black History Month "Paint and Juice" for kids on Saturday, Feb. 3 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Children ages 5 to 12 will receive a canvas on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last. 1 Larkin Center, Yonkers.

  • ArtsWestchester is hosting "Race in American Education and The Power of the Presidency," a conversation with Dr. Ruth LaGray, an education leader, historian and author, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1954 landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which officially integrated schools nationwide. Tickets are $50, which come with a copy of LaGray's book, "School Desegregation and the U.S. Presidents: How the Role of the Bully Pulpit Affected their Decisions." You can purchase tickets online or call 914-428-4220. 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains.

  • The Westchester Alliance of Black School Educators and the New Rochelle Black History Month Committee will host its annual Black History Month celebration on Feb. 10 at New Rochelle High School from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, which officially integrated schools in the United States.

  • Westchester County Executive George Latimer is hosting a county-wide Black History Month celebration on Monday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Michaelian Office Building in White Plains. Residents should RSVP for the event at communications@westchestercountyny.gov by Feb. 5.

  • Scarsdale Public Library will host a Black History Month Story and Craft event for kids in kindergarten to fourth grade on Friday, Feb. 23 from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Registration is required for each individual child.

Rockland

  • Rockland Community College is hosting a month full of activities for Black History Month, including a showing of the Oscar winning 2020 film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Feb. 6 at 12:30 p.m. The movie tells the true story of Ma Rainey, a legendary blues singer in the 1920s. The movie was Chadwick Boseman's final film appearance before he died of colon cancer in 2020. The movie will be shown in the Nelson Mandela Room at the Student Union. 145 College Road, Suffern.

  • Rockland Community College will host an African American Quilt Showcase from Feb. 14 to March 8. The showcase highlights the use of quilting in African American culture, specifically to display messages during slavery for travelers of the Underground Railroad. Each artist showcased is part of the Rockland County Quilters and Needle Artist Sewing Club. A grand opening for the exhibit will be held on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.

  • Nyack Library will host Black History Month Bingo on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. Each bingo card will have the faces of iconic Black trailblazers and will test players knowledge on their achievements. 59 S. Broadway, Nyack.

  • Nyack Library and Valley Cottage Library will be discussing the book "Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom" by Ilyon Yoo on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The book tells the story of William and Ellen Craft, a couple who escaped slavery by disguising themselves as a white man and his slave. 59 S. Broadway, Nyack.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Black History Month events around the Lower Hudson Valley NY

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