How to celebrate Black History Month in Livingston County
LIVINGSTON COUNTY — In celebration of Black History Month, several Livingston County institutions and organizations are holding special events, from a free movie screening to a field trip.
Historic Theater Showing
The Howell Historic Theater will offer a free screening of 2021 musical biopic "Respect," which tells the story of Aretha Franklin.
The screening takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at 315 E. Grand River Ave. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. No reservations are needed, and donations are welcome.
Cleary University Workshop
LaTasha Ellis, director of public safety and corporate sector at Cleary, will present “Discussing Bias and Cross-Cultural Diversity" at 12 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at 3750 Cleary Drive. The event is free and open to the public, and there's no need to register.
The presentation and workshop was originally scheduled for MLK Day, but was postponed due to bad weather.
More: MLK Day event postponed after cold temps, bad roads
Ellis manages the university's Detroit Education Center and a degree program for members of the Detroit Police Department.
"We're going to be talking about diversity and bias and what that looks like in the real world," Ellis told The Daily. "We talk about diversity, racism, and bias, but how do you apply it really? Everyone thinks, 'I'm not biased,' but everybody is, because a bias is just your norm and it's really not a negative word. It's just what's normal to you."
The event will include audience participation, including "ice breaker" exercises.
Series at St. Paul's
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brighton will host an 11-part series of events titled "Sacred Ground," including two installments in February.
The first two sessions will run 4-8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, and 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 200 W. St. Paul St. Participants are encouraged to attend all of the bi-monthly sessions, which run through June 11. Registration is available at livingstondiversity.org.
"Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day — all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love," according to an event description from the Livingston Diversity Council.
True Black History Museum
A traveling exhibit of artifacts charting centuries of Black history will stop at Cleary University from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, at 3750 Cleary Drive. The exhibit from the True Black History Museum is free and open to the public.
"This traveling museum is dedicated to preserving the rich history of black people and highlighting their profound contributions to humanity," the university wrote in a release.
True Black History Museum founder Fred Saffold III will present a lecture that evening. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and dinner begins at 6:45 p.m. The event will conclude around 9 p.m. Tickets are $45 and include the dinner, lecture and access to a cash bar. Tickets are available for purchase at livingstondiversity.org.
Motown Museum Trip
Cleary University and the Livingston Diversity Council will take participants on a field trip to Detroit's Motown Museum on Friday, Feb. 23.
Participants will meet at 3750 Cleary Drive in Genoa Township at 10:45 a.m. The vans return around 5:30 p.m.
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Tickets are $30 per person and include transportation and a museum tour. They're available for purchase at livingstondiversity.org. The vans will also stop for lunch at Joe Louis Southern Kitchen.
"The museum features Berry Gordy's actual apartment from the label's early days, original recording equipment, and the legendary Studio A at Hitsville, USA," according to the release.
—Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: How to celebrate Black History Month in Livingston County
