During Black History Month, the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will present a variety of programs about the experiences of African Americans. The programs include an African American History Tour, the documentary “The Loving Story” about an interracial couple’s legal suit that went to the Supreme Court, and a talk by author Phil Rubio about the activist history of black postal workers.
Take advantage of these and other programs in February at the Museum of History. Admission is free unless otherwise noted. Parking is free on weekends.
PROGRAMS
*Time for Tots: Presidents and a First Lady
Tuesdays, Feb. 4 and 11
10-10:45 a.m.
Ages 3-5 (with adult)
$1 per child
To register, call 919-807-7992.
Learn about the three presidents — and a First Lady — North Carolina claims, then walk to the Capitol grounds to see the presidents’ statue.
*History Corner: Family History
Wednesday, Feb. 5
10-11 a.m.
Ages 6-9 (with adult)
$1 per child
To register, call 919-807-7992.
How do we know about the past? Put on your detective’s cap and use clues from the attic to uncover your history.
*History Hunters: Climbing Your Family Tree
Wednesday, Feb. 5
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Ages 10-13
$1 per child
To register, call 919-807-7992.
What’s in your past? Learn about tools you can use to search out your family’s history.
*Storytime in the Gallery
Thursdays, Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27
10-10:30 a.m.
Ages 3 and up (with adult)
Meet a staff member at the information desk and follow your guide to one of the museum galleries. There, you can look around and listen to a history-related story.
**African American History Tour
Saturday, Feb. 8 and 22
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Explore the lives and accomplishments of African American North Carolinians from the colonial period to the Civil Rights era.
**Music of the Carolinas: Ben Payton and the Blues
Sunday, Feb. 9
3-4 p.m.
Ben Payton spent his teen years in Chicago, where he fell into the city’s vibrant blues and soul scene. He has performed with artists including improvisational musician Bobby Rush and jazz pianist Randy Weston. The performance is presented with PineCone, and support from the N.C. Museum of History Associates, Williams Mullen, and Harry’s Guitar Shop of Raleigh.
**History à la Carte: There’s Always Work at the Post Office
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Noon-1 p.m.
Bring your lunch; beverages provided.
Phil Rubio, N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University
Rubio published his book in 2010 as a look at the activist history of African American postal workers and how they helped transform black community development, the labor movement, and civil rights in general.
* **Hands-on History
Saturday, Feb. 15
1-3 p.m. (drop-in program)
Learn about African Americans who have called North Carolina home as you make a craft, jump a rope, or read a book.
*Storytellers to Go: The Golden Doorstop
Saturday, Feb. 15
2-3 p.m.
Performed by teen actors from the Raleigh Little Theatre, this play tells how our nation’s first gold rush started because Conrad Reed, a 12-year-old boy in North Carolina, found a rock!
**Created Equal: “The Loving Story”
Sunday, Feb. 16
1 p.m.
This 2012 documentary features Mildred and Richard Loving, an interracial couple whose suit against Virginia’s 1924 Racial Integrity Act ended with the 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia. After the film, a panel of three couples will share their North Carolina experiences. The Created Equal series is part of the Bridging Cultures initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities and is produced in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Objects Sacred and Profane: Icons and Iconography in Modern Culture
Saturday, Feb. 22
2 p.m.
Dr. Louise McReynolds, UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
Come and hear about the tensions that arise when an object of religious veneration is viewed as a representation of material culture.
Watergate: Politics, Scandal and the Media
Thursday, Feb. 27
7 p.m.
Seating is limited; call 919-807-7873 for information and reservations.
David Crabtree, anchor and reporter at WRAL-TV, will moderate this panel discussion on the investigation and repercussions of the Watergate break-in.
Participants are:
● Eugene Boyce, former assistant chief counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee;
● Ned Cline, former reporter for the Greensboro Daily News;
● Rufus Edmisten, former staff counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee; and
● Kate Scott, assistant historian, U.S. Senate, and author.
This panel is sponsored by First Tennessee Bank.
For more information about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access www.ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook.
* marks programs of interest to children or families
** programs related to Black History Month
