Carrboro Celebrates Black History Month

Source: @alyssasieb / nappy.co

The Town of Carrboro is proud to recognize and celebrate Black people and Black history in Carrboro and across the nation during Black History Month.

We invite and encourage all Carrboro residents to participate in local Black History Month events and to learn about and celebrate the lives, history, and contributions of Black people during this month and throughout the year.

Sunday, Feb. 2 – Black History Month Concert featuring Chrishawn Darby Quartet

3 p.m. at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510

Chrishawn is a drummer/percussionist and composer that performs all around North and South Carolina. He has performed with Grammy nominated and award-winning artists and groups such as Shana Tucker, Allison Williams, Brandon Lee, Chad Eby, Steve Haines, Mondrae Moffett, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Mint Julep Jazz Band, and many others. When not playing on the road, he also teaches in person and virtual private lessons to children and adults of all ages and experience

Monday, Feb. 3 – African Americans and Labor, an evening with Ajamu Dillahunt-Holloway

6 to 8 p.m. at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510
Ajamu Dillahunt-Holloway shares how his work and teachings focus on the 20th Century African American history with a focus on the U.S. South, labor environmental justice, and the Black Freedom Struggle. Born and raised in Southeast Raleigh, Ajamu Dillahunt-Holloway is an assistant professor of African American history and public history at NC State University. His research is on 20th Century African American history with a focus on the U.S. South, labor, environmental justice, and the Black Freedom Struggle.

Tuesday, Feb. 4 – Poet’s Open Mic

7 to 8 p.m. via Zoom
Poet’s Open Mic (zoom) will be held 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, via zoom for people aged 16 and older. For this month’s event, attendees are encouraged to share poetry and history related Black America.
For information, call 919-918-7372.

Wednesday, Feb. 5 – Black History Month Senior Bingo

10 to 11:30 a.m. at The Drakeford Library Complex 203 S. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510
Bingo can be played many ways and this month the theme will be “Black History Month.” Join us and test your knowledge of Black History as we play several games. This event is free and open to community members who are 50+. There will be prizes for winners and refreshments for all!

Saturday, Feb. 8 – Excursions – Raleigh Little Theatre – “Akeelah and the Bee”

12:30 to 5:30 p.m. meet at Town Commons Parking Lot, 301 W. Main St. Carrboro NC 27510
This excursion costs $29 and is available for participants who are 50+. Pre-registration is required – https://register1.vermontsystems.com/wbwsc/nccarrboro.wsc/splash.html
Akeelah has a crazy passion for words: the more abstruse and labyrinthine, the better. But this gift is almost overwhelmed by the challenge of her daily life in a tough, Chicago neighborhood. Akeelah’s aptitude earns her a spot in the National Spelling Bee, which inspires the people in her neighborhood with her courage and tenacity.

Monday, Feb. 10 – African Americans and Labor, an evening with James Shields Jr.

6 to 8 p.m. at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510
James Shields is currently the manager of the African American Cultural Arts and History Center in Burlington, .NC. Prior to this latest appointment, he served for 20 years as the director of the Bonner Center for Community Service and Learning at Guilford College. James’ community involvement includes being board chairman for Snow Camp Historical Society, Elimu Empowerment services and the non-profit Motherland International. He currently serves as vice president of the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society.

Sunday, Feb. 16 – Black History Month Concert featuring United Strings of Color

3 p.m. at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510
Enjoy the same program that will premiere at the NC Museum of Art on Feb. 1 – “Conversations Between Four Black Music Makers Who Helped Bring About Abolition.” The program will invite a thoughtful consideration of Black history as it has either been remembered, or generally forgotten or hidden away, and explore some of the reasons why.
Through an immersive experience of Black history using music, theatre, and mixed media arts, the audience will learn about the lives, countries, times, systemic laws, and iconic contributions of four Black abolitionists. Using a theatrical construct to place our abolitionists together, youth actors representing Ignatius Sancho, (1729 – 1780), Joseph Bologne, (1745 – 1799), Solomon Northrup, (1807/8 – 1864), and Frederick Douglass, (1818 -1895), will discuss their lives as Black creatives who fought with the pen, the ballot, the sword and the bullet, to directly affect laws and the dominant thought of their day.

The audience will be invited to come early to begin immersion in the lives and times of our abolitionists through video, slides, photographs, period dance, and sword fencing. Using our partners Forge Fencing and the Frederick Douglass Foundation, audiences will be brought into an earlier time and place. As this project will generate discussion, following the formal presentation the audience will be invited to converse with our musical Black abolitionists and engage further in the discoveries the production uncovers.

Saturday, Feb. 22 – Health & Wellness Fair

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510
Join us for the 2024 Health & Wellness Fair. All ages are welcome to this free community event. Gain knowledge and receive information about best practices for a healthy lifestyle. There will be health screenings, blood pressure checks, food and raffles.

Sunday, Feb. 23 – Jeghetto in “Real American History: by Jim Crow the Puppet”

2 p.m. at The Drakeford Library Complex 203 S. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510
Tarish Pipkins a.k.a. Jeghetto has fine-tuned his skills by doing street performances with his puppets. He has worked with Paperhand Puppet Intervention. He has built puppets and performed in several Paperhand productions. Jeghetto has had the pleasure to work with national recording artist, Missy Elliott on her music video, WTF (Where They From) controlling the Pharell puppet and doing some puppet building. He also worked on the Amazon Echo commercial featuring Missy Elliott and Alec Baldwin as puppets.
The cost for this event is $3 with children 12 months and under admitted free. Children and adults alike will be amazed.

Sunday, Feb. 23 – Black History Month Concert featuring Emmanuel Howard

4 p.m. at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510
Emmanuel Howard is a native of Charlotte, NC, and at the age of nine began his musical journey learning the guitar, then picked up the alto saxophone, transforming his musical trajectory. During this time, he played in various ensembles between school, church and with the community music program, Community School of the Arts in marching, concert, symphonic, and jazz bands. He has collaborated musically alongside musicians and educators such as Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo, and Tia Fuller. Currently he performs with various bands throughout the area, such as jAndr and Peridot Sun and plans to release his first self-produce album in mid 2025.