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The Free Library is holding a month's worth of great free programming to celebrate African American History Month. (Photo courtesy Free Library)

Celebrate Black History Month in February at the Free Library of Philadelphia, where this annual observance of achievements by black Americans will be commemorated with a wide range of events across the library system’s branches.

The Free Library’s Black History Month events will offer students and adults several ways to learn about and honor the significant people, places, and experiences in black history.

Check out the lineup:

• Zora’s Tales: Sunday, February 5, 2 p.m., Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, Free. As part of the “Sundays on Stage” program, The Women of Color Productions presents a one-woman play depicting the amazing life and times of Zora Neale Hurston, who was considered one of the preeminent writers of 20th century African America literature.

• Black History Month Treasure Hunt: Monday, February 6–Friday, February 10. Haddington Branch, 446 N. 65th Street, Free. Enjoy a full week of African- merican history. Stop in any time during normal hours to learn about African American authors and participate in a cool treasure hunt. Prizes will be awarded!

• Black History Story Time: Tuesdays, February 7, 14, 21, 28, 10:30 a.m. Walnut Street West, 201 S. 40th Street, Free. It’s story time at the library! Listen to famous and not-so-famous stories and poems written by and about well-known African Americans. Discover fascinating facts each week while broadening your cultural knowledge and awareness.

• Malcolm and Martin: Wednesday, February 22, 4 p.m., Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library, 125 S. 52nd Street, Free. Students 10 years old+ are invited to join the talented cast of the Walnut Street Theatre’s Touring Company who will take students on a journey that explores the Civil Rights Movement. Discover how the messages of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are just as relevant today as they were in the 1960s’ turbulent era of race riots, bus boycotts, sit-ins and marches.

Black History Month At The Free Library [Official Site]

Spanning 12 city blocks, the annual Odunde Festival is a lively celebration of African and African-American culture. (Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC)

The annual Odunde African Street Festival, the longest-running and largest African-American street festival on the East coast, returns to South Street next Sunday, June 12.

Complete with live music, dance performances, food, activities and an authentic African marketplace, the Odunde Festival covers more than 12 city blocks, bringing a celebration of Africa to South Street every June.

The celebration begins with a blessing at the Schuylkill River, then transforms into a joyous street fair centered at 23rd and South Streets, and continues down Grays Ferry Avenue.

From 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Odunde attendees will find a wide variety of sights, sounds, and smells evocative of Africa, including rhythmic, thumping drumbeats, a multicolor array of textiles, aromatic spices and African crafts.

The festival hosts up to 300 vendors, many of whom hail from various African countries such as Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and Guinea, and live performers will provide the soundscape all day on two stages.

Insider tip: The streets around 23rd and South and Grays Ferry Avenue will be closed to traffic; attendees are encouraged to take public transportation.

Odunde Festival
Where: 23rd and South Streets
When: Sunday, June 12, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Cost: FREE
More Info: odundefestival.org

 
The Mural Arts Program recently unveiled the new African American Iconic Images Collection, which includes an audio driving tour of the murals narrated by Questlove of The Roots.

The introduction video above does a great job of providing a glimpse into the tour as it navigates through Philadelphia neighborhoods via time-lapse, highlighting several murals and the impact they’ve had on their respective communities along the way.

You can explore the entire collection or download the full audio driving tour at the African American Iconic Images Collection official site.

Albert M. Greenfield African American Iconic Images Collection [Official Site]

Previously: The Mural Arts Program Launches A New African American Mural Collection And Tour Complete With A Questlove-Narrated Audio Guide

The "A Tribute to Urban Horseman" is one of 47 murals throughout the city that celebrate African American culture in Philadelphia.
(Photo courtesy the Mural Arts Program)

The Mural Arts Program, in partnership with the African American Museum, is launching the Albert M. Greenfield African American Iconic Images Collection, which highlights 47 murals that uniquely capture the rich African American experience in Philadelphia — including murals of icons like Patti LaBelle, the Tuskegee Airmen, Malcolm X and many more.

The hub of the collection will be the brand-new interactive website where users can get an in-depth look into each of the murals through commentary from scholars, community leaders and artists. The site will also provide the tools to get out and explore the collection on your own with the self-guided tour, which features a downloadable audio podcast narrated by The Roots’ Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson plus a map highlighting the locations of 21 murals throughout the city.

On Saturday, February 26, the first public guided tours of the collection will depart from the Independence Visitor Center. Beginning at 11 a.m., free one-hour tours will depart from the center every half hour until 2 p.m. To make a tour reservation, visit the Mural Arts Program’s official site.

If you can’t make it this Saturday, monthly public tours of the collection will take place the last Saturday of each month at 10 a.m., beginning March 26 at the African American Museum. The tour lasts two hours explores 21 murals aboard a trolley and the tour-ticket also includes admission to the African American Museum.

In addition to the new website and the various tour options, monthly special events celebrating the Albert M. Greenfield African American Iconic Images Collection will take place every month in various locations around the city, concluding in October with an exhibition at the African American Museum. Information on all things related to the collections will be available at the official site.

Albert M. Greenfield African American Iconic Images Collection Free Guided Tour & Opening Celebration
When: Saturday, February 26, 2011; 11 a.m.
Where: Independence Visitor Center, 6th and  Market Streets
Cost: Free
More info: www.muralarts.org/iconicimages

'Landing Zone' by John Wehrle is featured in Art of The American Soldier, involved in special Black History Month events. (Photo courtesy NCC)

Celebrate and experience black history at the National Constitution Center this February, as special events and exhibits highlight the role of African Americans in shaping American history and culture.

Through interactive programs and workshops, exhibition features, and a special film screening, guests can pay tribute to inspirational African Americans past and present. Visitors also can explore the history of African Americans in the U.S. military, in connection with the Center’s current feature exhibition Art of the American Soldier.

All events are FREE with museum admission.

The schedule of Black History month events includes:

• Film Screening of Inside Buffalo: Saturday, February 5th, 3-6 p.m. In collaboration with the International Opera Theater, the Center will host a film screening and discussion of the award-winning documentary Inside Buffalo with director Fred Kudjo Kuwornu. This compelling feature film tells the story of the 92nd Buffalo Division, the all-African American combat unit that fought with outstanding heroism in Italy during World War II.

• Breaking Barriers Show: Daily throughout February (Monday through Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Sunday at 12:30 p.m.). Visitors can examine the lives of Thurgood Marshall, Bessie Coleman, Jackie Robinson and other extraordinary African Americans from the 1700s-1900s in order to learn more about the issues they faced and the rights they secured for all Americans.

For the rest of the Black History month schedule, see below.

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Enjoy music, arts and crafts, games, food and more. (Photo courtesy Penn Museum)

Just prior to February Black History Month, the Penn Museum is holding its 22nd annual Celebration of African Cultures event, Saturday, January 22nd from 1 to 4 p.m.

Throughout the day visitors can learn to play the traditional board game mancala, learn about daily life in the Republic of Senegal, create artwork inspired by traditional African art at family crafts tables, and shop for African-inspired items like masks and jewelry at the museum’s shops. African and international menu items will be available at the Pepper Mill Café from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Visitors can also tour the Penn Museum’s African Gallery featuring more than 300 objects from cultures throughout the continent.

Combine education with entertainment at this afternoon exploration of the rich cultures of Africa and the African diaspora.

Celebration of African Cultures
When: Saturday, January 22nd, 1-4 p.m.
Where: Penn Museum, 3260 South Street
Cost: FREE with museum admission ($10 for adults; $7 for seniors 65+; $6 for students and children 6-17; free formembers, children under 6, and PennCard holders)
More info: www.penn.museum

Life-sized 3D characters greet visitors at The African American Museum in Philadelphia’s permanent exhibition, Audacious Freedom – African Americans in Philadelphia, 1776-1876.

As the characters speak fervently about their lives, beliefs and aspirations in 18th-century Philadelphia, listeners are immersed in their world. (Photos by G. Widman)

Audacious Freedom [gophila.com]

The University of Pennsylvania is doing its part to bring attention to Africa as they host the 20th annual Celebration of African Cultures. This event hopes to display the history, the artistry, the cultural relevance and the traditional values that make Africa such an intriguing place.

Starting on Saturday, February 21, this day doesn’t quit, with a different event nearly every half hour between 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This smorgasbord of ethnic options is enough to please any would-be African explorer.

As always, the festival will have a strong focus on musical and dance traditions with numerous drum and dance teams participating. The Harambee Choral Ensemble, performing alongside the Harambee Drum Ensemble, consists of 25 ensemble members ages eight to 14-years-old, singing alongside their “walimu”"” the kiswahili word for teachers. Ed Smith conducts the choir through a repertoire of music including traditional African, African American, contemporary theater, and hip hop songs.

You can also join Penn Museum docent Mawusi Renee Simmons as she presents “African Drums, Dance, and Ritual,” a tour of the African gallery’s musical instruments.

Rashida Watson, owner of The Silk Tent, a mail-order distributor of international gifts, offers a show-and-tell talk on “Weaves, Dyes, Embroidery and More: Examples of Cloth and Clothing From Africa.” Ms. Watson displays a variety of cloth pieces elaborately decorated which include vests and crowns from West Africa, bark cloth from the Mbuti Tribe in the Republic of the Congo, and ceremonial weavings, tie dye and beadwork incorporated into special items of clothing. Cloth, wearable pieces and jewelry are on sale after the talk.

For a full list of events, visit www.museum.upenn.edu.

University of Pennsylvania Museum
3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 898-4000
www.museum.upenn.edu