Black History Month Activities
Now through Feb. 28, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Oaklyn Children’s Area, 3001 Oaklyn Drive
Children can learn about Black heritage through scavenger hunts, coloring sheets, and more.
New Traditions Diversity Series
6-7 p.m. Feb. 6, Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church, 867 E. Walnut St.
The Eykamp String Quartet performs Sawney Freeman’s fiddle tunes, George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings,” and Wynton Marsalis’ “At the Octoroon Balls.” This concert is free and open to the public.
Community Racial Justice Prayer Service
2 p.m. Feb. 9, University of Evansville, Ridgway University Center’s Eykamp Hall, 1800 Lincoln Ave.
As a part of the BRIDGE (Building Respect & Integrity in Diverse Greater Evansville) Racial Justice Faith Week, which includes all faith communities, this prayer service focuses on social and racial justice.
True Black History Museum
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 11, University of Southern Indiana’s University Center East 2217-2218, 8600 University Blvd.
This traveling museum makes a stop at USI to teach about Black history using rare artifacts to preserve the history of African Americans. The public can view the museum at no charge.
The Trailblazer Black History Program
9:30-10:15 a.m. Feb. 16, St. John’s East United Church of Christ, 7000 Lincoln Ave.
Guest speaker Alex Burton, a first-term state representative and former Fourth Ward member of the Evansville City Council, leads the church’s annual Black history program celebrating Evansville trailblazers before the 10:30 a.m. worship service.
Black History Unity Concert
6 p.m. Feb. 16, Victory Theatre, 600 Main St.
The theme for this year’s concert is “Love | Unity | Justice” and features the Black History Month Unity Choir and Children’s Choir under the direction of the Rev. James Hamler. Tickets are available for $10 and must be purchased in advance.
STEAM Club: Famous Black Scientists
4-5 p.m. Feb. 18, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Red Bank Children’s Activities Room, 120 S. Red Bank Road
The contributions of Black scientists — including the late meteorologist June Bacon-Bercey, the first Black woman to earn a degree in meteorology — are discussed at this event designed for children, who will learn how to make an anemometer to measure wind speed.
James MacLeod: “Race Relations in Evansville: A History of Violence”
6:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 18, Willard Public Library, 21 N. First Ave.
Author and University of Evansville professor James MacLeod presents a historical review of race relations in Evansville, hosted by the Southwestern Indiana Historical Society.
Dr. John M. Caldwell Memorial Lecture Series
noon-2 p.m. Feb. 22, Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1800 S. Governor St.
Melissa Duneghy gives the address at this year’s Soul Writers’ Guild event honoring the memory of the late longtime Zion Missionary Baptist Church pastor and Fourth Ward city council member.
“They Fought the Law and They Won”
1 p.m. Feb. 22, Lyles Station Historic School & Museum 953 N. County Road 500 W., Princeton, Indiana
At the site of the historic Black settlement in Gibson County, Lyles Station Board Vice President Juenell Owens discusses successful lawsuits in the 1800s brought by three Southwestern Indiana residents — Polly Strong, Mary Bateman Clark, and James Roundtree — that raised the awareness of the rights of Black people.
Desegregation and Busing in Evansville: Did it Work?
5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 25, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Central Browning Event Rooms, 200 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Watez Phelps, a former University of Evansville African American Association president and one of the first cohorts of Black students bused in Evansville, leads this discussion on the successes and failures of local desegregation and busing efforts in the 1960s and ’70s.
