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Navigating Jim Crow: The Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina

The exhibit highlights a complex statewide network of business owners and Green Book sites that allowed African American communities to thrive and that created “oasis spaces” for a variety of African American travelers. Eight vibrant panels form the traveling exhibit, showcasing images of business owners, travelers, and historic and present-day images of North Carolina Green Book sites. The words of African American travelers and descendants of Green Book site owners are featured prominently in the exhibit. Each of these stories are from oral histories collected by the AAHC in 2018 and 2019.

 

In conjunction with the exhibit, the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission has launched a story map that shares the history of the 18 businesses in Winston-Salem that were listed in the Green Book between 1938 and 1967. None of the buildings that housed these businesses remain standing, but the story map includes historic photos, maps, and newspaper clippings that illustrate the sites and people who owned and managed the businesses. It is available to explore at bit.ly/WSGreenBook.

Free

Ofrenda: A Dia De Los Muertos Celebration

Givens Performing Arts Center 359 Prospect Rd., Pembroke, NC, United States

Ofrenda features the nation's premier Mexican folk dance company, Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles and the musicians of Mariachi Garibaldi, led by three-time Grammy award-winner Jimmy Cuellar.  Ofrenda is a show for the entire family––entertaining and fun for kids and moving and exciting for adults.  In an unforgettable visual and musical experience, "Ofrenda" pays tribute to traditional music and dances from different regions, including "La Bruja" from Veracruz and "Retablo Purépecha" from the state of Michoacán, along with fantastic music from the Disney movie Coco, plus an homage to Mexican artists Juan Gabriel, Selena, Pedro Infante and José Alfredo Jiménez, whose music lives on. 

$31 – $41

Baskerville Night Festival

This is where the party is on Thursday night! Join us for the unveiling of a larger-than-life sound and light show projected onto the front of the historic courthouse in Bakersville. This production—telling the story of Frankie and Charlie Silver and a chilling unsolved murder that happened in Mitchell County in 1831—was designed by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; the same team that has created similar Halloween projections onto the White House in Washington, DC.

38th Annual Living History Festival

Hart Square Village 5029 Hope Rd., Vale, NC, United States

To enter Hart Square Village on festival day is to enter the early 1800s. Hart Square bustles with over three hundred knowledgeable artisans and historic demonstrators dressed in period clothing.  These artisans truly bring the village to life by sharing the craftsmanship of Carolina's pioneers. Visitors will witness everything from flax making, cotton baling, and blacksmithing to apple butter making and the sweet sounds of old-time music.  Hart Square Village is the nation's largest collection of historic log structures. On festival day, all 103 historic structures will be open!

$50

American Indian Heritage Celebration

Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) 750 Marguerite Drive, Winston-Salem, NC, United States

Did you know November is National Native American Heritage Month, and that North Carolina has the highest American Indian population east of the Mississippi?  Please join as we celebrate the occasion with dancers, drumming, and other family friendly activities! 

MLK Day Celebration 2024: Truth and Reconciliation

The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture 551 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC, United States

Kick off our 50th anniversary, "The Gantt Golden Year", by celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Gantt – a free day of interactive programming for all to enjoy.

Free

Cameron Art Museum: Living History Day, Celebrating the 159th Anniversary of the United States Colored Troops Victory at the Battle of Forks Road.

Cameron Art Museum 3201 S. 17th Street, Wilmington, NC, United States

Living History Day, Celebrating the 159th Anniversary of the United States Colored Troops Victory at the Battle of Forks Road.  Join us Saturday as we honor the USCT march from Fort Fisher to Wilmington. Come interact with Civil War reenactors and learn the stories of the brave men who fought for freedom. 10 AM-5 PM Learn about the lives of USCT with reenactors from Battery B and the 1st USCT out of D.C. 11 AM Battle of Forks Road Documentary Talk with Representative from 1st USCT Reenactors out of D.C. The Battle of Forks Road documentary looks closely at the story of this Civil War skirmish that led to the fall of Wilmington, focusing on the victory of the United States Colored Troops and the significant impact they made in the Cape Fear Region. 12:30 PM Legacy Short Film Legacy is a short film chronicling the oral histories of the descendants of the United States Colored Troops by filmmaker Adam Alphin. The film paints a more complicated picture of this story than might be seen at first glance, exploring the lives of the Black, white, and Indigenous men who fought at the Battle of Forks Road where Cameron Art Museum now stands. Legacy captures the resilience […]

Free

HISTORIC THALIAN HALL: Blood Done Sign My Name

Main Stage, Thalian Hall 310 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, NC, United States

In Blood Done Sign My Name, Mike Wiley brings to life the recollections of author Tim Tyson surrounding the 1970 murder of Henry “Dickie” Marrow in Oxford, NC and the events that followed. Marrow, who was black, was chased from a local store by three white men after reportedly making a crude remark to one of the men’s wives. They brutally beat Marrow then killed him with a bullet to the head in view of multiple witnesses. Despite the eyewitness reports, an all-white jury acquitted the men. The town’s black community responded to the events with an uprising that destroyed downtown businesses and several tobacco warehouses holding at least a million dollars in harvested crops. Tyson, who was 10 at the time, recounts how the conflagration of events shaped his life and offers all of us an opportunity to examine our own roles in the complex and often confusing racial fabric of America.

$45
Event Series Greater Greensboro Theater Consortium: The Amplify Black Voices Festival

Greater Greensboro Theater Consortium: The Amplify Black Voices Festival

International Civil Rights Museum 134 S. Elm Street, Greensboro, United States

Building on Greensboro’s rich legacy of social justice and engagement in the Civil Rights Movement, Amplify Black Voices Festival unites six local college theater departments to collaboratively produce theater performances focusing on African-American lives, and the cast and crews for each will be blended from the six programs. After each performance, the actors and director will return to the stage to reflect on the significance of Black lives and stories and racial inequity. Our target audience includes university/college communities, the greater Greensboro community, and Guilford County Public Schools. This year’s Amplify Black Voices Festival features staged readings of new works by 4 student playwrights concentrating on Black stories and experiences in America. The selected playwrights are J Wilson (Guilford College), Keshia McLeod (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Makaela Reed (Bennett College), and Jamaas Britton (University of North Carolina at Greensboro). Playwrights are mentored by Kamilah Bush, a selected playwright from the 2022 festival. This project exemplifies what it means to be in community for a cause. The festival intends to bring to light the ability theater has to bridge differences, spark dialogue, create ensemble, and give voice to stories that may often go unheard. Through the Amplify Black Voices Festival, we demonstrate the […]

$10 – $15
Event Series Greater Greensboro Theater Consortium: The Amplify Black Voices Festival

Greater Greensboro Theater Consortium: The Amplify Black Voices Festival

International Civil Rights Museum 134 S. Elm Street, Greensboro, United States

Building on Greensboro’s rich legacy of social justice and engagement in the Civil Rights Movement, Amplify Black Voices Festival unites six local college theater departments to collaboratively produce theater performances focusing on African-American lives, and the cast and crews for each will be blended from the six programs. After each performance, the actors and director will return to the stage to reflect on the significance of Black lives and stories and racial inequity. Our target audience includes university/college communities, the greater Greensboro community, and Guilford County Public Schools. This year’s Amplify Black Voices Festival features staged readings of new works by 4 student playwrights concentrating on Black stories and experiences in America. The selected playwrights are J Wilson (Guilford College), Keshia McLeod (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Makaela Reed (Bennett College), and Jamaas Britton (University of North Carolina at Greensboro). Playwrights are mentored by Kamilah Bush, a selected playwright from the 2022 festival. This project exemplifies what it means to be in community for a cause. The festival intends to bring to light the ability theater has to bridge differences, spark dialogue, create ensemble, and give voice to stories that may often go unheard. Through the Amplify Black Voices Festival, we demonstrate the […]

$10 – $15

Hart Square Foundation: May Day Celebration

Hart Square Village 5029 Hope Rd., Vale, NC, United States

May Day has been celebrated for centuries across many cultures to welcome the coming of Spring. Artisans will be demonstrating traditional crafts and trades for visitors to observe. Our 50-person volunteer team will demonstrate May Pole dancing, flower crown making, basket weaving, old-time music, and other traditional folkways. Join us for this one-of-a-kind event that brings the village to life! There will be about 15 cabins open with historic docents and artists for you to meet and learn from.

$35

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture: An Evening with Nikole Hannah-Jones

Knight Theater 430 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC, United States

There are many opinions in our current social climate. However, there are some voices – voices of expertise and proven knowledge – that stand above the rest. As we continue to celebrate the Gantt Golden Year, we are thrilled to host An Evening with Nikole Hannah-Jones! Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project, a reporter for The New York Times Magazine, and founder of the Center for Journalism and Democracy at Howard University. She will be in conversation with Sonja Gantt, Emmy Award winner and non-profit executive, to discuss the 1619 Project's implications, impact, and impetus for Black futures. Aligning with our mission to celebrate African-American and African-diasporic arts and culture, the Gantt's goal is to spark conversations that inspire, empower, and enlighten.

$15 – $35