BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS

City of Orlando Workshops 

Every February, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and City Commissioners celebrate Black History Month by highlighting the lasting contributions and positive influence of Black Americans in the Central Florida community.

This year, out of an abundance of caution, the city has moved its celebration online through a series of virtual workshops and panel discussions which will highlight this year’s theme: The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity. This event is a depiction of the city’s continued commitment to inclusion, respect and diversity.

Missed the kick-off event on Tuesday? Here's a full list of the upcoming workshops:

• Health and Nutrition: Rooted in History Though Food (Feb. 9)
• Black Mental Health Matters (Feb. 11)
• The Role of Faith and Spirituality (Feb. 16)
• Family Storytelling: Keep your history alive! (Feb. 23)
• Celebrating African American Culture in Art, Music and Dance (Feb. 25)
• What's Up Downtown: Empowerment of Black Entrepreneurs (March 4)

Register and learn more here.

Orange County Libraries 

Black History Month Events
Celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans with the library. Virtual special events throughout the month include lectures, cultural performances and film screenings.

For the full list of upcoming events for all ages, click here.
African American Read-In
Celebrate African American literature in poetry, story, and song, performed by local luminaries in conjunction with the 31st Annual National African American Read-In.

This year's keynote presentations are from bestselling author Beverly Jenkins and Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden. That event will stream live on Youtube and Facebook in February 28.

Registration is not required, but you can register to receive reminder emails before the event.

University of Central Florida

An award-winning film, created as a project by a UCF Honors Advanced Documentary Workshop class, premiered on Tuesday on WUCF TV and also will be released to 116 PBS stations across the country for showing through February.

“Marching Forward” tells the story of how band directors at two Orlando segregated high schools—one black and one white—crossed the color line and worked together to take their students on the trip of a lifetime to the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Read the full story on UCF's website.