DeKalb County Public Library Celebrates Black History Month in February

The­ater, Exhibits, Lec­tures, Crafts, Give­aways, Film and Food Will Show­case Diverse Art Forms

DECATUR, Ga. — (Jan. 26, 2024) — DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Library announced today its array of pro­grams and events to com­mem­o­rate Black His­to­ry Month. The theme for 2024 is African Amer­i­cans and the Arts, which was cho­sen by the Asso­ci­a­tion for the Study of African Amer­i­can Life and His­to­ry. This theme hon­ors the inno­va­tion and per­se­ver­ance of Black Amer­i­cans and how they have trans­formed visu­al arts, cul­tur­al move­ments, music and more, worldwide.

“Black his­to­ry can’t be lim­it­ed to a sin­gle month. We work to cel­e­brate the works and accom­plish­ments of Black Amer­i­cans all year round with events, books and mate­ri­als selec­tions, and activ­i­ties for all ages,” said Gina Jenk­ins, youth pro­gram­ming and ser­vices coor­di­na­tor, DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Library. ​“At the same time, we look for­ward each Feb­ru­ary to cel­e­brat­ing Black His­to­ry Month with the community.”

More than two dozen events and pro­grams will bring the 2024 theme to life. Some high­lights include:

• Two per­for­mances by Bright Star Tour­ing The­ater on Sat­ur­day, Feb. 3 at 12:30 p.m. at Scott Can­dler Library (African Folk­tales), and at 3 p.m. at Wes­ley Chapel-William C. Brown Library (Free­dom Songs).
• I Salute You: Black His­to­ry Month Art Exhi­bi­tion through­out Feb­ru­ary at Coun­ty Line-Ellen­wood Library.
• Under­ground Rail­road Quilt Codes on Tues­day, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. at North­lake-Bar­bara Loar Library.
• Make an African Print Pil­low for teens on Sat­ur­day, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. at Embry Hills Library.
• A Place at the Table: Cel­e­brat­ing African Amer­i­can Cui­sine on Thurs­day, Feb. 29 at noon at North­lake-Bar­bara Loar Library.
• Black His­to­ry Month Inspi­ra­tional Book­marks at Wes­ley Chapel-William C. Brown Library. Stop by and pick up a dif­fer­ent col­lectible book­mark each week in February.

All events are free and open to the pub­lic. Some events require reg­is­tra­tion. Find more infor­ma­tion at dekalbli​brary​.org/​n​e​w​s​/​b​l​a​c​k​-​h​i​s​t​o​r​y​-​m​o​n​t​h​-2024.