By Vyllorya Evans & Mari Events
Black Resistance is the 2023 theme for Black History month. You are invited to join the DC Black History Committee (DCBHCC) Saturday, February 4, 2023, 11:00 a.m. at Westminster Church, 400 I Street SW for its kick-off event.
What better place to host this event than in Southwest DC, home of African American Resisters and Resisting: The Pearl Event in 1848, the largest organized escape attempt by enslaved persons in America; Anthony Bowen, underground railroad conductor and educator; Dorothy Height, civil rights and women’s rights activist; and Thurgood Marshall, civil rights attorney who led the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools.
The keynote speaker for the event is Sylvia Y. Cyrus, Executive Director of The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the organization that started Black History Month. Cyrus is the longest leader of the organization since its founder, Carter G. Woodson. The program will include recognition of Denise Rolark Barnes, Joni Eisenberg, Johnney Barnes, Courtney Williams and Black Seeds Calendar – Ronald Cook, remarks from Dr. Frank Smith, Director and Founder African American Civil War Museum and more.
A 2023 Black History Month Activity Guide will be available on dcblackhistory.org. DCBHCC is honored to offer a guide to events for the community for Black History Month.
Chuck Hicks is the Founder and Director of the DCBHCC, which recognizes and celebrates the contributions of the African American community in art, literature, politics, and education throughout the year. Hicks stated, “Black History is important because it’s not just for African Americans, it’s for everyone. In spite of oppression, continue to resist.”
For more information on the DCBHCC Kick-Off or to join the Virtual Black History Continues program Tuesday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m. email dcblackhistory@gmail.com.