Black History Month
February 1-28
Honor, reflect, and celebrate Black voices with us this February at JCL.
Across the district, we will honor African American history and celebrate the contributions of Black Americans to literature, art, music, culinary arts, and so much more.
Registration is required unless otherwise noted.
JCL-Arnold
Art Masters Class: Harriet Powers
Wednesday, February 12 at 4:30 PM
Ages 6-14
Learn about the artist Harriet Powers before creating a project based on her artwork "Pictorial Quilt."
Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 PM
4th grade+
History comes to life in a “talk show” with time-traveling guest Sojourner Truth, who will answer audience questions and give her famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman.”
Book Discussion: A Lesson Before Dying
Thursday, February 27 at 6 PM
Adults
Discuss "A Lesson Before Dying," which “follows the story of the friendship formed between a disheartened schoolteacher and a Black man falsely accused of murder in Jim Crow era Louisiana.” A limited number of copies are available for check out at the Information Desk.
JCL-Cedar Hill
Powerful Posters
All month long
All ages
Learn about the important contributions of African American inventors.
JCL-Northwest
Moses Dickson and the African American Fight for Equality in Guilded Age Missouri
Wednesday, February 5 at 5 PM
Teens and Adults
Dr. Jeff Smith joins us for a Black History Month program about Moses Dickson and the African American Fight for Equality in Gilded Age Missouri. Moses Dickson (1824-1901) was among the most prominent African Americans in the Gilded Age, leading organizations and publications to gain equal political and social status in Missouri. This talk uses Dickson as a window to view race relations between Dickson’s arrival in St. Louis in 1845 and his death in 1901.
Monday, Feb. 24 at 5:30 PM
Adults
Create your own oil pastel art inspired by the work of midcentury abstract painter Alma Thomas.
All supplies will be provided.
Spotlight on: Heroes
Series
Teens and adults welcome. Please note movie rating.
Saturday, February 8 at 12 PM: Selma (PG-13)
Friday, February 14 at 2 PM: Just Mercy (PG-13)
Friday, February 21 at 2 PM: Harriet (PG-13)
Friday, February 28 at 2 PM: Till (PG-13)
JCL-Windsor
Story Time:
African American Musicians
Tuesday, February 4 and Tuesday, February 25 at 10 AM
Ages 2-5
Portraits with Power: Paint Like Basquiat
Friday, February 21 at 3 PM
Adults
Discover the bold and expressive style of Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the most influential Black artists of the 20th century. Learn about his life and how that influenced his unique art techniques. Afterwards, we will create a self-portrait in his distinctive style.
All supplies will be provided.