January 26, 2012 – San Francisco celebrates Black History Month, paying tribute to the contributions of African Americans in the United States with an array of enriching exhibitions, cultural programs, theatrical performances and more. Times and locations may be subject to change; please telephone or visit websites listed for complete details.
For comprehensive information about what to see and do in San Francisco, go to the Visitor Information Center. Located at 900 Market St. on the lower level of Hallidie Plaza near the cable car turnaround at the foot of Powell Street, the center is open Monday-Saturday
Public transit is highly recommended when traveling around San Francisco. For bus schedules and information on San Francisco’s cable cars, historic streetcars and light rail system, visit www.sfmta.org or call 511 (www.511.org) or 510-893-8729 if calling from outside area code 415.
2012 Black History Month Kickoff Program and Reception
Feb. 3, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, www.sfaahcs.org
Mayor Lee, Supervisor Malia Cohen and Assistant City Administrator Naomi Kelly will participate in this program that marks the beginning of Black History Month. The program is presented by the San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society and the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.
Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)
685 Mission St. For information call 415-358-7200 or visit www.moadsf.org.
Media contact: Michael DeFlorimonte, 415-318-7152, mod@moadsf.org
MoAD is celebrating this month with a robust schedule of exhibitions, education and public programs showcasing the history, art and the cultural richness that resulted from the dispersal of Africans throughout the world.
Exhibition: COLLECTED: Stories of Acquisition and Reclamation
Through March 4
“Stories of Acquisition and Reclamation” includes more than 100 objects from three public and private California collections notable for the stories they convey about the contributions of people of African descent to American history, visual and material culture through art works, photographs, historical books, magazines, journals, sheet music, proclamations, manuscripts, photographs, posters and other ephemera.
Film Screening and Discussion | Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone
Feb. 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
MoAD screens this documentary followed by a panel discussion with filmmaker Chris Metzler and others. From the shifting fault lines of Hollywood fantasies and the economic and racial tensions of Reagan’s America, Fishbone rose to become one of the most original bands of the last 25 years. With a blistering combination of punk and funk they demolished the walls of genre and challenged the racial stereotypes and political order of the music industry and the nation. Laurence Fishburne narrates Everyday Sunshine, a story about music, history, fear, and courage.
Film Series | Ethnic Notions
Feb. 3, 4 to 5 p.m.
Ethnic Notions is Marlon Riggs' Emmy-winning documentary that takes viewers on a disturbing voyage through American history, tracing for the first time the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice.
Collector’s Talk | Exhibiting Blackness with Dr. Bridget Cooks
Feb. 3, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
In this program, Bridget Cooks, associate professor of African American Studies and Art History at the University of California, Irvine, will present research from her book Exhibiting Blackness:African Americans and the American Art Museum. In 1927 the Chicago Art Institute presented the first major museum exhibition of art by African Americans. Designed to demonstrate the artists’ abilities and to promote racial equality, the exhibition also revealed the art world’s anxieties about the participation of African Americans in the exclusive venue of art museums—places where Blacks had historically been barred from visiting let along exhibiting. Since then, American’s major art museums have served as crucial locations for African Americans to protest against their exclusion and attest to their contributions in the visual arts. In Exhibiting Blackness, Cooks analyzes the curatorial strategies, challenges, and critical receptions of the most significant museum exhibitions of African American art.
Lecture | The History of the Black Church with Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright
Feb. 4, 2 to 4 p.m. Join Dr. Rev. Jeremiah Wright in discussion of the formation of the first American black churches in the 1800’s to their present day roles in fostering community organization, political leadership, in addition to religious fellowship. Program will be followed by book signing of Rev. Dr. Wright’s most recent publication, A Sankofa Moment: The History of Trinity United Church of Christ, which gives the 48-year history of the Trinity United Church of Christ with a major emphasis on the building of the largest United Church of Christ congregation.
Film Series | Midnight Ramble: Oscar Micheaux and the Story of Race Movies
Feb. 5, 2 to 4 p.m.
A recent documentary looking back at the genre of race movies from 1910-1940.
Authors in Conversation | Redefining Black Power with Joanne Griffith
Feb. 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The Obama presidency represents a major milestone in black history and the struggle for political, economic and cultural equality in the United States. But how has the first black presidency helped move things forward for people of color? This question is explored in the new book edited by Joanne Griffith, Redefining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America, which is part of a multimedia project gathering the thoughts and opinions of African Americans ahead of the 2012 election.
Film Series | Pinky
Feb. 10, 4 to 6 p.m.
Pinky, a young nurse (Jeanne Crain), returns to her small southern hometown, but the trip is a bittersweet one; educated in the North, Pinky is engaged to a doctor who doesn’t know that she is part black. Shunned by both blacks and whites, Pinky’s choices make her the unfortunate target of bigotry in this compelling classic. This deeply moving 1949 drama features three indelible Oscar-nominated performances from Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore and Ethel Waters.
Wells Fargo Heritage Day
Feb. 11, 12 to 4 p.m. Research family history with Lisa Lee of gotgenealogy.com and learn about Roots Into the Future, exciting new research on African American public health through genetic mapping with 23andMe.
Film Series | Imitation of Life
Feb. 12, 12 to 2 p.m.
In this Academy Award-nominated Best Picture from 1934, Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers are superb as two women with young daughters who build a fortune together in this spellbinding classic. Delilah’s (Beaver) light-skinned teenager rejects her mother and her race, while Bea (Colbert) must choose between the man she loves and the daughter who loves him, too.
Authors in Conversation | Harlem is Nowhere with Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts
Feb. 12, 2 to 4 p.m.
For a century Harlem has been celebrated as the capital of black America, a thriving center of cultural achievement and political action. At a crucial moment in Harlem’s history, as gentrification encroaches, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts in her first book, Harlem is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America, untangles the myth and meaning of Harlem’s legacy including the personal Harlem that begins at her front door.
Film Series | Carmen Jones (105 minutes, 1954)
Feb. 17, 4 to 6 p.m.
Set during World War II, the story focuses on Carmen Jones, a vixen who works in a parachute factory in North Carolina. When she is arrested for fighting with a co-worker who reported her for arriving late for work, foreman Sgt. Brown assigns young soldier Joe to deliver her to the authorities, much to the dismay of Joe's fiancée Cindy Lou. Stars: Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey, Dianne Carroll, Joe Adam and Olga James.
Folktales Across the African Diaspora | Folktales and Songs from the African Continent with Diane Ferlatte
Feb. 18, 2 to 4 p.m. Diane Ferlatte, accompanied by her drummer Moshe Milon, will share folktales, and songs coming from various parts of the African continent and teach and engage the audience in the making of African musical instruments.
Film Series | St. Louis Blues (1958, 105 minutes)
Feb. 19, 12 to 2 p.m. Will Handy grows up in Memphis with his preacher father and his Aunt Hagar. His father intends for him to use his musical gifts only in church, but he can't stay away from the music of the streets and workers. Will is estranged from his father for many years while he writes and publishes many blues songs. At last the family is reunited to see Will's music played by a symphony orchestra.
Authors in Conversations | Black Cool with Rebecca Walker
Feb. 19, 2 to 4 p.m.
Black Cool: One Thousand Streams of Blackness explores the ineffable state and aesthetic of Black Cool. From the effortless reserve of Miles Davis in khakis on an early album cover, to the shock of resistance in black women’s fashion from Angela Davis to Rihanna, to the cadence of poets as diverse as Staceyann Chin and Audre Lorde, Black Cool looks at the roots of Black Cool and attempts to name elements of the phenomena that have emerged to shape the global expectation of cool itself.
Film Series | Moon Over Harlem (1939)
Feb. 24, 4 to 6 p.m.
Kind-hearted widow Minnie is marrying a womanizing racketeer known as Dollar Bill, and her beautiful daughter Sue is heart-broken. When Bill tries to seduce the young girl right under Minnie’s nose, the love-struck mother wrongly blames her daughter.
Tell Me More: Scholarly Voices from the Diaspora
Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
MoAD Salon Marco Villalobos presents "Afro-Mestizos and Afro-Latinos in the Americas.” Driven by an ambivalence toward art and his desire to examine and even revise racial and ethnic histories, Villalobos, as a filmmaker and writer, illuminates and connects the contemporary experiences of Afro-Latinos in the Americas. RSVP to education@moadsf.org
Collectors Talk | A Collector’s Perspective with Dr. Leon Litwack
Feb. 25, 2 to 4 p.m. Dr. Leon Litwack will lecture on the creation and publication of a collection of postcards depicting lynching photographs. Professor Emeritus of History at University of California Berkeley and Pulitzer Prize winning author, Litwack will discuss the collection that is documented in the publication Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America.
Film Series | Ethnic Notions
Feb. 26, 2 to 3 p.m.
Ethnic Notions is Marlon Riggs' Emmy-winning documentary that takes viewers on a disturbing voyage through American history, tracing for the first time the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice.
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf, in San Francisco. The park includes a magnificent fleet of historic ships, visitor center, WPA-era bathhouse building (closed for renovation) and library. For more information about the park or its public programs, call 415-447-5000 or visit http://www.nps.gov/safr. Media contact: Lynn Cullivan, 415-561-7006, lynn_cullivan@nps.gov.
Exhibit: African Americans in the Maritime Trades: A Photographic Exhibition
Daily, through February
Visitor Center, 499 Jefferson St.
Photo exhibit about African Americans in maritime industries.
Maritime Routes of the Underground Railroad
Feb. 5 and Feb. 18, 3 p.m.
Visitor Center, 499 Jefferson St.
A presentation on ships as routes to freedom on the Underground Railroad. The California Gold Rush, West Coast whaling, stories of escape and uncovering lost stories will be included.
Chanteys: The African American and Caribbean Connection
Feb. 11, 1 to 1:45 p.m., aboard Balclutha, Hyde Street Pier
Vessel admission applies: Adults, $5. Ages 15 and under, free. Free with national park passes.Discover African American and Caribbean work songs of sailors, oarsmen, longshoremen and fishermen. Join Park Ranger Peter Kasin and Park Volunteer Richard Adrianowicz and sing along to these compelling chanteys
The Saga of Captain William Shorey
Feb. 12 and 26, 3 p.m.
Visitor Center, 499 Jefferson St.
A slide program on the extraordinary life and accomplishments of the only Black whaling ship captain on the West Coast.
Contemporary Jewish Museum
Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations
On view through Feb. 28
736 Mission St., 415-655-7800, www.thecjm.org
In contrast to the oft-told story of how Jewish songwriters transformed Black spirituals, blues, and jazz into the Great American Songbook, scant attention has been paid to the secret history of the many Black responses to Jewish music, life, and culture. From Johnny Mathis singing “Kol Nidre” to Aretha Franklin's 1960s take on “Swanee,” CJM visitors can learn how Black artists treated Jewish music as a resource for African-American identity, history and politics.
Jazz Heritage Center
1330 Fillmore St., www.jazzheritagecenter.org, 415-255-7745
Media contact: Peter Fitzsimmons, 415-255-7745, peter@jazzheritagecenter.org
The Jazz Heritage Center’s Koret Heritage Lobby – the main public lobby of the Fillmore Heritage Center outside the entrance to Yoshi’s jazz club and restaurant – showcases special local and traveling exhibits focused on jazz history and culture, with a particular emphasis on the contribution of San Francisco to the history of jazz. In addition, the lobby will host interactive and traditional exhibits focused on the unique history of the Fillmore neighborhood, a district rich in diversity and cultures that has served as the heart of San Francisco’s African-American population for more than 50 years.
Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
Feb. 8-March 18
PG&E Auditorium, 77 Beale St., 415-474-8800, www.lhtsf.org.
Media contact: Marc Paquette, 415-345-3980
Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall is an incendiary tale of race, madness and a Darwinian power struggle at the heart of a dying National Health Service. In this comedy drama, a London psychiatric hospital is the backdrop as an enigmatic patient claims to be the son of an African dictator.
Black Choreographers Festival (BCF) – Here & Now
Feb. 10-12, 17-18 and 24-26
Tickets may be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com or by phone for the following locations: Laney College Theatre Box Office: 888-819-9106; San Francisco’s Dance Mission Box Office: 415-273-4633. For information visit www.bcfhereandnow.com. Media contact: David Perry, 415-693-0583, news@davidperry.com
The eagerly anticipated showcase continues its trans-Bay celebration of black dance in its many forms. For three weekends, BCF’s Here & Now festival features award-winning choreographers and companies, community master classes, film series and special events. From Feb. 10-12 the festival brings traditional dance, ballet, modern, jazz and hip hop to Oakland’s Laney College Theatre, 900 Fallon St., followed by two weekends (Feb. 17-18 and 24-26) at San Francisco’s Dance Mission Theatre, 3316 24th St. The annual Black Choreographer’s Festival is a co-production of African and African-American Performing Arts Coalition and K*Star*Productions.
23rd Annual Frederick D. Patterson Awards Gala
Feb. 11, 6 p.m.
Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001 Broadway, Oakland, 415-956-1018
www.uncf.org/sanfrancisco
Hosted by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF)/Northern California, the Awards Gala recognizes extraordinary achievements of individuals who have made significant contributions toward advancing the mission of UNCF. Approximately 500 guests representing corporations throughout the Bay Area attend the evening reception and banquet followed by the live auction and entertainment by recording artists. For more information, call 415-956-1018 or email celeste.stanley@uncf.org.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Feb. 18-June 17
151 Third St., 415-357-4000, www.sfmoma.org
Media contact: Robyn Wise, 415-357-4172, rwise@sfmoma.org
Mark Bradford Exhibition
Crafting abstract paintings from fragments of the urban environment—permanent wave end papers, billboard paper, posters, newsprint—Mark Bradford has built a body of work that is richly layered in both material and meaning. The MacArthur Award–winning artist's seductive works reinvigorate abstraction with social awareness. Often resembling aerial views, they subtly map the patterns of class, race, gender and sexuality that structure American life, especially life in Bradford's own South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. This retrospective has its only West Coast showing in San Francisco, with concurrent presentations at SFMOMA and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. With more than 50 paintings, sculptures, and multimedia works, the exhibition is a comprehensive introduction to a compelling artist of our time.
The RRazz Room Legendary Bay Area Giants of Jazz Concert Series
222 Mason St., 800-380-3095, http://therrazzroom.com
Media contact: Lisa Bautista, jfmpresents@gmail.com
Mary Stallings & The Eric Reed Trio
Feb. 3-4, 7 p.m., Feb. 5, 5 p.m.
Greatly influenced by Carmen McRae, San Francisco native Mary Stallings is a passionate, robust singer and Bay Area native who established a name for herself as one of the finest jazz singers of the 1960s, performing with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, Billy Eckstine and Count Basie. With Eric Reed on piano, Hamilton Price on bass and Kevin Kanner on drums. $30 tickets.
Con Funk Shun Featuring Michael Cooper
Feb. 7-9, 8 p.m., Feb. 10-11, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Con Funk Shun is a star-quality attraction delivering a superb, high-energy show with electrifying choreography, glistening six-part vocal harmonies and a dash of humor. Memorable melodies, inventive horn arrangements and clav-guitar woven grooves, make the group absolutely essential to the evolution of funk. Ticket prices range from $35-40.
Freddy Cole Quartet
Feb. 12, 7 p.m., Feb. 13, 8 p.m., Feb. 14, 8 p.m.
Cole doesn't apologize for sounding like his brother, Nat "King" Cole, but he has emerged from the awesome shadow cast by his elder brother. In truth, his phrasing is far closer to that of Frank Sinatra or Billie Holiday than that of his brother and his timing swings a little more. His vocals – suave, elegant, formidable, and articulate – are among the most respected in jazz. Ticket prices range from $35-40.
Della Reese
Feb. 16-17, 8 p.m., Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m.
Legendary singer and actress, Reese began on the path that would lead her to show business by singing in her family's church at the age of six. In 1987, she was nominated for a Best Female Soloist in Gospel Music Grammy Award. Tickets are $65.
Cece Peniston & Her Live Band
Feb. 18, 9:30 p.m., Feb. 19, 7 p.m.
Once considered to be the most successful dance club artists in the history of the U.S., Peniston was a staple on “Billboard’s” charts, scoring five major number one hits within three years. Now, popular 90′s star Peniston is back with a brand new single. Tickets are $35 ($45 limited VIP seats; only 60 seats).
Zapp Band & Shirley Murdock
Feb. 21-23, 8 p.m.
Zapp is a soul and funk band formed in 1978. The group was a partial source of inspiration to West Coast hip hop and G-funk. Joined by singer/songwriter Shirley Murdock who recently performed her inspirational hit single “Dream,” at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication in Washington, D.C. Tickets are $35 ($40 limited VIP)
African American Art & Culture Complex
762 Fulton St., 415-922-2049, www.aaacc.org
A community based arts and cultural organization, empowering the community through Afro-centric artistic and cultural expression, mediums, education and programming.
Black Flight: Our Sojourn. Our Connections. Our Stories
Jan. 19-June 17Hall of Culture, third floor
An interactive photographic exhibition about the sojourn of African Americans to other countries, the cultural connections made on their trips, and the stories told through their photography.
Visual Arts & Exhibitions
Feb. 2 – May 3, 6 to 8 p.m.
Sargent Johnson Gallery, first floor
The Sargent Johnson Gallery presents a doll exhibition that addresses a need to celebrate the diversity and beauty of African American and African people and their experience, manifested in dolls. Curated by Nashormeh Lindo, this exhibition serves as a response to the underrepresentation of positive images reflective of the black experience in the mainstream toy and doll industry.
Uptown, Downtown: Motown Madness
Starts Feb. 17
Imperial Palace Chinatown, 818 Washington St., 888-609-5964
www.motownmadness-topshelf.eventbrite.com
An interactive cabaret dinner show, "Motown Madness" pays tribute to the sound of Motown as audiences members enjoy a musical journey from the early days of Motown to the classic soul sounds of today. Ticket prices range from $20 to $30.
San Francisco Public Library
For information call 415-557-4400 or visit www.sfpl.org. Media contact: Michelle Jeffers, 415-557-4282, mjeffers@sfpl.org
A number of special events, exhibits and programs specifically for children are planned at San Francisco’s Main Library and various branches:
Black Heritage Films
Adrienne Anderson, founder of the International Black Women’s Film Festival, will curate a three-part film series for the San Francisco Public Library in honor of Black Heritage Month. Anderson is a writer whose works have been featured in San Francisco State University’s Journal of Black Studies as well as several hip-hop publications; she is the author of Word: Rap, Politics, and Feminism. The series will feature films followed by panel discussions of related topics:
Rize
Feb. 9, 2 p.m.
Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Koret Auditorium
The film delves into the expressionistic nature of artistic dance and concentrates on how this art form can lead to violence prevention and unity. Panel discussion: “Can hip-hop be an agent for positive change?”
Hollywood Shuffle
Feb. 18, 2 p.m.
Western Addition Branch Library, 1550 Scott St.
The film probes the issue of African Americans cast in stereotypical roles. Panelists will discuss how casting can change dynamics and rewrite formulaic images.
An Evening of Experimental and Short Films
Feb. 28, 3 p.m.
Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Koret Auditorium
Four film shorts, Almost Everyday (Quase Todo Dia); Ebony Goddess Queen of Ile-Aiye; My Escape With Biko The Balloon Deity; and Irony of a Negro Policeman aka Roll Call, bring together complex ideas of how art and film intersect. Some of the filmmakers will be present for discussions afterward.
ITVS Community Cinema
Feb. 21, 5:45 p.m.
Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Koret Auditorium
This program will feature the film, More than a Month. In this film, filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman sets off on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. His tongue-in-cheek journey explores the complexity and contradictions of relegating an entire group’s history to one month in a so-called “post-racial” America. A panel discussion follows the film.
The San Francisco Main Library’s regular Thursday at Noon film series in the Koret Auditorium will feature the theme: Black Movie Musicals.
- Feb. 2: Carmen Jones
contemporary version of the Bizet opera, with new lyrics and an African-American cast. - Feb. 9: Sparkle
Loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Sparkle tells the story of a female group that experiences turmoil after one member turns to drugs and another achieves their desired fame all by herself. - Feb. 16: Krush Groove
In this fictional movie based on the life of Russell Simmons, hot young record producer/manager Russell Walker has all the hottest acts on the record label Krush Groove records. - Feb. 23: Dreamgirls
Three young women desire to become pop stars and get their start to stardom when they are picked to be backup singers for James "Thunder" Early.
Discovering Your Ancestors
Feb. 4, 11, 25 and March 3, 1-3 p.m.
San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Stong Conference Room
Tracing family trees is an interest as old as time. This workship offers a series of four lectures set over a period of a month. Pre-registration is required by contacting Stewart Shaw, African American Center Librarian, 415-557-4518.
State of Black San Francisco
Feb. 12, 1 p.m.
San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Koret Auditorium
A panel of community, business and distinguished leaders discuss the issues, challenges and solutions for San Francisco’s community. Black Power Mixtape, produced by San Francisco native Danny Glover, will be shown.
Broken Bodies: A Cultural Revolution
Feb. 19, 1:30 p.m.
San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Koret Auditorium
Performances and discussion from artists including Krip-Hop Nation, 5th Battalion Entertainment of LA led by DJ Quad and Emmitt Thrower, a retired NYPD officer turned filmmaker and playwright, who collaborated on a mixtape hip-hop CD and documentary about police brutality and profiling people with disabilities.
The Silence of our Friends
Feb. 11, 2:30 p.m.Anza Branch Library, 550 37th Ave.
Authors Mark Long and Jim Demonakos discuss their graphic novel, which tells a semi-autobiographical account of an event that a young Long witnessed in 1967 in Texas.
Paving the Way – Exhibit on the First African Americans in Sports
Feb. 18-April 12
San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St., African American Center, third floor
The African American Center of the San Francisco Public Library is hosting the exhibit, which highlights the accomplishments of black athletes. Some African American athlete was the first to be chosen, was the first to run faster, jump higher, the first to show that African Americans could compete with whites on the playing field if given a chance, the first to show that girls could throw like the boys.
Children's programs:
Make an African American Quilt with the Museum of Craft and Folk Art
Feb. 2, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Ocean View Branch Library, 345 Randolph St.
Learn about quilting patterns, local quilters, and the importance of quilts and the Underground Railroad. For ages six and older.
Epiphany Dance Group
Feb. 2, 3 p.m.
Excelsior Branch Library, 4400 Mission St.
Come join in the fun as the Epiphany Dance Group celebrates Black History Month. This is an interactive dance event. For ages five and older. Space limited; call for reservations.
Destiny Arts Center Presents a Capoeira Program
Feb. 8, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Mission Branch Library, 300 Bartlett St.
Movement, fun games and role-playing introduce participants to special violence prevention techniques. For ages five and older.
Yolanda Rhodes: Storyteller
Feb. 9, 10:30 a.m.
Main Library, 100 Larkin St., second floor, Fisher Children’s Center
In celebration of Black History Month, Yolanda Rhodes spins a web of wonderful stories. For ages six and older. Space limited; call for reservations.
Storytelling with Yolanda Rhodes
Feb. 9, 5 p.m.
Visitacion Valley Branch Library, 201 Leland Ave.
Celebrate Black History Month with performances by Yolanda Rhodes.
Egypt Down the Nile
Feb 10, 3 p.m.
Golden Gate Valley Branch Library, 1801 Green St.
The Museum of Craft and Folk Art takes a cruise down Egypt’s infamous river stopping at historic sites and pyramids along the way. Make a clay cartouche of your name stamped in hieroglyphs, for wall hanging and as a rubbing surface. For ages six and older.
Make Art Workshop
Feb. 11, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Second Floor, Fisher Children’s Center
Celebrate Black History Month and bring pictures of yourself and family members. Family heritage collages will be made inspired by Romare Bearden, author-illustrator of “Li’l Dan, the Drummer Boy!” Program presented by the Museum of Craft and Design. For ages five and older.
Stories and Music with Asheba
Feb. 14, 10 a.m.
Parkside Branch Library, 1200 Taraval St.
Asheba is a guitar-playing singer and songwriter who specializes in calypso, the musical and folkloric oral tradition of Trinidad. For ages 3 and older.
Kirk Waller Storyteller
Feb. 15, 3:15 p.m.
Potrero Branch Library, 1616 20th Street
Celebrate African American Heritage Month with the fantastic storytelling of Kirk Waller. Waller offers well known and unknown animal stories in his musical, down home storytelling style. For children of all ages. Space limited; call for reservations.
The African American Quilting Tradition
Feb. 15, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Merced Branch Library, 155 Winston Dr.
Come celebrate Black History Month with members of the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland. Learn a little bit about the history of the African American quilting tradition, plus get a chance to make a nine-patch pieced potholder to take home. For ages seven to 12.
Wodaabe Mirror Pouches
Feb. 16, 4 p.m.
Bernal Heights Branch Library, 500 Cortland Ave. (at Moultrie)
Celebrate African American History Month and make a “magany” the decorated neck pouch traditionally worn by the Wodaabe tribe of Africa. For children of all ages.
Quilt Craft for Kids
Feb. 18, 2:30 p.m.
Richmond Branch Library, 351 9th Ave. (near Clement)
Come celebrate Black History Month with members of the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland. Learn a little bit about the history of the African American quilting tradition, plus get a chance to make a nine-patch pieced potholder to take home. For ages seven-12.
Capoeira @ Bernal!
Feb. 22, 3:30 p.m.
Bernal Heights Branch Library, 500 Cortland Ave. (at Moultrie)
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century. Salim from Destiny Art Center will teach Capoeira as a conflict resolution tool. For school-aged children.
Musical Storyteller Kirk Waller
Feb. 24, 4 p.m.
Presidio Branch Library, 3150 Sacramento St.Celebrate Black History with Kirk Waller. Mesmerizing audiences with musical magical storytelling. For children of all ages.
Mini African-American Festival
Feb. 24, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Main Library, 100 Larkin St., second floor, Fisher Children’s Center
Join the children and young adults from Tenderloin After-School Program (TASP) in their annual music and dance celebration. For children of all ages.
Jazz! Jazz! Jazz!
Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
Western Addition Branch Library, 1550 Scott St.
Take a musical journey with Boyce & Cavaseno (Broun Fellini's/Black Quarterback) and enjoy a performance of Jazz renditions representative of the Black-American music experience. For children of all ages and their familes.
Folktales from the African Diaspora
Feb. 28, 10:30 a.m.
Eureka Valley Branch Library, 1 José Sarria Ct.
Yolanda Rhodes presents an interactive program of folktales from the African Diaspora. The program will include whimsical tales and true stories from the Caribbean, Deep South and East Africa. For ages six and younger.
Carl L. Winters, the Kalimba King
Feb. 28, 11 a.m.
Marina Branch Library, 11 a.m., 1890 Chestnut Street
The Kalimba King brings history to life, weaving in special music. For children of all ages.
S. Kwaku Daddy: African Drumming Program
Feb. 28, 2 p.m.
Ingleside Branch Library, 1298 Ocean Avenue
In honor of African American History Month, internationally known Master Drummer and folklorist, S. Kwaku Daddy, introduces traditional culture, music, dance and stories of Ghana. For children of all ages.
Sophie's Craft
Feb. 29, 1 p.m.
Chinatown Branch Library, D, 1135 Powell St.
In celebration of the Black Heritage Month, Sophie leads a handmade Africa American cultural craft workshop.
For a one-day itinerary offering a glimpse into the San Francisco's black culture, please view our African American Excursion
