Live and On-Demand Virtual Black History Month Events

February 22, 2021

In addition to what’s listed below, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, the state’s oldest surviving Black newspaper, has curated a listing of online Black History Month events here.

On-Demand Events and Films

Freedom Summer: American Experience
The story of 10 memorable weeks in 1964 known as Freedom Summer, when more than 700 student volunteers from around the country joined organizers and local African Americans in a historic effort to shatter the foundations of white supremacy in Mississippi - then one of the nation’s most viciously racist, segregated states.

Available to stream on TPT

Black History, Black Voices: The Liberation Movement Panel
The murder of George Floyd catapulted Minneapolis to the epicenter of the Black Liberation Movement. What do we mean when we say “Black Liberation” and the “Black Liberation Movement”? What are the catalysts for these movements historically and how have they been met in Minnesota and in the US?

Join distinguished University of St. Thomas professor Dr. Yohuru Williams and a panel of Black history-keepers as they chart the evolution of Black protest in Minnesota and on a national scale, from slavery through today.

Available to watch here.

“This Free North” Documentary
Stream the Emmy-winning PBS documentary “This Free North” at your convenience all month long, hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Multicultural Student Engagement department. This brief film showcases Black history at the University of Minnesota and its connection to contemporary students.

Available to stream here. There will also be a live panel discussion on the film over Zoom, on
Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 5 pm.

Live Events

Black Voters Matter! A Virtual Town Hall with LaTosha Brown
Tuesday, February 23, 4 to 6 pm
Join Metropolitan State University for a Virtual Town Hall with LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund and the Black Voters Matter (BVM) Capacity Building Institute. An in-demand public speaker, LaTosha Brown is a distinguished trusted expert on political strategy, organizing, civil rights, economic development, wealth creation, and rural issues over a 20-year career. The Black Voters Matter Fund was credited with energizing and turning out voters in Georgia’s historic 2020 Presidential Election as well as the 2021 run-off.

The event is free, but registration is required. For more info, go to www.metrostate.edu/calendar/black-voters-matter-virtual-town-hall

How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote & Insisted on Equality for All, with Martha Jones
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 6:30 to 8 pm
This Minnesota Historical Society history forum, acclaimed historian Dr. Martha S. Jones will offer a new history of African American women’s political lives in America. In this lecture, she’ll recounts how Black women defied both racism and sexism to fight for the ballot, and how they wielded political power to secure the equality and dignity of all persons.

The event will take place on Zoom. There is a suggested donation of $5 for MNHS members and $10 for the general public.

For more info, go to www.mnhs.org/event/8565.

“John Lewis: Good Trouble” Film Screening – MN Peacebuilding Film Series
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 7 to 9 pm
As part of its monthly Peacebuilding Film Series, the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute is inviting community members to a screening of the acclaimed documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” The film offers an intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’s life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism.

Register here.

Black Identity in the Workplace Panel
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 12 pm
The workplace can be demanding for most without the additional stress of managing how you will be perceived by others based on your identity, navigating opportunities for advancement, finding community, and support. Many have questions about how to navigate aspects of their identity in the workplace.

For this Black History Month event as part of the events featured during UMAA’s Career Month, we will focus the panel on what it is like to be Black in the workplace. The Black Alumni Network will moderate a panel of alumni to discuss:

• Impact of George Floyd’s murder on one’s identity and experience at work
• Being your authentic self
• Leveraging your identity, values, and skills in the workplace
• Developing a supportive community

Register here.

Race, Riot, and Law Enforcement
Thursday, Feb. 25, 6 to 8 pm
Join Metropolitan State University students, faculty, staff, and community in a virtual panel discussion to explore how race factors in the relationship between riots and law enforcement—past and present—using the examples of the New York Attica Prison Riot of 1971 as well as the failed police reform in Minneapolis during the 1980s.

Register here.

BLACKOUT History Month!
Thursday, Feb. 25, 7 pm
BLACKOUT, the first all-black improv group in Minnesota, is celebrating Black History Month with a virtual show featuring the group’s trademark mix of comedy, social justice and arts access. Since 2015, their unique format of conversation-inspired improv has been the catalyst for hard conversations with levity.

Register here.

Save the Boards to Memorialize the Movement
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2 pm
Join a conversation with Save the Boards founder Kenda Zellner-Smith and Memorialize the Movement founder Leesa Kelly who have partnered with MAAHMG to collect, preserve and archive the plywood art murals that were created after the killing of George Floyd. Leesa and Kenda have collected over 500 boards from Twin Cities businesses.

Register here.