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Celebration of black history -- a month of remembering

From CNN Interactive Travel Staff

(CNN) -- February may be the shortest month of the year, but its days are packed with important anniversaries and remembrances, particularly for African-Americans -- from the presumed birthday of Frederick Douglass on February 14, 1817 to Malcolm X's assassination on February 21, 1965 and Nelson Mandela's release from prison on February 11, 1990.

Within those four short weeks are the anniversaries of the Montgomery bus boycott arrests (February 22, 1956), the ratification of the 15th amendment guaranteeing that race would not prevent a man from voting (February 3, 1870), the Greensboro, North Carolina, Woolworth lunch-counter sit-in (February 1, 1960), Abraham Lincoln's approval of the 13th amendment abolishing slavery (February 1, 1865) and opera star Marian Anderson's birthday (February 27, 1897).

Celebrations of African-American heritage and achievement began in 1926, launched by Dr. Carter G. Woodson and others. The original week-long observance became a month in 1976 -- a time to mark the considerable contributions of African-Americans to the fabric of the United States.

Following are a few of the events taking place across the country this month:

In Atlanta:

• The Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries present "Noah Purifoy: Outside and in the Open" through March 30. Purifoy, born in Alabama in 1917, has been a mentor to a generation of African-American artists. His art spans four decades. (404) 880-6644
  
  Related site: Clark Atlanta University

• Programs will also be held at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. (404) 331-5190
  
  Related site: Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

In Philadelphia:

• Philadelphia's Freedom Theater hosts a month of theater, art, dance, music and more. Events, presented in conjunction with the African American Museum, include freedomFest!, a series of staged play readings pairing emerging African-American playwrights with accomplished directors. (215) 765-2793
  
  Related sites: Freedom Theater; African American Museum

In Monroe, Louisiana:

• Monroe, Louisiana's annual Black History Parade takes place on February 28. Other events will be held during the month. (800) 843-1872
  
  Related site: Monroe/West Monroe Convention & Visitors Bureau

In Chicago:

• The South Shore Cultural Center helps mark the occasion with a month of art exhibits, children's activities, music, films, lectures and workshops. (312) 747-2536

• Through March 1, the Museum of Science and Industry hosts an exhibit called "Black Creativity." (773) 684-1414
  Related site: Museum of Science and Industry

• The Art Institute of Chicago hosts "Baule: African Art/Western Eyes" from February 14-May 10. (312) 443-3600

In Detroit:

• The Museum of African American History marks the month with films, workshops, music, book readings, theatrical performances and exhibits. Among the highlights: a one-woman show called "The Spirit of Harriet Tubman" on February 3 and a photographic exhibit of the 1963 civil rights march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Detroit (through February 28). (313) 494-5800
  
  Related site: Museum of African American History

In Washington:

• The Smithsonian's Anacostia Museum celebrates African-American history with several permanent exhibits and programs. On February 11, the museum shows the film "Who'd a-Thought It?" chronicling the tradition of African-American quiltmakers. On February 25, another film, "The Piecemakers: Portraits of African-American Quilters," picks up the thread. To register for the free shows: (202) 287-3369. A major fundraiser for the museum -- "Carnival '98: A Black History Month Masquerade Evening Program" takes place at the Smithsonian Castle on February 28. (202) 287-2060
  
  Related site: Anacostia Museum

• The National Portrait Gallery shows free films on Mondays and Tuesdays in February documenting African-American contributions throughout American history. (202) 357-2700
  
  Related site: National Portrait Gallery

• The Museum of American Art hosts a tribute to bluesman Junior Wells on February 4 with a performance by Blues Works, followed by a gallery talk about Wells' contributions.
  
  Related site: National Museum of American Art

• On February 6 and 7, the National Museum of American History hosts a two-day conference: "Between Slavery and Freedom: Free People of Color and the Coming of the Civil War." (202) 357-4176
  
  Related site: National Museum of American History

• The National Museum of Natural History hosts a lecture at noon on February 13 by Penn Center scholar-in-residence Joseph A. Opala. He will discuss a Gullah-speaking woman in coastal Georgia who can still sing a five-line song in the Mende language of Africa.
  
  Related site: National Museum of Natural History

• In a "Collecting Black History" lecture, experts discuss Washington, D.C. and Harlem's historic theaters, shops and restaurants, on February 17 at the Center for African American History Culture. (202) 357-4500
  
  Related site: Center for African American History Culture

  For more information about events at Smithsonian locations, call (202) 357-2700 or see the Institute's online calendar for February.

• Two installments of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' African Odyssey take place in February: Koffi Koko with Zab Maboungou and Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata on February 13 and 14, and the Song and Dance Company of Mozambique on February 23 and 24. More events throughout the year. (202) 467-4600
  
  Related site: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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