Festivals

Community Events to Celebrate Black History Month

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Events at Evanston Public Library and Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre are listed below. Events will be added as they are announced. 

Evanston Public Library

Parents After Bedtime Read Aloud Club: Social Justice

Feb. 9, 8-9 p.m. |  Virtual 
A four-week program offering selected read aloud chapters of The Talk edited by Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson & Stamped by Jason Reynolds and lots of wonderful new picture books, too! Register at https://evanston.libnet.info/event/4746995 and be sure to include an email when registering to receive an invitation to the call! 

Environmental Racism and Community Gardens

Feb. 10, 6:30-7:30 p.m.  |  Virtual 
Co-sponsored by the City’s Office of Sustainability, this discussion is centered around the value of community gardens in Black neighborhoods in order to begin combating environmental racism. Register at https://evanston.libnet.info/event/4806940 

AAL Virtual Book Discussion

Feb. 10, 7- 8:30 p.m. |  Virtual 
What’s it like growing up Black & queer? Author George M. Johnson, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist, explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia, and offers a frank interpretation of the intersectionality of race and gender identity. This will be a virtual book club meeting on Zoom. Register at https://evanston.libnet.info/event/4806940. 

Outside the Lines, A Graphic Novel Book Club

Feb. 18, 6 p.m.  |  Virtual 
This book club reads graphic novels by or featuring: BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and religious and ethnic minorities. The premier pick is “Incognegro” by Matt Smith. Register at https://evanston.libnet.info/event/4828843.

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre

“Ode to 2020”: Written and Performed by Liana Wallace

Feb. 1, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
Choreography & dance performance by Kara Roseborough. This program will be broadcast on the FJT Facebook Page and YouTube Channel

Mondays: Black Women in The Culinary Arts (FJT and Shorefront Legacy’s Dino Robinson). These programs will be broadcast on the FJT YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

  • Feb. 8, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Chef Q, a nationally renowned caterer and proprietor of Teertsemasesottehg Supper Club, opens up about her cooking and service styles, plus the influences motivating her to culinary and business success.
  • Feb. 15, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Jennifer Eason has a frank and honest conversation about her restaurant, Jennifer’s Edibles, and how it has become an Evanston community staple.
  • Feb. 22, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Shannon Sudduth, owner of Noir d’ Bene, revisits her 20-year journey to opening her first brick & mortar restaurant.

Tuesdays: The Ancestral Stories Black Storytellers Tell (FJT & Evanston Public Library). These programs will be broadcast on the FJT YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

  • Feb. 9, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Dr. Stephanie Davenport shares the West African inspired story “The Seven Spools of Thread,” which illustrates the lesson of the Ethiopian proverb, “When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion” or who benefits most when people work together to overcome an obstacle. 
  • Feb. 16, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Dr. Elisha Hall will present “Gassire’s Lute”, a portion of the longer Dausi Epic from the Soninke people in the Sahel in north-central Africa. This story is about the goddess Wagadu and how she is the “strength that lives in the heart of men”.

Thursdays: Glorious Sounds, Experiencing the Black Influence in Music

These programs will be broadcast on the FJT YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

  • Feb. 11, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Carl Alexander, musician, singer, and educator, speaks on and demonstrates the Black influence in classical, operatic and political music.
  • Feb. 25, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Natalie Frakes, musician, educator, and activist, speak about the Black influence in music education; past, present and future.

Fridays: Colorful Visions, Exploring the Works and Processes of Black Visual Artist (FJT & Art Encounter)

  • Feb. 12, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Nadine Yadi Royster is a masterful painter, sculptor and Teaching Artist. Art Encounter’s Co-founder and Artistic Director, Joanna Pinsky, talks to “Yadi” about her creative processes and philosophy in making and teaching art.
  • Feb.19, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Angela Williams shines as an innovative multimedia artist and designer, and Deputy Director of Design and Exhibit Development at the Museum of Science and Industry.  Art Encounter’s Executive Director, Lea Pinsky, asks where she finds inspiration for her art these days and how she balances life and art-making.
  • Feb. 26, 7 p.m.  |  Virtual (10 minutes)
    Rose Cannon is an artist and highly respected African American Art dealer. Art Encounter’s Tours and Travel Manager, Sarah Packer, speaks with Rose about her unique journey as a gallerist and her current creative projects.

These programs will be broadcast on the FJT YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

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