AMES, Iowa — A variety of events are planned to celebrate Black History Month throughout February at Iowa State University and in Ames.
The United States has celebrated Black History Month in February for more than four decades as a time to recognize and honor the achievements and contributions of Black Americans.
Events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise indicated. Event sponsors are listed in parentheses. Check back often as this schedule is updated throughout the month.
Face coverings and physical distancing are required at all in-person events.
Schedule of events
Feb. 1-6 and Feb. 15-20, 2-9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Union Workspace: Drop-in craft: BLM woodblock transfers. Choose from a collection of inspirational messages and Black Lives Matter imagery to create two ready-to-hang artworks. “Lift” your designs from paper onto a block of wood, and add a personal touch using metallic marker pens. Cost is $10 in studio; $12 to-go; not available for delivery. (Student Activities Center)
Feb. 8-13 and Feb. 22-27, 2-9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Union Workspace: Drop-in craft: Ankara wrapped bracelets. Ankara fabric (or African Wax Printing) is created through a wax-resist dyeing technique and is known for its vivid colors and bold patterns. Find a combination of Ankara fabrics that you like, and staff will show how to wrap them around cord to make a set of three bracelets sized just right. Open to all ages if accompanied by an adult. Cost is $8 in studio; $10 to-go or delivery. (Student Activities Center)
Throughout February, Online: The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs is planning social media content throughout the month to celebrate and educate about Black history.
Throughout February, Parks Library: “A Home Away From Home: The George A. Jackson Black Cultural Center” is an exhibition to recognize the 2020 50th anniversary of the George A. Jackson Black Cultural Center at Iowa State. The exhibition will be open in February and through the end of 2021. (University Library)
James Armstrong
Feb. 8, 7 p.m., Online: Lecture by Isabel Wilkerson, Pulitzer Prize winner, National Humanities Medal honoree and author of “The Warmth of Other Suns” and “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” Wilkerson will deliver the Martin Luther King Jr. keynote address. (Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Committee on Lectures)
Feb. 11, 8 p.m., Maintenance Shop: Performance by Chicago blues artist James Armstrong. Cost is $8 or $4 with an ISU student ID. Show will be seated. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. (Student Union Board)
Feb. 11-14, Carver 101: Cyclone Cinema screening of “Moonlight” every night for four days, at 7 p.m. each night. (Student Union Board)
Feb. 18-21, Carver 101: Cyclone Cinema screening of “Just Mercy” every night for four days, at 7 p.m. each night. (Student Union Board)
Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m., Online: 21st annual Freedom Fund Banquet. “Our Mission Continues…”, with keynote speaker Kemba Smith-Pradia, founder and CEO of the Kemba Smith Foundation. Tickets are $50. (Ames branch of the NAACP)
Feb. 22-27, 2-9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Union Workspace: Drop in to paint your own pottery for Black Lives Matter Week. Twenty percent of the week’s pottery paintings will be donated to the Black Student Alliance. (Student Activities Center)
Feb. 24, 7 p.m., Online: Lecture by Sean Donaldson, museum educator for the African American Museum of Iowa. “Endless Possibilities: Iowa’s African American History.” Register to attend the lecture at ameshistory.org. (Ames Public Library, Ames History Museum)
March 1, 7 p.m., Online: Lecture by Robert D. Bullard, distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University and often described as the father of environmental justice. “The Quest for Environmental and Climate Justice.” (ISU Office of Sustainability, ISU Committee on Lectures, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa)
March 4-5, all day, Online: Thomas L. Hill Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE), comprehensive forum on issues of race and ethnicity at Iowa State and beyond. Free, open to ISU students, faculty and staff. The March 3 pre-conference is open to ISU faculty and staff.
