This February (and all year long) there are countless ways to celebrate Black history and culture in Northern Virginia. Visit a historic site or museum, participate in a community conversation, take the kids on an educational scavenger hunt, watch a traditional “broom-jumping” marriage ceremony and meet the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine, who made history in 1957 by desegregating a high school in the Deep South. Put these events on your calendar.
Check Out Black Culture at the Library
February brings a series of commemorative events to the Arlington Public Library, starting with a presentation on the history of Chesapeake Bay oyster fishermen by Imani Black, founder of Minorities in Aquaculture, on Feb. 3, 1:30-2:30 p.m., at the Aurora Hills branch (735 S. 18th St.). Other events in the lineup include a screening of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, at the Central Library (1015 N. Quincy St.) on Feb. 26, 6:30-7:45 p.m. Rustin was one of the first freedom riders and an adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. The monthlong celebration also includes kid-friendly activities such as book club meetings for elementary schoolers and art projects inspired by African American artists. On Feb. 29 at 6:30 p.m., the library will kick off its spring Arlington Reads series commemorating what would have been author James Baldwin’s 100th birthday with a community book discussion of Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time. // Locations vary. All events are free.
Visit the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington
Established in 2018, this museum on Columbia Pike houses exhibits and artifacts relating to key figures, important milestones and the evolution of Arlington’s historically Black communities. On Feb. 5 from 6-8 p.m., the museum is hosting a panel discussion titled The Framework: Brought to You By the Enslaved Folks of America and Their Descendants at Wakefield High School (1325 S. Dinwiddie St., Arlington). The talk will focus on the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies curriculum, its significance in American history and its relevance today. Register to attend the panel discussion. // The museum is open Thursdays from 3-6 p.m. and Saturdays 2-5 p.m., 2611 Columbia Pike, Arlington. Free.
Learn About Arlington’s Secret Weapon During WWII
The Arlington Historical Society welcomes David Hatch, historian and technical director of the National Security Agency’s Center for Cryptologic History, to provide insights about a unit of African American women who secretly worked as code breakers in Arlington during World War II. This virtual event takes place via Zoom on Feb. 8 from 7-8:30 p.m. Register by Feb. 7. Free.
Admire Art in National Landing
The neighborhood is celebrating Black History Month with an array of events. Attend a free screening of Origin, a biographical film by Ava DuVernay that looks at racism in the United States as an aspect of a caste system, on Feb. 22, 6-9 p.m., at the Alamo Drafthouse (1600 Crystal Drive, Arlington). On display in the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington’s new Innovation Studio from Feb. 22-May 26 is Solace and Sisterhood, an exhibition of works by three artists of African descent who are friends and “sisters.” While you’re in the area, don’t miss Queen City, an installation by local artist Nekisha Durrett that honors the legacy of the Black community displaced by the Pentagon’s construction during the 1940s. All events are free.
Solve a Black History Puzzle
Arlington County is hosting an interactive photo scavenger hunt throughout the month of February. The program features “Sam Sandiego,” a spy who wants people to “discover the hidden gems in Arlington,” according to the website. Check the Arlington County Recreation, Youth & Family Programs Facebook page and Rec at Home YouTube page each week for clues from Sam about historic landmarks; then visit those sites, snap a selfie and share it by emailing the photo or tagging the department in a Facebook post. Free.
Step Back in Time at Mount Vernon
Learn about the enslaved laborers who built and operated George and Martha Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon. During a 60-minute tour, you’ll hear about the 318 enslaved people who toiled for the first president—and whom he freed only after his death. Among them were Ona Judge, the first lady’s maid, who escaped to freedom; William Lee, Washington’s valet who served with the general during the Revolutionary War; and Hercules Posey, a cook who also escaped. Daily tours are offered at 11:30 a.m. in February and March and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., April through December. // 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mt. Vernon. Tours are free with the purchase of a grounds pass ($13-$26).
Retrace the Underground Railroad
Anchoring the middle of the Potomac River between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom, Theodore Roosevelt Island is probably best known for its massive monument to the 26th U.S. president, creator of the U.S. Forest Service. But the island is also home to the archaeological remnants of a camp for Black people fleeing slavery, as well as Camp Greene, a Civil War training camp for the 1st U.S. Colored Infantry, one of the first all-Black regiments. // Parking lot entrance and pedestrian bridge located off the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Free.
Discover Freedman’s Village
In 1863, on the grounds of what is now Arlington National Cemetery, the federal government established Freedman’s Village as a temporary refuge for emancipated slaves. The settlement was built on land that had been part of Arlington House, the estate home of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary Anna Custis Lee. (Learn more about the village through the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington.) The house, including two slave quarters, is free to tour. Reports conflict as to whether any residents of Freedman’s Village are buried at the cemetery, but you can visit thousands of graves of African American troops and freedpeople in Section 27, one of the oldest parts of the burial ground. Freedman’s Village thrived for 37 years, according to the Arlington Convention and Visitors Service, and laid the foundation for many of the historically Black Arlington neighborhoods that later took root near the cemetery. // Arlington National Cemetery. Free.
Explore Alexandria’s History
A port for the slave trade in Colonial Virginia, Old Town Alexandria is steeped in African American history. The city is offering a variety of special events during Black History Month, including the release of African American Emancipation in an Occupied City, a new book that tells the story of formerly enslaved and self-emancipated people who sought refuge in Alexandria during the Civil War (Feb. 3, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free, Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St.). Visit historic sites such as the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery as part of the Manumission Tour Co.’s Black History Bus Tour (Feb. 10, 10-11:30 a.m. and 12-1:30 p.m., and Feb. 17, 1:30-3 p.m. and 3-5 p.m.; $35). Through April 15 at Freedom House Museum, see Searching for Truth in the Garden, a traveling exhibition that examines the life of a teen enslaved at Washington Seminary (now Gonzaga High School) in 1829. // Locations vary.
Attend the 24th Annual Virginia Black History Month Gala
The Virginia Black History Month Association will host its annual gala at the Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park (3111 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church) on Feb. 23-24. The first day will feature a Black Health Fair with health and wellness vendors and discussions. On the second day, watch youth entertainers, a broom-jumping ceremony (a wedding tradition that originated during slavery and is still incorporated into some weddings today) and a keynote speech by actor Malcom-Jamal Warner. This event is open to the public. Tickets are $40-$1,600, depending on age and VIP access.
Celebrate at the Feel the Heritage Festival
Join hundreds of guests Feb. 24 from 12-5 p.m. to celebrate African Americans in the arts—this year’s theme for National Black History Month, according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Enjoy live performances and booths with dozens of artisans and community exhibitors selling food, self-care products, jewelry and more. Stroll through the Hall of History, where local historical societies, museums and places of worship will have information on Arlington’s African American legacy, culture and key figures. // Charles Drew Community Center, 3500 23rd St., S., Arlington (Green Valley). Free.
Reflect on Desegregation
In 1957, Carlotta Walls LaNier was 14 and the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine, the first Black students to enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. On Feb. 25, from 2-3 p.m., she will talk about the experience and her life since then at the McLean Community Center’s Alden Theatre. Registration for this event begins Feb. 4 through the Fairfax County Public Library. After the talk, LaNier will sign copies of her book, A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School. Free.