National Park Service Recognizes Black History Month

Date: January 28, 2011

For Immediate Release:  January 28, 2011

Contact:                                   Joy Kinard

Phone number:                 202-673-2402

National Park Service Recognizes Black History Month

Washington, D.C. — The Carter G. Woodson Home and Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Sites (NHS) will recognize Black History Month through the following events tailored to the National Black History Month theme, African Americans and the Civil War. For further information, and reservations for these events please call [phone].

February 9, 2011: Bethune-Woodson Lecture Series

Dr. Abena Lewis- Mhoon, Professor of History at Coppin State University, will present an interactive lecture on the legendary African American seamstress Elizabeth Keckley. The focus of this presentation will share Keckley's talents as a philanthropist, teacher, and organizer. This event will take place at 6:30 p.m., at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS, 1318 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20005.

February 23, 2011: Bethune-Woodson Lecture Series

Dr. Katherine Bankole-Medina, Professor of History at Coppin State University will present an interactive lecture on the health traditions of enslaved Women pre and post the U.S. Civil War era. This event will take place at 6:30 p.m., at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS, 1318 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20005.

February 12, 2011: Junior Ranger Program

Please come meet Ms. Jerdine Nolen, the author of Thunder Rose. Ms. Nolen will lead a lively discussion of her book with youth from ages 5-11 about a brave and heroic little cowgirl, Rose. You will fall in love with this character as we talk about exceptionality, leadership and other brave acts of African American women like Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. Dorothy I. Height. After the book discussion and signing, participants will make Thunder Rose, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Dr. Dorothy I. Height puppets and take a tour of the historic home of Mrs. Bethune. This event will take place at 1:00 p.m., at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS, 1318 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20005.

February 18, 2011: Stage Performance of "Because We Are Free"

This theatrical performance is sponsored by the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House and Carter G. Woodson Home NHS, in partnership with Special Events for Arts and Culture, and the African Continuum Theater Company. Because We Are Free is comprised of excerpts from two established playwrights and noted women like Susie King-Taylor who conveys the experiences of African Americans during the Civil War. This performance tells the stories of women during and following the Civil War and their migration to the Western United States in search of "The Promised Land." Creatively interwoven, are narrations by iconic women of African American History which serve to underscore the importance of women's participation in the migration westward. Following the theatrical performance will be a moderated discussion by National Park Service specialist on Black Women's History during and following the Civil War. This event will take place at 2:00p.m., at the Women in Military Service Memorial auditorium in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, 22211.

This program is part of an ongoing series of public programs offered at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House and Carter G. Woodson Home NHS to promote public understanding of the history and special places that have been included in the national park system.

-NPS-

The Carter G. Woodson Home NHS is one of several park sites that make up National Capital Parks-East. National Capital Parks-East offers a wide array of historic, cultural, and recreational areas that are part of Washington, D.C. and its eastern environs. The park is comprised of over 8,000 acres of federal land, ranging from community parks and National Historic Sites to unique wetland ecosystems, meadows, and mature hardwood forests.