Join with neighbors in the 21217 community for the Sixth Annual Black History Month party Sunday, February 20, from 3-5 p.m. Hosted by BHCA’s Social Action Task Force (SATF), this annual “Party with a Purpose” celebrates the writings of Black authors, with presentations on current history-making in our own backyard.
What’s the purpose? These events introduce neighbors to local organizations making a difference in our community, while generating support for their work.
This year’s featured guests are Wide Angle Youth Media, and the Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum on Eutaw St. at Lafayette. Plus, the three incredible poets from last year will be back: Black Chakra, Lady Brion, and Mecca. The two-hour program will be filled with poetry readings, both our local poets reading their own works, and neighbors reading the work of others.
Presentations by both non-profits will showcase the local history they are making. And it wouldn’t be a party without music DJ’d by Bolton St. resident and musicologist Don Palmer.
You can either attend in-person or online. Guests wearing face masks may attend the live show in the main sanctuary of Memorial Episcopal Church, 1407 Bolton Street. The sanctuary can easily seat 80-100 people safely socially distanced. The party also will be broadcast live via Zoom, so you can opt to watch from the comfort of your home. A Zoom link will be posted on the BHCA calendar events page.
Select a favorite work by a black author, and read it yourself as part of the program. Anyone can sign up to read using this online form.
These parties run on donations, with the money shared between the two non-profits and the poets. Please consider donating generously online through the BHCA website here, and select “Social Action Task Force” from the “What would you like your donation to support?” dropdown menu. The suggested donation is $10.
Want to get involved with the SATF? Email satf@boltonhillmd.org. Volunteers and new energy are always needed. What would you like to see happen in the neighborhood?
– Peter Van Buren