Bodman Honors Black History Month 2022
02/01/22
In honor of Black History Month 2022 Bodman encourages all of our employees, clients, friends, and followers to participate in events throughout the month of February. Bodman’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee has compiled a list of virtual and in-person opportunities in the communities we serve that are open for anyone to attend. The list appears below.
Many of the events are free of charge by pre-registering with the links provided.
Detroit
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
Youth Speaks | Tuesday Feb. 1 – Monday Feb. 28
Calling all children 18 or younger! Join us during Black History Month for Youth Speaks, a free virtual program that highlights the voices of young people through performing and visual arts. Each Friday in February, check back here for videos of participants bringing focus to the themes like history, justice, equality, and Afrofuturism. At the end of the month, viewers will vote for their favorite performances.
To learn more, click here.
Glimpses From “And Still We Rise” | Thursdays 12-1 p.m. & 4-5 p.m.
Join us each Thursday during Black History Month as we share parts of our world renowned long-term exhibition, And Still We Rise! First event of this series starts February 3.
To learn more, click here.
Autophysiopsychic Millennium Afrofuturism in Detroit
Saturday Feb. 12 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Curated by Detroit’s LuFuki and Chicago’s Angel Bat Dawid and Dr. Adam Zanolini, Autophysiopsychic Millennium is a creative research music collective of ten artists that explore, experiment, and study the music methodology and philosophical and spiritual works of the late Dr. Yusef Lateef. The collective is presenting musical workshops as a series conducted in Chicago, Detroit, and New York (Carnegie Hall).
Participants are invited to engage in intentional modalities: workshop, performance, and panel discussion. The workshop will develop into a collaborative composition session, and created compositions will be performed in what the group calls a sonic convocation, bringing Dr. Lateef’s methodology into the new millennium.
To learn more, click here.
Celebrate at the Henry Ford Museum:
Pop-Up Exhibit | Quiet & Loud Protest
February 1 – March 31, 2022
When you think of the word protest, what does it mean to you? Explore new acquisitions showing quiet and loud ways that artist-activists have used graphics to demand change and organize communities. Features Amos Kennedy Jr., Angela Davis and Corita Kent.
Celebrate from Home:
Join us for The Henry Ford’s Celebrate Black History Leadership Spotlight series, presented by Ford Motor Company Fund, where we invite social innovators to share their experiences and insights on empowerment as we reflect on the past and collaborate to build a better future for the next generation.
Join us on Facebook (facebook.com/thehenryford) every Monday in February at 11 a.m.
For tickets and more information, click here.
Detroit Historical Society:
Virtual Third Thursday Speaker Series: Health as Wealth in Detroit’s Black Community
February 17 2022 | 6:30p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Join the Detroit Historical Society for a conversation on community health and care. Malik Yakini, Executive Director, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, will discuss the history and contemporary impact of food as health and wealth for Black Detroiters and beyond. Participation is free with registration!
To register and learn more, click here.
On the Shoulders of Giants: Celebrating Black History Month
February 26 2022 | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Join us for an in-person, all ages celebration honoring the legacy of entrepreneurship in the Black community. Admission is free with registration!
To learn more, click here.
MSU Wind Symphony:
Music Honoring Black History Month
February 6, 2022 | 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
123 Selden Street in Midtown Detroit or rebroadcast on WRCJ 90.9 FM on Sunday, February 13 at noon est.
“This concert is a wonderful way to highlight the influence and depth of Black composers in classical music within the context of Black History Month. I am so pleased to welcome the MSU Wind Symphony to Detroit,” said Crutcher, an MSU College of Music alumnus, conducting faculty member at Wayne State University, and conductor with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This concert will include Omar Thomas and Kevin Day speaking from the stage as well as having their music performed. It will be an artistic, engaging and educational event, and with this repertoire and the guests that are participating, it is historic and an excellent sign of things to come. Tickets for the February 6 concert are free and required for entry, with attendance limited to 400 people. Call the Detroit School of Arts main office to reserve your ticket: 313-494-6427 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday-Friday.
To learn more, click here.
Ann Arbor
Ypsilanti District Library
Be Here, Be Heard | In-person/virtual event | Feb. 17 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Dr. Anna Gersh will host a panel including Sheriff Clayton and other professionals who will discuss the One Love Symposium project. Youth performances and readings too. The Panel will be discussing the goal of the One Love project, which is to build a professional learning curriculum from the ground up. This curriculum is intended to support professionals across a range of jobs to make more equitable decisions at the point of service moment (this is the moment when we first come into contact with a service professional. We know this “first impression” moment is very powerful and impacts how we are treated by those professionals and ultimately what services, resources, and outcomes we experience).
To register and learn more, click here.
Ann Arbor District Library: Virtual Events
Every day in February, AADL will have a quote come to life as staff members use their skills to make powerful words become a work of art.
To see the quote of the day, click here.
Puppet neighbors Al Paca and Bobby Cat celebrate Black History Month by exploring what the month is all about through stories of influential African Americans throughout history.
Follow the link to watch the Al Paca and Bobby Cat’s videos on AADL’s YouTube page.
Grand Rapids
Black History Tour of Downtown Grand Rapids
An interactive, self-guided walking tour that highlights some of the historical moments of the African American experience and legacy in Grand Rapids. The tour is two miles and is narrated by City Commissioner and former Urban League of West Michigan President, Joe Jones. The tour features 11 points of interest, including stops at the historic Fountain Street Church, which has hosted Malcolm X and Langston Hughes, and Crescent Park, where the urban renewal legacy of Lyman Parks, Grand Rapids’ first African American mayor, is still seen in the city’s ever-expanding skyline. Take this tour, or other GR Walks tours, any time by downloading the GR Walks smart phone app.
To learn more, click here.
Grand Valley Artists Black History Month Exhibit | Opening Day: Saturday, February 5 2 – 5 p.m.
See the work of four local African American artists – Jon McDonald, Lester White, Roy Robinson and Esan Sommersell-McKenzie – during the Black History Month Exhibit at Grand Valley Artists. The opening reception is Feb. 5 and the gallery will be open to the public from 2-5p.m. every Sunday in February.
To learn more, click here.
More Resources for Events Near You
Please see the below links for a number of events throughout February that may not be listed above.
MLive: (Saginaw, Flint, Detroit, Jackson, Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo County, Grand Rapids)
Experience Grand Rapids: Black History Month List of Events and Activities
University of Michigan: Black History Month List and Schedule of Events