Denver area celebrates Black History Month with music, theater and more
CBS News Colorado is excited to continue its Elevating Black Voices series with multiple new reports every week about the ordinary extraordinary people who make Colorado such a special place to live.
Event organizers in the Denver metro area are also pulling out the stops for Black History Month this February with music, art, history, and celebrations of the legacies of influential Black members of the community.
Check out the list below for some of the events happening in your area:
Black History Live!
WHEN: Feb. 2, 2025; 11 a.m. to noon
WHERE: Denver Public Library
These living-history portrayals of Harriet Tubman and Louis Armstrong by scholar/actors Becky Stone and Marvin Jefferson offer a first-person dramatization of these historical figures. The free event features a monologue by each speaker followed by 20 minutes of Q&A.
Black LGBTQ+ History in Denver
WHEN: Feb. 11 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library
Celebrate Black History Month with a conversation about Black LGBTQ+ history in Denver and current efforts to support this community with Black Pride Colorado.
Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors
When: Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Dazzle Denver
Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors have been dedicated to preserving the jazz and blues music of Denver's Five Points neighborhood for over 30 years. Join them for a live performance at Dazzle Denver and enjoy food and beverages before the show.
NAACP Boulder County Freedom Fund Celebration
WHEN: Feb. 16, 2025
WHERE: Macky Auditorium, CU Boulder
The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble will set the stage for an afternoon of celebration at this year's NAACP Boulder County Freedom Fund Celebration. This event is free to the public.
Black Futures in Art: The Space Between Us
WHEN: Through Feb. 22
WHERE: NoBo Bust Stop Gallery, Boulder
The NoBo Art District's "The Space Between Us" exhibition features art by Black artists in our community with the diverse and thought-provoking works of Cherokee Carr and Jasmine Baetz. Both artists explore themes of identity, community, and storytelling through their respective mediums.
"Gee's Bend"
WHEN: Jan. 31 to Feb. 23, 2025
WHERE: Aurora Fox Arts Center
GEE'S BEND tells the powerful story of a family of quilters from the isolated town of Gee's Bend, Ala. through segregation, household conflict, and the Southern Freedom Movement.
Owl Club of Denver: Legacies of Excellence
WHEN: Through May 10, 2025
WHERE: History Colorado Center, Denver
Explore the rich traditions of a prominent all-Black debutante cotillion club in The Mile High City through oral histories and photographs. This event offers a rare look at debutante culture from the perspective of African Americans who were historically excluded from the beauty standards of this European-born tradition.
Dawoud Bey: Street Portraits
WHEN: Through May 11, 2025
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
This exhibit is the first stand-alone museum show to explore a transformational phase of the celebrated photographer and 2017 MacArthur Fellow Dawoud Bey's work. The show features 37 portraits he took between 1988 and 1991 when he collaborated with Black Americans of all ages whom he met on the streets of various American cities.
Celebrate Black History Through Storytelling
WHEN: Through September 2025
WHERE: Museum of Boulder
Celebrate Black History Month through multimedia exhibits, educational curricula, Street Wise murals, oral histories, and a variety of programs to preserve Colorado's rich and complex Black histories.
The Civil War Monument 'On Guard'
WHERE: History Colorado Center
After this monument was toppled in June 2020 during protests for Black lives, the History Colorado Center placed it on display to encourage discussion of what it means to the public. This statue to memorialize Colorado's role in the Civil War once stood in front of Colorado's State Capitol.
Arts of Africa Gallery
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
The Arts of Africa gallery offers a collection that illustrates the diversity, relevance, and dynamism of creativity and culture across Africa. It encompasses about 800 objects including painting, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, jewelry, and contemporary art.
The Museum for Black Girls
WHEN: Open Wednesday through Sunday
WHERE: 500 16th Street Mall at the Pavilions, Denver
Over 20 immersive installations celebrate the dynamic contributions of Black women. The engaging displays are dedicated to empowering the celebration of art, culture, and heritage.
Black History Month Public Art Tour
WHERE: Various locations throughout Denver
To celebrate Black History Month, the City of Denver created a self-guided tour including works in the Denver Public Art collection by Black artists and works celebrating Black history across the area.
WHERE: Fort Garland Museum, Ft. Garland
Eight artists explore the complex legacy of the all-Black Army regiments, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, who were stationed at Fort Garland from 1875 to 1879. The artistic creations trace their history from slavery to service.
A collection of newspaper clippings, photographs, and documents at Boulder's Carnegie Branch Library called "Black Business Ventures" documents stories and profiles of Black-owned businesses in Boulder.
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