[Archived] City of Alexandria Celebrates Black History Month

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	February 5, 2007 PIO# 023-07/rdo	Brian Hannigan, Director of Communications, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

CITY OF ALEXANDRIA CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH
City Honors African-American History and Culture with Range of Exhibits and Activities

February is once again Black History Month in the City of Alexandria, following enactment of a proclamation by City Council at its most recent meeting.

“We celebrate diversity all year long in Alexandria,” said Mayor William D. Euille, “but we are particularly proud of the fact that we not only talk about black history, we promote it through our own Alexandria Black History Museum. On behalf of the City Council and the museum, I want to invite all Alexandrians and our neighbors to visit our special exhibits and take part in the many and varied events planned throughout the City.”

The 2007 Black History Month theme is “From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas.”

The Black History Museum will feature a traveling exhibition, “From Morning to Night: Domestic Service in the Gilded Age South,” through June 10. The free exhibition is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Maymont Foundation of Richmond, Virginia.

Additional programs and activities to honor African-American history and culture include:

Saturday, Feb. 10
Walking Tour: Black History Above and Below Ground
10 a.m. – noon
Alexandria Black History Museum
902 Wythe St.
Reservations are required.
703-838-4399
Free

Saturday, Feb. 10
African and African-American Storytelling – “Vann-Di Galloway Weaves a Yarn”
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Alexandria Black History Museum
902 Wythe St.
Reservations are required.
703-838-4356
Free

Thursday, Feb. 15
Against All Odds: The Creation of Families and Households at a 17th- and 18th-Century Virginia Slave Quarter Lecture
7:30 p.m.
Alexandria Black History Museum
902 Wythe St.
703-549-2997
Free

Thursday, Feb. 15, and Friday, Feb. 16
Black History Jeopardy
4 – 6 p.m.
Cora Kelly Recreation Center
25 W. Reed Ave.
703-838-6464
Free

Friday, Feb. 16
“Having Our Say” Play Opening Night Fundraiser
8 p.m.
Nannie J. Lee Center
1108 Jefferson St.
Reservations are required.
703-960-3398.
$15 per person, $13 for seniors and students
(A $10 portion of each ticket will be donated to the Alexandria Black History Museum.)

Friday, Feb. 16
Valuable Inventions and Contributions from African Americans Dramatic Performance
4:30 - 6 p.m.
Charles Barrett Recreation Center
1115 Martha Custis Drive
703-838-4818
Free

Friday, Feb. 16
African-American Culture Presentations
7 - 9 p.m.
Nannie J. Lee Center
1108 Jefferson St.
Free

Saturday, Feb. 22
Mt. Vernon Drama Group and My Father’s House Christian Church Perform
7 p.m.
Mount Vernon Recreation Center
2701 Commonwealth Ave.
703-838-4825
Free

Sunday, Feb. 25
Alexandria NAACP’s Annual Lecture and Soul Food Tasting
2 - 4 p.m.
Charles Houston Recreation Center
901 Wythe St.
Reservations are required.
703-838-4356
Free

Friday, Feb. 23, Saturday, Feb. 24, and Sunday, Feb. 25
First Annual Black History Shoot-Out: Men’s Basketball Double Elimination Tournament
7 p.m.
Charles Houston Recreation Center
901 Wythe St.
703-838-5003 or e-mail marvin.elliott@alexandriava.gov
$175 per team ($150 if the team’s name represents a black history name or theme)
The registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 16.

NOTE: Some events and/or performances may have previously been announced by other city organizations.

The City’s recreation centers and Alexandria Black History Museum are served by the following DASH and Metrobus transit lines:

Cora Kelly – DASH #AT 10
Nannie J. Lee – DASH #AT 7
Charles Barrett – DASH #AT 3-4 and Metrobus 10B
Charles Houston – DASH #AT 2
Mount Vernon – DASH #AT 10
Alexandria Black History Museum – DASH #AT 2

For DASH schedule information, call 703-370-DASH or visit www.dashbus.com. For Metrobus schedule information, call 202-637-7000 or visit www.wmata.com.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the City’s Human Rights Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation or to request materials in an alternative format, please contact Louis Hicks of the Alexandria Black History Museum at 703-838-4356 or e-mail louis.hicks@alexandriava.gov, or Jackie Person of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703-519-3353 (TTY 703-838-4902) or e-mail jackie.person@alexandriava.gov.

For more information on the City’s Black History Month programs and activities, call the Alexandria Black History Museum at 703-838-4356 and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703-838-4842. A list of events can also be obtained at http://oha.alexandriava.gov/ and www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.

# # #