Montgomery County Public Libraries Offers a Series of Programs to Commemorate Black History Month

For Immediate Release: Thursday, January 30, 2020

Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) will celebrate Black History Month with special programs during February.  

"MCPL is proud to offer this selection of programs in honor of the achievements, culture, and history of Black Americans," stated MCPL Director Anita Vassallo.

The free events, suitable for all ages, will take place at the following branches:

Chevy Chase Library , 8005 Connecticut Ave.
Saturday, Feb.  8: 2 to 4 p.m.
River Road, Bethesda: - A Short History of Black and White 1850-1963
Special presentation by L. Paige Whitley, Montgomery County Historical Society.

Long Branch Library, 8800 Garland Ave., Silver Spring
Saturday, Feb. 8: 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Listen to follow the Drinking Gourd. Make drinking gourd window cut-outs. Learn about Kente Cloth and make a sample.

Kensington Park Library, 4201 Knowles Ave.
Saturday, Feb. 15: 1 to 2 p.m.
Tracking the Footprints of Black Elected and Appointed Officials and Voting Paths: The year 2020 is the sesquicentennial of the Fifteenth Amendment when race and color could not deny you the right to vote. African Americans have continued to rally for voting rights continuously even to the present day. Moreover, there is a growing number of blacks as elected and appointed officials and a look at identifying the role of blacks in politics today. Anita Neal Powell, will talk about this path of the black voting rights movement. Anita Neal Powell is the President of Lincoln Park Historical Foundation and Leroy E. Neal African American Research Center.

White Oak, 11701 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring
February 15; 2 p.m.
Thurgood Marshall: A Trail-Blazing Civil Rights Victory in Montgomery County Civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall delivered an early blow to school segregation right here in Montgomery County—gaining equal pay for the County's African American teachers in 1937. This illustrated talk details this remarkable little-known legal case and its national significance.

Chevy Chase Library, 8005 Connecticut Ave.
Saturday, Feb. 15: 2 to 3 p.m.
Our Voice: Music and the Black Vote Recital:  Celebrate the historical Centennial of the 19th Amendment as this humanities-themed recital brings music, narration, and violin selections to life. Sponsored by Friends of the Library, Chevy Chase Chapter.

Rockville Memorial Library, 21 Maryland Ave.
Saturday, Feb. 22: 2 to 3 p.m.
Historian Tony Cohen, president of The Menare Foundation, will discuss his organization's upcoming book "Great Escapes: Journeys on Maryland's Underground Railroad" to be released in early 2020. This new publication will feature stories of anti-slavery figures the location of sanctuary sites and reveal the routes to freedom used by freedom seekers in Montgomery County and statewide. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, Rockville Memorial Chapter.

Twinbrook Library, 202 Meadow Hall Dr., Rockville
Saturday, Feb. 22: 4 to 5 p.m.
Join the Rocky Twyman Chorale for an afternoon of music including traditional spirituals.

Gaithersburg Library, 18330 Montgomery Village Ave.
Friday, Feb. 28: 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Great picture books come to life on the screen. Snack provided.

# # #

Release ID: 20-035
Media Contact: Judy Stiles 240-777-6536