Rockville celebrates Black History Month in February with a spotlight on Black history in our community and our city government.
Black History Month was founded in 1926 by historian and author Carter G. Woodson of what is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. This year’s Black History Month theme is “African Americans and Labor.”
The theme highlights “the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds – free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary – inter-sect with the collective experiences of Black people,” states the ASALH website. Learn more at asalh.org/black-history-themes.
In keeping with the theme, the city’s Department of Communications and Community Engagement will introduce a new podcast, with its debut series, “Conversations in Black,” premiering in February, and will highlight Black members of the Mayor and Council on social media. Find the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Rockville 11 will debut a video detailing the creation of a new mural on the playground-facing wall of the Lincoln Park Community Center, 357 Frederick Ave. The vibrant mural features residents of all ages dancing, playing and moving together, alongside Maryland and Lincoln Park history, and welcoming words in multiple languages.
Created by D.C.-based artist Rose Jaffe with help from children from the community, the mural was funded by a $30,000 Maryland State Arts Council grant. VisArts led the project with the City of Rockville and residents of Lincoln Park, one of Maryland’s first real estate developments for Black families.
Find the video this month on Rockville 11, channel 11 on county cable, and at www.youtube.com/cityofrockville.