The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library will host a series of events during February in honor of Black History Month.
Events begin Tuesday, Feb. 2 with the presentation of “Ida B. Wells: The Mother of the American Human Rights Movement,” by C. Sade Turnipseed at 5:30 p.m. This presentation will highlight Wells’ work as a journalist and her fearless campaign to realize the most significant contribution to the investigation and avocation against human lynchings. Turnipseed is a cultural arts advocate and public historian documenting efforts to preserve and protect the Mississippi Delta heritage.
Wednesday, Feb. 10 — On Feb. 10, the library will show the movie “Ruby Bridges” from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The 1998 picture depicts the true story of Ruby Bridges, an African-American girl who, in 1960 at age 6, helped to integrate the all-white schools of New Orleans.
Tuesday, Feb. 16 — The third program takes place Feb. 16 at noon when Dr. Robert Luckett discusses “The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.” Luckett will trace the roots of the modern movement to World War II, a movement that began long before the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 and lasted long after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis in 1968. Luckett is a civil rights historian and director of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University.
Monday, Feb. 22 — Dr. K. C. Morrison presents the program “Aaron Henry: Inside Agitator” Feb. 22 at noon. Henry is a defining representation of the changes in the social, political and cultural lives of Mississippians during the turbulent civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Morrison takes listeners on a journey through the life of Henry, as an illustration of the shift of the status of African-American life in segregated Mississippi to that of racially integrated social and political life. Morrison is a professor of political science at Mississippi State University.
Wednesday, Feb. 24 — The final program will be a showing of the movie “Lady Sings the Blues” Feb. 24 from 4-6:30 p.m. The 1972 film featuring Diana Ross portrays the troubled life and career of the legendary jazz singer, Billie Holiday.
Black History Month was officially recognized as a month-long celebration in 1976 as a way to honor the accomplishments and contributions of African-Americans throughout history.
The Black History Month programming series is sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Friends of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library.
All events will take place in the Meeting Room at the library located at 314 Seventh St. N. and are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the library, 662-329-5300.
Black History Month Columbus-Lowndes Public Library
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