Livingston County organizations push to educate during Black History Month

HOWELL - Black History Month starts Wednesday, and despite Livingston County being more the 94% white, officials say it's important to recognize and honor the contributions of Black Americans.

"There are some folks who like the way things are. Don't necessarily celebrate our history, but kind of feel like, it's history, it's done," Livingston County Diversity Council Executive Director Nicole Matthews-Creech said. "There are folks who feel like, it's our history, it's our responsibility to address that and make sure that we're not repeating the history, and you can only not repeat the history if you acknowledge the history."

The Livingston Diversity Council, in conjunction with Cleary University, is conducting its second installment of the Black History Month series, according to Matthews-Creech. The first program kicked off last year with some COVID-19 restrictions. This year's events are completely in person.

"The Black history series, really, is just an opportunity for people to be exposed to different things," Matthews-Creech said. "We want to provide opportunities for people to know more to be able to make informed decisions.

"We really, like the last couple of years, we have some target goals and one of those is to expose folks to different opportunities that they wouldn't normally be exposed to, so Black History Month was one of those areas that we chose to highlight on a regular basis," she added.

Through partnering with Cleary University, Matthews-Creech said, she's able to bring opportunities to students through education.

"If you want to kind of learn and discuss and have theoretical conversations or talk about civil right history with our film event, or whether you want to learn about history and go with the fully intellectual brain to the museum and have that experience and exposure," Matthews-Creech said. "Whether you just want to have fun and bring your kids to something with drumming and dancing. It's a little something for everybody."

The Livingston Diversity Council has been in existence since 1987. Its mission is to be a change agent for diversity, equity, inclusion and access and they do that through a lot of education, experiential opportunities and events.

The Diversity Council is just one of several organizations across Livingston County partnering or hosting their own events, include Howell Carnegie Library and Livingston County Transportation Coalition. Area school districts did not return messages seeking information about whether or not they are conducting events.

MLK Jr. Documentary

The first event is at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Howell Historic Theater, 315 E. Grand River Ave., with a screening of the 2018 "I am MLK Jr." documentary. The event is sponsored by the Livingston Diversity Council, Cleary University and Howell Carnegie Library.

"I am MLK Jr." explores the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his impact on civil rights through the years. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the showing at 7 p.m. and a panel discussion to follow. The event is free and recommended for those age 13 and older. No registration is needed.

The panel of experts is expected to include Washtenaw County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Victoria Burton-Harris, University of Michigan assistant professor emerita of nursing and Black studies Dr. Patricia Coleman-Burns, and Michigan Department of Civil Rights Director of Community Engagement Anthony Lewis. Freelance journalist Jon King will act as the panel discussion moderator.

Livingston County Rosa Parks Transit Equity Day

The Livingston County Transportation Coalition, in conjunction with LETS, Church & Society Committee of First United Methodist Church Brighton and Torch 180 are celebrating Transit Equity Day. From 8 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 3, there will be a pancake breakfast and community recognition at Torch 180, 131 Mill St. in Fowlerville.

The pancakes will be made with Rosa Parks' recipe and include coffee and juice. Parks, who later lived in Detroit, is famous for refusing to give up a bus seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama, on Dec. 1, 1955. Her act of defiance in the Jim Crow South, because she simply was tired and didn't care to move, set off the Montgomery bus boycott in a pivotal civil rights confrontation.

Following breakfast, there will be a short presentation, which will include community recognition efforts in Livingston County to work toward achieving increased transportation access for transit-dependent people in their respective communities.

Charles H. Wright Museum Tour

On Friday, Feb. 10, The Livingston Diversity Council and Cleary University will host a tour of the Charles H. Wright Museum at Detroit's Midtown Cultural Center.

The Charles H. Wright Museum holds the world’s largest permanent collection of African American culture, comprised of more than 35,000 artifacts. Charles H. Wright was a Detroit obstetrician and gynecologist who felt inspired to create a repository for African American history and founded the museum in 1965.

The cost is $20 a person and includes transportation to and from the museum, a guided tour, and time to explore other exhibits at the museum. Attendees will meet the bus at 11 a.m. at the Commons building on Cleary University’s campus, 3750 Cleary Drive in Howell.

Engaging Dance and Drumming performance

The final event of the month will be a music performance titled engaging dance and drumming at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at Cleary University's commons building. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Attendees of all ages can watch evening of authentic African dance and drumming with the Bichini Bia Congo Dance Theater of Ann Arbor and Afro Beats of Flint. The performance features West African musical styles with American funk, jazz and soul influences intertwined with chanted vocals, rhythms and percussion. Refreshments will be served, and the event is free.

Cromaine Library Scavenger Hunt

Cromaine Library's Youth Services Department has planned a Coretta Scott King Book Awards scavenger hunt throughout the month of February.

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.

Children and their caregivers can follow clues hidden throughout the library's youth area to locate Black authors and their winning titles.

The library also subscribes to digital resources that feature works celebrating Black History Month, all of which are free to Cromaine patrons. Kanopy has curated a collection of films, and hoopla has curated a special collection as well - both of which will be featured on social media and e-newsletters throughout the month.

The library is located at 3688 N. Hartland Road in Hartland.

Livingston Daily reporter Patricia Alvord can be reached at palvord@livingstondaily.com.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Livingston County Black History Month events slated in February