Black History Month Happenings at Harford Community College

Several events are taking place at Harford Community College in conjunction with Black History Month which is celebrated in February to honor the accomplishments of Black Americans.  

Integration Now: The Harford Civil Rights Project
Now through June 30, Hays-Heighe House at Harford Community College
This exhibit explores issues of race and civil rights in Harford County from three different angles: housing, education, and public accommodations. It connects local and personal stories to state and national narratives of the civil rights movement. A physical companion to Dr. James Karmel’s grant-funded digital app, it also draws on the rich resource of numerous oral histories from community members. It provides space to voice difficult questions from our county’s history, to reflect on how far we’ve come, and to consider how far we still need to go. Exhibit hours are Tuesday, 1-3 PM; Thursday, 3-5 PM; and Friday, 10 AM-12 noon.

Information on events being held in conjunction with the exhibit follow:

Then and Now: Newsreels & Discussion
Tuesday, February 7, 12:30-2:30 PM; Thursday, March 2, 12:30-2:30 PM; Tuesday, April 4, 7-9 PM; and Thursday, May 4, 7-9 PM, Hays-Heighe House at Harford Community College.
Media portrayals matter. Experience several short vintage film reels from the civil rights era and discuss how they present the movement and its issues.

Tea at the Hays-Heighe House
Thursday, February 16, Thursday, March 16, Thursday, April 20 & Tuesday May 9, 12:30-1:30 PM, Hays-Heighe House at Harford Community College
Our ever-popular teas are back again, this time with four dates across the spring! Enjoy tea and a light luncheon with a civil rights-themed presentation. Advanced $20 ticket purchase is required; call 443.412.2539 or email haysheighe@harford.edu.

Lecture: Harford Community College: Integrated Since Its Founding?
Thursday, February 23 • 12:30-1:30 PM, Hays-Heighe House at Harford Community College
While Harford County integrated its schools slowly through the 1950s, the local college was officially integrated when it opened in 1957. What was it like in practice, though?

The events at the Hays-Heighe House listed above are open to the public. Pre-registration is required. To reserve your seat, or to be added to our mailing list, call 443.412.2539 or email haysheighe@harford.edu. The Hays-Heighe House is wheelchair accessible. Guests who require other arrangements should contact Disability Support Services at least two weeks prior to visiting.

Learn about additional events being held in conjunction with the Integration Now: The Harford Civil Rights Project exhibit at https://www.harfordevents.com/p/presented-shows/live-at-harford/hays-heighe-house.

In addition to events at the Hays-Heighe House, information about a reception, bus tour, performance and more is included below:

HCRP Civil Rights Leadership Award
Thursday, February 9, 6 to 7:30 PM, Chesapeake Dining Rooms, Harford Community College
The Harford Civil Rights Project is having a reception to present the first HCRP Civil Rights Leadership award. Space is limited, but some seats may still be available. Individuals from the community interested in attending can contact Dr. James Karmel, jkarmel@harford.edu or 443.412.2105.

Mansion on O: Rosa Parks Tour, Washington, D.C.
Friday, February 17, 8 AM–5:30 PM
Travel with the College for the Mrs. Rosa Parks Tour at the Mansion on O and the O Street Museum in Washington, D.C. Experience the history and beauty of Mrs. Parks’ inspiring life, lessons, and leadership. After the tour, enjoy a two-course lunch and dessert in the beautiful Cabinet Room at Old Ebbitt Grill on 15th Street, NW. Tour tickets, lunch, and transportation are included in the travel fee. More information here: https://www.harford.edu/academics/community-ed-programs/travel.php

Hiplet™ Ballerinas
Sunday, February 26, at 3 PM, Amoss Center
The Hiplet™ Ballerinas, a performance group based out of the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, will perform. Hiplet™ fuses classical pointe technique with African, Latin, Hip-Hop and urban dance styles that are rooted in communities of color. It was specifically designed to make ballet accessible to all by mixing it with current popular music that will be familiar to audiences who don’t normally attend ballet performances. Performances may incorporate the rhythms of African drums with Tchaikovsky, arabesques and beat-boxing or even Tango en pointe, all while showcasing Hiplet’s trademark sass, hip movements, and struts against popular music that audiences will recognize from Black Violin to Beyoncé and Prince. Reserved seating tickets are $35 (Premier), $30 (Orchestra) and $25 (Terrace). To purchase tickets, visit https://www.harfordevents.com/.

Harford Community College is committed to promoting the full participation of all individuals with disabilities at the event. For disability-related accommodations, call 443.412.2211 two weeks in advance.

The following events are being held for Harford Community College students:

Young Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement
Tuesday, February 14, 12 PM, Globe Café, Student Center, Harford Community College
Daring young people led in teaching freedom and equality during the movement. They provided a dynamic pulse for justice. Student activism became the norm at universities around the country during the 1960s. What was an isolated act of civil disobedience in the Greensboro lunch counter sit-in, soon evolved into a student-led movement which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In this insightful multimedia program, viewers revisit the origins of the civil rights movement, learn about how students and other youngsters banded together for change, and are reminded that the movement is not just a part of history, but a part of present-day political reality. The program includes musical performance of songs that inspired the movement, along with integrated video projection, and thoughtful commentary. Individuals from the community interested in attending should contact slove@harford.edu.

The Significance of the Still Family
Tuesday, February 21, 9:30 AM, Darlington Hall, Room 202, Harford Community College
Samuel Still III is a direct descendent of herbalist Dr. James and Underground Railroad operative William Still. Hear about the Still family connection to Harford Community College, our state and the nation. This event is open to all students and is co-sponsored with the Black Student Union Association. Individuals from the community interested in attending should contact slove@harford.edu.  

National Black (African American) History Month: February 2023
January 12, 2023 | Press Release Number CB23-FF.01 | U.S. Census Bureau
Source: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2023/black-history-month.html

To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week nearly a century ago. The event was first celebrated during the second week of February 1926, selected because it coincides with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and abolitionist/writer Frederick Douglass (February 14). That week would continue to be set aside for the event until 1976 when, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, it was expanded to a month. Since then, U.S. presidents have proclaimed February as National Black History Month.

The following facts are made possible by the invaluable responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people, places and economy.