To commemorate Black History Month, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum has announced that it will be hosting an upcoming week-long festival that will be sure to provide educational fun to all that attend.
Called the Black Future Festival, the museum says that the eight-day event is a celebration of the peoples of the African Diaspora.
The festival — which is scheduled to take place from Feb. 19 - Feb. 26 — will offer a variety of insightful and entertaining activities/performances that will take children and guardians on a trip through the past and the future.
Among the offerings that the festival has planned throughout the week include historical- and narrative-driven dance performances from the Àse Dance Theatre Collective, informative workshops about Underground Railroad quilt codes led by poet and writer Prolific, percussion workshops with the Brooklyn United drum line, energetic Double Dutch workshops with dance instructor Ms. K, futuristic collage-making projects based on the works of artist Lauren Halsey, as well as workshops teaching about Black foodways and communal farming practices, led by Brooklyn-based artist Sophia-Yemisi Adeyemo-Ross.
Each day of the festival is divided into “AM sessions” (morning) and “PM sessions” (afternoon). The AM sessions will have programs running daily from 10:30am -12:30pm, followed by the PM sessions’ programs that will operate from 2:30pm until either 4:30pm or 4:45pm, depending on the day.
Another plus: The festival comes during mid-winter break, when most schools in the area will be out of session.
The Black Future Festival was curated by Adia Tamar Whitaker, the founder and artistic director for the Àṣẹ Dance Theatre Collective — which is slated to perform throughout the festival.
“The word 'Black' means different things to different people in different places,” said Whitaker.
“In this country, it can be difficult to imagine Black people beyond slavery. It can be difficult to understand the spectrum of diversity in the African Diaspora and on the continent of Africa. Yet still, there were those who always could and always will. There were those who used their imaginations to dream futures for all of us. Black history has never been just for Black people. The Black Future is not just for Black people. Black history is American history. And, although it can often be complicated, everyone that lives in this country plays an important role in the Black Future.”
Tickets for the event will grant attendees all-day access to the festival’s offerings, which include both the AM and PM sessions. To purchase tickets for the Black Future Festival, or to view the event schedule, head over to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum website.
