Washington DC Celebrates Black History Month

Washington, DC celebrates Black History Month and remembers the contributions of African Americans in the United States with numerous events and cultural programs. Here are some special events and relevant places to visit in Washington, DC to remember and recognize the history of Black Americans.

National Archives
Celebrate Black History Month in February with special films, public programs, and lectures. These programs are open to the public and will be held at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC and at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

Anacostia Community Museum
The Smithsonian Institution’s museum of African American history and culture offers exhibitions, educational programs, workshops, lectures, film screenings and other special events that interpret black history from the 1800s to the present.

George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate
Throughout the month of February Mount Vernon will honor the slaves who lived and worked at George Washington's estate with a daily 12 p.m. wreathlaying at the Slave Memorial. On Saturdays and Sundays in February, visitors learn about life as a slave with Silla and Slammin' Joe, two of Washington's slaves, at the recently-opened slave cabin. Tom Davis, an enslaved brickmaker, presents his perspective on Saturdays and Sundays in the greenhouse at 2:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. The Marquis de Lafayette talks about his efforts to end slavery in the Greenhouse on Sundays at 3:00 p.m. All Black History Month events are included in the regular admission price to the estate.

Abraham Lincoln Birthday Observance
February 12, 2009 at noon. Lincoln Memorial, 23rd & Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC. Honor Abraham Lincoln at a Presidential wreath laying ceremony and a dramatic reading of the "Gettysburg Address." For more information, call (202) 619-7222.

African American Civil War Memorial and Museum
This Washington, DC site honors and examines the African American's heroic struggle for freedom and civil rights. The memorial is the only one in the United States to honor Colored Troops (USCT) who served in the Civil War. The museum uses photographs, documents and state of the art audio visual equipment to educate visitors about this important part of American history.

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Frederick Douglass freed himself from slavery and helped to free millions of others. In 1877 he purchased his home in Washington, DC which he named Cedar Hill and later became the location of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.

Black History Month Wreath Laying at the Navy Memorial
February 7, 2009, 11 a.m. Vice Admiral Adam M. Robinson Jr., Surgeon General of the Navy and Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, will be the Guest Speaker at a Ceremony honoring Benjamin Drummond, the first patient admitted into the Naval Hospital, Washington DC, when it opened in 1866. The ceremony is being co-hosted by the African American Civil War Museum, American Legion Post 8, and the Friends of the Old Naval Hospital. The honor guard will be composed of the Sea Cadets and the Young Marines. A bugler from the U.S. Navy Band will perform Taps.

Old Town Alexandria
The National Register of Historic Places lists several historic sites in Alexandria, Virginia as locations where African Americans lived, worked and worshiped during the period 1790 through 1951. Take a tour of these sites and learn about this important part of our regional history. Read more about Black History in Alexandria

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
The Washington, DC museum will offer a special exhibit designed to raise awareness of Black History Month and encourage people to learn about the contributions of more than a dozen African American icons who have been immortalized in wax, including Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Marvin Gaye, Tiger Woods, Ella Fitzgerald, Morgan Freeman and of course, Dr. Martin Luther King.

Also, you can plan a weekend getaway and enjoy Black History Month events in nearby Williamsburg, Virginia. Dramatic interpretive programs bring to life stories of the African American struggle for freedom and liberty during the American Revolution.