Celebrate Black History Month 2024

New display tables on our first and second floors. Stop by all month and grab a title!

Create a Freedom Quilt
February 1 - 12: Make blocks for the quilt 
February 13 - 28: Put together and quilt pieces

Work in the Lab:

• Wed, Feb 15, 6:00 - 8:00pm: Block Session
• Wed, Feb 22, 6:00 - 8:00pm: Quilt Session
• Mon, Feb 27, 2:00 - 4:00pm: Quilt Session

Sewing groups, amateurs, and experts! Help us create a freedom Quilt to celebrate Black History Month during February. Historically, freedom quilts included specially-coded blocks that were believed to be used to communicate plans and methods of escape for enslaved people. Drop in during The Workshop open hours or attend the block session to get help sewing a block or grab a pre-cut fabric kit to take home and bring back your finished block by February 12. Then learn how to use our long-arm quilting machine to create the quilt during our follow-up quilting sessions. The finished quilt will be displayed in The Workshop for everyone to admire! Ages 11 and up. Drop in during open Lab hours. 

Our makerspace's drop-in hours are:

• Tuesday-Thursday 12:00 - 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.

The Lab is closed Mondays and Fridays.

Stories from the Underground Railroad
Thursday, February 2, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Storyteller Velma Gladney describes stories of the invisible tracks of the underground railroad. She relays details of the secret operation and the many hurdles African Americans faced in slavery.
Sign up beings 1/19.
Presented on Zoom.

Friday Morning Book Group
Friday, February 3, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Growing up as a freeborn Black girl during Reconstruction, Libertie must contend with her mother's desires for her future as she searches for her role in the world.

Crime Readers Book Group
Wednesday, February 8, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall
A crime reporter in Chicago searches for a serial killer targeting Black women. 

Saying Yes to Your Story: A Conversation with Kwame Alexander
Wednesday, February 8, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Join us for an evening of inspiration and conversation with best-selling and award-winning children’s and young adult author and poet, Kwame Alexander.
Open to anyone. Sign up for the conversation on zoom.

Alma Thomas Inspired Craft 
Thursday, February 16, All Day 
Use torn up pieces of paper to make your own colorful masterpiece like artist Alma Thomas.
While Supplies Last. Drop in. Available at all Branches.