Press ReleaseICPL celebrates Black History Month


The Iowa City Public Library will commemorate Black History Month with several special programs, live performances, storytimes, and movies.

Thursday, February 1, 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Meeting Room A: Film Screening – August Wilson’s “Fences”

Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, the film adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes a passionate look at former baseball player Troy Maxson as he fights to provide for those he loves in a world that threatens to push him down.

Tuesday, February 6, 4 to 5 p.m. in Meeting Room A: Bridging Cultures through the Arts - An Obermann Conversation

Join Lisa Schlesinger, associate professor at the University of Iowa’s Department of Theatre Arts, and Amir ElSaffar, jazz trumpeter, composer and vocalist, for a conversation about projects that bridge difficult cultural divides.

Thursday, February 15, 10:30 to 11 a.m. in the Storytime Room: Preschool Storytime

Join us as we honor black culture and history with books that celebrate key African American figures.

Thursday, February 15, 6 to 8 p.m. in Meeting Room A: Black History Living Museum

Youth performers from The Dream Center will act out scenes of historical figures' lives, personifying entertainers and presenting biographies on the figures' roles in shaping history.

Saturday, February 17, 10:30 to 11 a.m. in the Storytime Room: Family Storytime

Join us as we honor black culture and history with books that celebrate key African American figures.

Saturday, February 17, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Storytime Room: Black History Short Film Fest

Our film fest will feature several important stories that have been made into animated features, including “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer,” “Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement,” “Trombone Shorty,” “The Snowy Day,” and more! Stop in for one short film or stay for them all.

Sunday, February 18, 2 to 4 p.m. in the Storytime Room: Sunday Fun Day – Freedom Bells

Create hand bells out of cups, pipe cleaners, and other materials. Decorate your bell with quotes from black heroes of history and let freedom "ring!”

Monday, February 19, 10:30 to 11 a.m. in the Storytime Room: Toddler Storytime – African American Music

Using a discovery trunk from the African American Museum of Iowa, we will explore elements of African American music with toddler-friendly stories, songs, and rhymes.

Tuesday, February 20, 4 to 5 p.m. in the Storytime Room: Black History – Behind the Beat with the African American Museum of Iowa

This interactive musical program for students in kindergarten through second grade will use a discovery trunk from the African American Museum of Iowa to show how enslaved people influenced the development of modern music.

Thursday, February 22, 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Meeting Room A: Film Screening – “Hidden Figures”

As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history.

For more information, call the Library at 319-356-5200.