Local organizations celebrate Black History Month with dozens of events

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — There are several local organizations hosting Black History Month events this February. 

The Upperman Center at UNCW is hosting more than 20 different events this month, Including multiple keynote speakers, art exhibits, and the return of the organization’s annual Homecoming Fashion Show.   

“African American history isn’t always seen as a part of American history, it is sometimes seen as a caveat,” Palmer said. “And so, what we’re hoping to do in Black History Month is to continue to push the notion that ‘we too are American,’ as Langston Hughes once said.”  

But it’s not just UNCW hosting events this month. New Hanover County is also hosting a number of events, including the 5th annual African American Read-In on the 22nd.  

 “There’re things going on all over the county, just want to make sure you go out and enjoy and learn and are exposed to some of the great people who have influenced us in this county,” New Hanover County Diversity & Equity Coordinator Travis Corpening said. 

Corpening says while it’s important to learn about events like the 1898 Massacre and Coup, it’s also important to remember the often-overlooked accomplishments of African Americans who came from the Cape Fear. People like State Senator Abraham Galloway, or the first black MIT student, Robert Roberson Taylor. 

 “It’s always good to explore not just the tragedies, but also to explore the great things that have happened, you know, the individuals that have shaped, in some cases, shaped America,” Corpening said. 

And Sean Palmer couldn’t agree more. 

 “The more that we know about our histories, the more we are able to point out our beautiful traditions, and we’re able to say that we look more, not like a melting pot where you can tell nothing in the soup, but that we are a gumbo,” Palmer said. “That we are part of a community that mixes and intermixes and creolizes if you will, to create a beautiful culture.”