News Flash

Executive - Press Release

Posted on: January 27, 2021

NCC's annual Black History Month celebration heads outdoors & online with virtual, outdoor events

New Castle, DE – County Executive Matt Meyer, along with New Castle County’s general manager for the department of community services, has announced a reimagined Black History Month celebration complete with virtual and outdoor experiences for the public. In a collaboration with YMCA of Delaware’s Black Achievers, LIVE programs such as a speakers series and book discussions will be hosted on New Castle County’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Guests are encouraged to view a special welcome message from students around the county here.

Online programming will be presented on New Castle County Happenings Facebook and Instagram. Live virtual events and book discussions will take place on Facebook Live and Zoom. Self-paced outdoor activities happen across the county and state.

Storytelling Series

The Walnut Street YMCA Black Achievers produce videos telling the stories of why Black History figures are important to them. Posted on Facebook and Instagram featuring:

Cab Calloway
Kamala Harris
Jimi Hendrix
Edward Loper

Speakers Series New Castle County Libraries present a series of live online programs. These are FREE and open to the public, but registration is required.

Savannah Shepherd: A Student's Quest for Racial Reckoning in Delaware, 2/3/2021, 6 p.m. Founder of the Delaware Social Justice Remembrance Coalition speaks of her experience visiting the Equal Justice Initiative and the journey toward implementing its community remembrance project in Delaware. https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7345133 via ZOOM
Bob Stankard: Louis Armstrong Life & Music, 2/7/2021, 2:30 p.m. Louis Armstrong was a very influential figure in early jazz. Armstrong had the distinction of becoming the first black American entertainer to crossover via mass media to white audiences and became THE most pivotal person promoting race relations in the entertainment business. https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7485840 via ZOOM
Galen Abdur-Razzaq: Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement, 2/16/2021, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Master flutist and educator Galen Abdur-Razzaq discusses the tie between jazz and the civil rights movement. Enjoy a conversation, Q& A, and flute performance. https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7351212 via ZOOM
Syl Woolford: The First Black Democrats, 2/13/2021, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Bishop Alexander Walters, Reverend J. Milton Waldron, and others made the considered, and controversial, argument to support the Democratic Party in the early 1900s. Using primary source documents and first-person narratives, host Syl Woolford presents the thinking behind their decisions. https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7290335 via ZOOM
Mlanjeni Magical Theater: I Remember Dr. King, 2/20/2020, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Join us for a magical event full of puppets, stories, and music! The Mlanjeni Magical Theater will be performing a show about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement! Families are more than welcome to help the Route 9 Library celebrate Black History Month through the performing arts. https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7366387 via ZOOM
Sharon Moore: Bessie Coleman program, 2/24/2021, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. This mixed media presentation uncovers and appreciates the power, ingenuity, and strength of Bessie Coleman, depicted in costume by presenter Sharon Moore. The circumstances surrounding her life might suggest that obtaining basic needs would be sufficient. Yet, she exceeded acquiring the basics and forged forward as a pioneer in territory only moderately developed — aviation. She propelled beyond barriers in a male-dominated arena and became a flyer. https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7327913 via ZOOM and Facebook Live

Book Discussion Groups Live online book discussion groups presented by New Castle County Libraries. FREE. Registration required

February 2, 2:30 p.m., The Color Purple by Alice Walker with the Kirkwood Library Black History Month Book Discussion Group https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7319661
February 9, 6:30 p.m., How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi with Elsmere Library’s Spruce Avenue Bookies https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/6968925
February 10, 12 p.m. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson with the Hockessin Library’s Noon Book Group https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7328812
February 10, 4 p.m., The Black Presidency by Michael Eric Dyson with the Route 9 Library Expressions Book Club https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7272655
February 10, 7 p.m., The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Adare with the Bear Fiction Book Group, https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7195718
February 17, 7 p.m., Black Klansman: A Memoir by Ron Stallworth with the Bear Non-Fiction Book Group https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7195828

Walk-A-Mile Book Club Author Visit Authors will attend these live book discussion groups. FREE. Registration required.

February 8, 6:30 p.m., Disgruntled with Author Asali Solomon with Woodlawn Library https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7329307
February 22, 6:30 p.m., Lazaretto with author Diana McKinney-Whetstone https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7329308

Mini Art Lessons to Try at Home Learn about both local and national artist and then make a project inspired by their art. One project will be shared on the Happenings Facebook and Instagram each week. Featuring:

Edward Loper
Eunice LaFate
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Alma Thomas

Story Walks Take a stroll and read an entire picture book at New Castle County Libraries, Glasgow Park, and at the Walnut Street YMCA. Books will be on display for the entire month of February.

Perfect for families with young children.

Glasgow Park Playground, 2275 Pulaski Highway, Newark, DE 19702 “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison, Presented by Bear Library
Talley Day Park, 1308 Foulk Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, “I Am Enough” by Grace Byers, pictures by Keturah A. Bobo, Presented by Brandywine Hundred Library
Elsmere Library, 30 Spruce Avenue, Elsmere, DE 19805, “All Because You Matter” by Tami Charles, illustrated by Bryan Collier
Kirkwood Library, 6000 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE 19808, “Superheroes Are Everywhere” by Kamala Harris, illustrated by Mechai Renee Roe
New Castle Library, 424 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE 19720, “Black is a Rainbow Color” by Angela Joy, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Route 9 Library, 3022 New Castle Ave., New Castle, DE 19720, “Parker Looks Up” by Parker Curry & Jessica Curry, illustrated by Brittany Jackson
Woodlawn Library, 2020 West 9th Street, Wilmington, DE 19805, “M is for Melanin” by Tiffany Rose
Walnut Street YMCA, 1000 N Walnut Street, Wilmington, DE 19801, “Layla’s Happiness” by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie

History Hunts Tips and clues encouraging people to explore and interact with the history all around us hidden in plain sight.