Exactly a hundred years ago, in February of 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson established a weeklong celebration of Black history. Today, a century later, the JCC Movement honors this history and the resilience, creativity, and spirit of the people who created it. Here is a sample of some JCCs’ Black History Month programs and the partnerships that brought them to life in communities across North America.
-
- An art exhibit, “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future,” was on display and open to the public in the Holtzman Gallery at the Marjorie and Lewis Katz JCC in Margate City, New Jersey, throughout the month of February. Works by E.B. Lewis, Kimberly Camp, Jose Sebourne, Nastassia Davis, John Morris, and Valeria Marcus were featured, and Atlantic City Councilman Kaleem Shabazz spoke at the exhibit’s opening reception.
Photo courtesy of the Katz JCC: (left to right) Artists Jose Sebourne, E.B. Lewis, John Morris, Valeria J. Marcus, Nastassia Davis, and gallery owner David Holtzman
- The Gordon Center, a premier performing arts venue on the campus of the JCC of Greater Baltimore in Maryland, featured a vibrant showcase of African American dance traditions and contemporary innovation. The season featured the Zuzu Acrobats, a high-energy Tanzanian troupe that blends gravity-defying stunts with ancient rhythms and offered a joyful exploration of East African culture. The Black Dance Collective Showcase highlighted local and regional talent with an array of styles that honored the history and future of Black dance. The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble wove dance, music, and theater into powerful narratives that celebrated the African diaspora.
- The Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater, New Jersey, featured an art exhibit by visual storyteller Parvathi Kumar, whose powerful photographic work, including a book, “Everyday Blackness,” centers and celebrates the individual journeys of Black women and emphasizes their collective impact on society.
- The Weinstein JCC in Richmond, Virginia, hosted “Shalom, Sankofa: Uniting Our Stories,” the state’s first-ever Black Jewish cultural celebration. In partnership with Keshet, the Black Judaic Heritage Center, and Mishpacha Rising Collective, the powerful gathering honored the 100th anniversary of Black History Month by uplifting the depth, diversity, and lived experiences within Black Jewish identity. It also reminded participants that our stories are interconnected and that so much is possible when people show up, listen, and learn from one another.
- The Center for Life Long Development at the JCC of Staten Island in New York hosted Virginia Allen, one of the last living Black Angels, the Black nurses who initially were recruited from the Jim Crow south to care for TB patients at Sea View Hospital on Staten Island at the end of the 1920s. Allen shared her story of joining the staff as a nurse’s aide in the late 1940s, taking care of children with the disease, and going on to receive additional training to became a licensed practical nurse.
- Kids in the after-school and early childhood programs at Commonpoint in Queens, New York, studied Black trailblazers in numerous fields and time periods, including former First Lady Michelle Obama and Madam C.J. Walker, a philanthropist, social and political activist, and entrepreneur whose cosmetics and hair care products for Black women made her the first woman to become a self-made millionaire in America.
- John Prescott, history programs coordinator in the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, was a guest at the JCC of Central New Jersey in Scotch Plains, where he spoke about five decades of Union County’s Black history and heritage.
- Joyful traditional West African drumming and dance were performed at the Sid Jacobson JCC in East Hills, New York, in honor of Black History Month. The performance was followed by hands-on activities and light refreshments, creating a fun, lively afternoon for all!
- The Suffolk Y JCC in Commack, New York, screened the award-winning documentary, “The Hidden History of Slavery in New York,” which tells the little-known story of slavery in New York City and the Hudson Valley.
- A different documentary, “Shared Legacy” was screened for 300 Broward County students at the David Posnack JCC in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The film details the historic Black and Jewish alliance that helped further freedom and equality for all during this country’s Civil Rights era. The students then discussed the role history plays in the celebration of Black History Month.
Not yet part of your local JCC? Find the JCC closest to you and get involved!