February was chosen as Black History Month because President Abraham Lincoln and social reformer Frederick Douglass — who both played a role in helping to end slavery — were born this month. Several events on the North Fork are planned to celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans and to honor their history.
On Feb. 7 at 7 p.m., author Mark Torres discusses his new book, Long Island and the Legacy of Eugenics: Station of Intolerance in a virtual Zoom session facilitated by the Shelter Island Public Library. Torres investigates the dark history of the eugenics movement in the early twentieth century, which was headquartered in Cold Spring Harbor. Click here to register.
The North Fork Arts Center (211 Front St., Greenport, 631-744-8600) offers a lecture series and a film screening this month. On Feb. 8, Tamara Lanier speaks about her memoir From These Roots, My Fight With Harvard to Reclaim My Legacy, from 3-4:30 p.m. followed by a book signing. On Feb. 15, Ava DuVernay’s film Selma is screened from 2-4:30 p.m. The film chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic 1965 voting rights campaign and is followed by a panel discussion. On Feb. 22 from 3-4:30 p.m., historians Jennifer L. Morgan and Donnamarie Barnes discuss Daughters of Judah: A Multigenerational Story of Slavery and Freedom on the East End, exploring their work uncovering the hidden narratives of African American families on Long Island. For more details, click here.
In conjunction with the the Daughters of Judah discussion, Sylvester Manor (80 North Ferry Road, Shelter Island, 631-749-0626) will be posting on social media every Wednesday about the story of Crank and Flora, an African American couple who lived in freedom on Shelter Island, tracing their story from slavery to freedom and highlighting their lasting legacy in the community. For more information, click here.
Riverhead Central School District’s 16th Annual Black History Month Celebration (Riverhead High School, 700 Harrison Ave., Riverhead) will be held at the Charles Cardona Auditorium at Riverhead High School on Feb. 13 from 6-7:30 p.m.; the evening showcases students’ performances and creative work and features Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr., Sheriff of Suffolk County, as keynote speaker. For more information, click here.
The Mattituck-Laurel Library (13900 Main Road, Mattituck, 631-298-4134) hosts Groundbreaking Black Comedians, a virtual presentation via Zoom on Feb. 20 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The event focuses on comedians Godfrey Cambridge, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Flip Wilson, Nipsey Russell, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, and Eddie Murphy and how they broke racial barriers and contributed to the world of comedy. Free, must register; for more information, click here.
The Suffolk (118 E. Main St., Riverhead, 631-727-4343) celebrates Black History on screen with a free showing of The League, a 2023 documentary about the history of Negro League baseball in the United States, on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. Opening remarks are given by former MLB star Dwight “Doc” Gooden, and a post-screening forum with college and professional athletes, historians, and media executives follows. Presented in conjunction with the Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force. To obtain your free tickets, click here.
The African American Educational and Cultural Festival of Riverhead sponsors a Black History Reception in partnership with the Riverhead Free Library (330 Court St., Riverhead, 631-727-3228) on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. Celebrating the “Black Excellence” of African American, African and Caribbean culture, James “Dr. Love” Banks moderates the event with musicians, artists, and dancers; African attire suggested. For more information, click here.
Since 2020, East End Arts’ (133 East Main St., Riverhead, 631-727-0900) MLK Portrait Project organizes local high school students to create large-scale mosaic portraits of civil rights leaders. The portraits are on view at the Lyceum Gallery at Suffolk County Community College’s Eastern Campus through March 7. On Feb. 27, a Student Artist Reception will take place at the Lyceum Gallery from 4-6 p.m. Gallery Hours are Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed on Sundays and holidays. Call 631-548-2536 for more information, or click here.
Other MLK Portrait Project programs include Empowerment Through Adversity, presented by Traciana Graves on Feb. 13 from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., and Black History & Black Inventions, an exhibit on view from Feb. 18-Feb. 25, both at the Montaukett Learning Resource Center Library on Suffolk Community College’s Eastern Campus (121 Speonk-Riverhead Road, Room 107-108, Riverhead, 631-548-2500). For more details, check here.
