Black History Month events being held in Iowa City

Iowa City has announced several Black History Month events it will host this month. Events range from children’s art projects to movie screenings and book club discussions.

Many of the events are planned and held at the Iowa City Public Library. Some are regularly monthly events that will have a focus this month on Black history.

“The main focus of February is Black History Month, so we try and do more programs focused there. It is an initiative from our strategic plan to always amplify everyone in our community every day with all of our programming. We try and do that very thoughtfully, and carefully, and curated through our programs every month,” said Angela Pilkington, children’s services coordinator for the Iowa City library.

Children’s programs this month include a Sunday Fun Day on Feb. 26, in which children will have the opportunity to make two Black history inspired art projects: mosaics in the style of Alma Thomas and art inspired by the quilts made by the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama.

There also will be arts and crafts events targeted at teenagers, like the Teen Create-It event on Feb. 15, where teens can make Jean-Michel Basquiat-themed totes and pouches.

For adults, there are multiple discussion-focused events centered on movies or books, which will hopefully give community members the chance to learn from each other’s insights and experiences.

Stefanie Bowers, the Iowa City equity director, said the events she’s most excited for this month are the two book club events — one on Feb. 16 about the book “Passing” by Nella Larsen, and one on Feb. 21 about “Black Bottom Saints” by Alice Randall.

“I think book clubs bring a community together to learn about and discuss something that matters to them. And I also think they can inspire relationships, deepen understanding and encourage critical thinking and deeper engagement,” Bowers said.

The Feb. 21 event, centered on “Black Bottom Saints” is a continuation of the library’s monthly BYOBook event. Jason Paulios, adult services coordinator for the library, said the book was chosen to help amplify the idea of Black joy and celebrating modern Black communities.

“Curating that list is hard, because you have a rich history to pull from, first of all, of super influential Black authors. But lately, we’ve been trying to think about celebrating modern authors as well,” Paulios said. “At lots of the book clubs, too, people won’t have necessarily finished the book, because we all have busy lives. You still get a lot out of the conversation, even if you don’t want to raise your voice to the group, just hearing people’s reactions and getting a bigger understanding.”

More details about all the events planned this month are available on Iowa City’s website (www.icgov.org/news/black-history-month-2023) and a list of the events is included below.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com