The Charlotte area is full of activities to participate in all month long during Black History Month. I wanted to highlight Historic Rosedale, located at 3427 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC, who is hosting several events for Black History Month in February, 2024.
Historic Rosedale has been a part of Charlotte’s history since 1815. In those early days, it was three miles outside of town. Today, it is an urban oasis that has survived the development around it. Located on about 9 acres, the restored historic house, recreated blacksmith shop, and verdant and blooming gardens provide visitors an opportunity to experience a look back at life in earlier times, as well as an invitation to explore the grounds and their big tree museum.
Black History Month Kickoff: Friday, February 2, 2024; 11AM-12PM; Free Admission – The Reverend Bernetta Wright, a Rosedale descendant, will offer a blessing on the month’s activities followed by Mrs. Barbara McCray Jackson, Chairperson, African American Legacy Committee and Mr. John Cooper, African American Legacy Coordinator who will introduce the schedule of activities and further details on exhibits.
The Great Escape: The Underground Railway: February 1 – February 29, 2024 – Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 10:00AM-3:00PM; Saturday, February 10th and 24th: 10:00AM-3:00PM – Coming to Historic Rosedale from The Life and Times in Black American History’s (LATIBAH) Collard Greens Museum, The Great Escape: The Underground Railway is the Museum’s only outdoor exhibit. In collaboration with artists T’Afo Feimster and Abel Jackson, this multi paneled display, is an overwhelming visual depiction of the journey to freedom during the Antebellum era. Mr. Feimster and Mr. Jackson also collaborated on the mural located at 1600 W. Tryon in Charlotte. The exhibit is FREE to the public along with grounds admission to Historic Rosedale (does not include entrance to the 1815 house or guided house tour).
Black History Month: Local Black History Makers: Saturday, February 10, 2024; 12PM; Free admission – Hear from several Black history makers. 12PM – Kimberly Butler: Classically trained vocalist and gospel performer. 12:30PM – Harvey Boyd: Designer of the Mecklenburg County Seal. 1:30PM – Martha Rucker: Local artist and author. 2:30PM – Kyle Smith: Descendent of Rosedale blacksmith, George Washington Caldwell.
Black History Month: Local Black History Makers: Saturday, February 24, 2024; 12PM-3:30PM – Hear from several Black history makers. 11AM – Dr. Hugh Dussek: Historian and professor at CPCC and JCSU, on the history of blacksmithing at Rosedale. 12:30PM – Nellie Ashford: Local folk artist specializing in mixed media depicting the African American experience in the Jim Crow South. 1:30PM – Naomi Rankin & Marilyn Gore: Local craftswomen specializing in quilting. 2:30PM – Tamia Williams: Rosedale descendent and African American Legacy Committee member. All day – Jason Blanchett: Head blacksmith at Historic Rosedale, teacher, and open of Iron Giant Fabrication.
Oasis Spaces Exhibit: February 14 – March 14, 2024 – Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 10:00AM-3:00PM; Saturday, February 24th and March 9th24th: 10:00AM-3:00PM; Free admission – The Negro Motorist Green Book, published between 1936 and 1966, was both a travel guide and a tool of resistance designed to confront the realities of racial discrimination in the United States and beyond. The book listed over 300 North Carolina businesses from restaurants and hotels, to tourist homes, nightclubs and beauty salons in the three decades that it was published. This exhibit highlights a complex statewide network of business owners and Green Book sites that allowed African American communities to thrive, and that created “oasis spaces” for a variety of African American travelers. This exhibit comes to Historic Rosedale from the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and was funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Studies.
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