Chesterfield County to celebrate Black History Month

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) - Chesterfield County and Virginia State University will celebrate Black History Month all month long with a variety of programs.

This year’s theme, “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity”, centers around the strength and devotion of the black family, and the work that lies ahead for improved representation, identity and continued inclusion and diversity.

The month-long celebration kicks off on Feb. 6 with a virtual event featuring comedian Antoine Scott and dancing to your favorite music with DJ Foot from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Chesterfield County Public Library is sponsoring several free activities and events celebrating Black History Month in Chesterfield, including a discussion with nationally acclaimed authors Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on Feb. 17 about their collaboration on “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You,” a young adult adaptation of Dr. Kendi’s “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.”

The free moderated virtual event is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and all interested persons must register in advance to participate in the discussion.

Dr. Janice Underwood, chief officer of the state’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division, will be the keynote speaker of the Black History Month Annual Scholarship Recognition event scheduled for 8 a.m. on Feb. 19 around this year’s theme.

The Annual Scholarship Recognition event, which is sponsored by Columbia Gas, is open to the public and will be held virtually. It can be live-streamed on the county’s main Facebook page and the county’s YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, the annual “Leadership for the 21st Century Scholarship” recipients will also be announced during the Black History Month Annual Scholarship Recognition event. A high school senior will be selected from each of the county’s five magisterial districts, along with a sixth chosen from one of the regional governor schools, to be awarded a $2,500 scholarship.

For a list of all the Black History Month events sponsored by VSU, Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation and Chesterfield County Public Library, click here.

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