Black History Month 2014 in Chattanooga

photo Striking Memphis sanitation workers carry signs in the 1968 protest that brought Martin Luther King Jr. to town - and eventually to his assassination there. Photo by Ernest Withers Contributed by Rosalind Withers

Gallery Talk with Rosalind Withers - Feb. 17

Ernest Withers' camera captured over a million images of the lives of black in the '50s and '60s: the escort of the 'Little Rock 9' to Central High School, protest marches and sit-ins, and the murder trial of Emmett Till. He was on the road with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and behind the scenes at Memphis shows with greats like B.B. King and Tina Turner. His daughter, Rosalind Withers, will speak about her father's legacy and the importance of preserving these images at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center on Monday, February 17. Read more about the exhibit.

"The Butler" screening at UTC - Feb. 17

This historical fiction drama is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, who worked as a butler for the White House for 34 years.

"9 United for Equality" - Feb. 18

Nine Chattanoogans will be recognized for their pivotal roles in the civil rights movement.

Black History Month Knowledge Bowl at UTC - Feb. 18

Test your knowledge and learn something too at UTC's Multicultural Center's black history month bowl.

Screening of "The Loving Story" at BSCC - Feb. 18

"The Loving Story" tells the story of Mildred and Richard Loving, who were arrested in 1958 for living as an interracial married couple and fought the charges all the way to the Supreme Court. It also examines the history and current state of interracial marriage and tolerance in the United States.

photo Margaret Block will present "Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement" at Chattanooga State February 25.

Marian Anderson String Quartet - Feb. 21

The Marian Anderson String Quartet is the first African-American classical music ensemble to win an international competition - they won the International Cleveland Quartet Competition in 1991 - and has also picked up many classical music competitions and performed at the White House. They will conduct a musical residency in Chattanooga February 20-22, including a public concert at UTC on Friday, February 21.

Ysaye Barnwell African American Music Series - Feb. 20-22

Dr. Ysaye Barnwell is a former member of the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock. She'll be presenting a three night workshop titled "Series: Evolution of African-American Music from Africa to Civil Rights" at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

"State of Human Rights in Chattanooga" hearings at UTC - Feb. 24

Join a conversation as the Tennessee Human Right Commission stops in Chattanooga for a hearing on the state of human rights in our community, held at the UTC Multicultural Center.

"Roads to Memphis" screening - Feb. 24

The PBS documentary tells the story of escaped convict James Earl Ray who shot and killed Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968, and the turbulent state of American culture during that time.

United for Equality-Civil Rights in Chattanooga" screening at UTC - Feb. 24

photo "School's Out," a 1936 oil painting by Allan Rohan Crite, is one of the pieces in the new Smithsonian American Art Museum-curated "African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era and Beyond" exhibit at the Hunter Museum of American Art.

"Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement" - Margaret Block at Chattanooga State - Feb. 25

Margaret Block is a civil rights activist who served as field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She will present a program titled "Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement."

"African American Art: Harlem Renaissance Civil Rights Era and Beyond" at the Hunter Museum - Feb. 14-May 25

The Hunter Museum of American Art will exhibit "African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era and Beyond" through May 25. Forty three artists' work will be included in the show, which is drawn entirely from pieces from the Smithsonian Museum's collection of African-American art. Read more about the exhibit here.

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