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An Eventful Day



No, I haven’t lost sight of Black History Month. Today there are three offerings for your consideration. All are free.


Opening today at the Columbia Art Center:



Beyond the Blues: A Visual Arts Exhibit and Concert Celebrating African American Music, Dance and Culture. It will run from February 9th - 28th. There will be a gallery reception this Saturday, February 11th, from 1 to 3 pm.

Inspired by African American music, dance, and culture, Beyond the Blues features the art of 17 local visual artists. A ticketed concert with the renowned blues musician Buffalo Nichols will be featured in the Art Centers Gallery on February 23rd at 7 pm. (Alas, tickets to the concert have already sold out.)

This event is sponsored Sponsored by Columbia Association Art Center and Columbia Festival of the Arts. 


Beginning at 12:30 today, in person or online:

Before Levi's House: A Historian's Look At The Lives of 1850 Free Blacks


For our nonprofit's first event of many in the year that commemorates the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation taking effect, an exciting presentation is being given about local Black history. 

The area that would eventually become Howard County was comprised of both free and enslaved Black and Mulatto people in the decades leading up to the Civil War. In this presentation, historian Marlena Jareaux will share some of her research that seeks to uplift the scholarship and collective understanding of free Black and Mulatto people who were living among white and enslaved people in the area. There are likely descendants of these free people still residing in the area. 

Several stories will be told about many of the actual people who lived here before Levi Gillis bought land in 1851 and built the log home in Ellicott's Mills for his wife and children that is shown below. This is the same "log cabin" that many visitors to historic Ellicott City have seen for decades. More information about Levi will also be disclosed.

The event will be held from 12:30 to 2 pm at Howard County Library System’s Miller Branch. Admission is free. To register for a ticket to the in-person event or to view the presentation online, visit the event page. 

Presented by Howard County Lynching, Truth & Reconciliation.





This evening at 6:30 pm and also at the Miller Branch or online:




Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action presents Red Table Talk: The State of Black Howard County, featuring Jessica Nichols as moderator. 

In case you aren’t familiar with the term Red Table Talk, it’s a reference to this show on Facebook Watch, where three generations of one family address current social and cultural issues with a notable amount of candor. 

Admission is free. To register, go to this page to find the appropriate link. 

All of the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action events are presented by the Anti-Racist Education Alliance and Columbia Community Care.




It’s shaping up to be a busy day in Columbia/HoCo. As always, if you go to any of these, I’d love to hear what it was like.

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