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Black History Month Is a Good Excuse for Delving Into Our Art
An African-American studies professor suggests ways to mark the month, from David Driskell’s paintings and Dance Theater of Harlem’s streamed performances to the rollicking return of “Queen Sugar.”
David Driskell’s “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” (1972), acrylic on canvas.Credit.Estate of David C. Driskell and DC Moore Gallery
Feb. 18, 2021
Black History Month feels more urgent this year. Its roots go back to 1926, when the historian Carter G. Woodson developed Negro History Week, near the February birthdays of both President Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, in the belief that new stories of Black life could counter old racist stereotypes. Now in this age of racial reckoning and social distancing, our need to connect with each other has never been greater.