Join us in celebrating Black History Month as The Mariners’ Museum and Park and its Interpretation Department present a variety of virtual programs recognizing the rich history and culture of Blacks, Africans, and African Americans who helped to shape the world!
Virtual programs are hosted through Zoom, which requires a personal account.
This short video guide shows you how to sign up for and join any of our online programs.
For more information, contact: customerservice@marinersmuseum.org or call (757) 596-2222.
Presented by the Mariners’ Interpretation Department
February 1, 2021 · 1:00 p.m. (EST)
For centuries, Africa and its people have played a key role in maritime trade and global expansion. Yet much of Black history has been told from a lens of oppression and the hardships Black people have had to overcome. This month, the Museum will honor and pay tribute to the generations of Blacks, Africans, and African Americans who have struggled, and reveal more about who they are and the places from which they came.
From the individual hidden voices that are now being heard to the ancient kingdoms that populated the African continent, Black and African history is intertwined with incredible stories that illustrate both adversity and diversity.
Join us all of February as we recognize Africa and its people, and the key role they played in maritime trade and global expansion for centuries.
Monday, February 1, 2021 · 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Enjoy a virtual story time with Lauren T. Furey, manager of visitor engagement, and discover an interesting artifact from our Museum’s Collection!
Designed for children from 18 months to 8 years, Lauren takes you and your little mariners on a journey to show how we are all connected to the world’s waters.
Click here to view a list of February books selected in honor of Black History Month.
Speakers’ Bureau
February 3, 2021 • 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Follow online with Ed Moore, a docent at The Mariners’ Museum and Park, when he examines the Jack Tars and how their influence on the Colonial America waterfront created a culture that valued freedom and led to a revolution.
Evening Lecture Series
February 4, 2021 • 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Come hear from Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, author and current dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Norfolk State University, as she reveals fascinating details of a secret network that served as a roadway to freedom for many enslaved Virginians.
February 8, 2021 • 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Enjoy a virtual story time with Lauren T. Furey, manager of visitor engagement, and discover an interesting artifact from our Museum’s Collection!
Designed for children from 18 months to 8 years, Lauren takes you and your little mariners on a journey to show how we are all connected to the world’s waters.
Click here to view a list of February books selected in honor of Black History Month.
February 9, 2021 • 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Come learn the origins of the Museum and discover all the ways we are connected to one another as Lauren T. Furey, manager of visitor engagement, uncovers some “Hidden Histories” within our Collection. This new project will give names, agency, and interpretation of the unidentified Black people depicted in our Collection and allow us to tell a more complete history of our shared maritime heritage.
February 15, 2021 • 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Enjoy a virtual story time with Lauren T. Furey, manager of visitor engagement, and discover an interesting artifact from our Museum’s Collection!
Designed for children from 18 months to 8 years, Lauren takes you and your little mariners on a journey to show how we are all connected to the world’s waters.
Click here to view a list of February books selected in honor of Black History Month.
February 18, 2021 • 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Discover the connection between an ancient and modern city with Erika Cosme, content and interpretation developer, when she introduces a new program series titled “Africa’s Kingdoms and Maritime Cultures.” For Black History Month, the series will feature the ancient city of Carthage and how its history has influenced present-day Tunisia.
Civil War Lecture Series
February 19, 2021 • 12:00 p.m. (EST)
Join us for a virtual lecture with author and historian John V. Quarstein when he presents on African Americans who fought in the Civil War to free their people from slavery. Viewers are welcome to send Quarstein any comments or questions during the presentation, and he will answer following his talk.
February 22, 2021 • 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Enjoy a virtual story time with Lauren T. Furey, manager of visitor engagement, and discover an interesting artifact from our Museum’s Collection!
Designed for children from 18 months to 8 years, Lauren takes you and your little mariners on a journey to show how we are all connected to the world’s waters.
Click here to view a list of February books selected in honor of Black History Month.
February 23, 2021 • 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Explore online with Wisteria Perry, manager of interpretation and community outreach, as she takes you along a coastal area of the Indian Ocean in Southeast Africa. Inhabited by the Swahili people, learn about its distinct culture, demography, religion and geography in a new program series titled “Africa’s Kingdoms and Maritime Cultures.”
February 27, 2021 • 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Journey with Erika Cosme, content and interpretation developer, and Wisteria Perry, manager of interpretation and community outreach, from The Mariners’ Museum’s Interpretation Department as they feature “Waterways of Africa,” a new virtual series that looks at the waters that surround and are located within the African continent. In the first of the series, come take a look at the world’s longest river, and one of Africa’s most relied upon bodies of water – the Nile River.