Beyond Acknowledgement: Experience Black History Month

Recognized every year in February, Black History Month is a time of celebration to honor and acknowledge the vast contribution and history the Black community has made and continues to make in our country. Black History is American history and each year, this month should serve as a guiding light and resource to continue celebrating this culturally rich heritage.

Black culture, success, joy and history should be celebrated year-round and should go beyond acknowledgment. Black History is meant to be embraced and experienced.

This culture and history can be experienced through various mediums like art, text, music, local community activations and more. Here at The Curio Cabinet, we have put together a list of local events, activations and must-reads that will encourage you to support and experience Black businesses and creators this month and beyond.

Below are several narratives by Black authors. The majority of these books are written by Black female authors who beautifully and eloquently share their unique perspectives. The Black female perspective is unique and inspiring, and these shared stories have not only brought comfort and representation to Black readers but have also been incredibly educational for readers of all backgrounds.

If you are a relentless pop-culture enthusiast and find joy in making those uncomfortable subjects even more uncomfortable accompanied by a large dose of comedy, Black Friend by comedian and writer Ziwe should be on your list. In this book of essays, Ziwe recounts her moments of discomfort and moments the Black community has in general while being labeled as the “black friend”. Ziwe has a knack for telling the blatant truth on these personal yet delicate subject matters while incorporating humor and in my opinion, grace.

I do not exist just to move plot. While I am a supportive friend, I am not a supporting character. I am the protagonist of my perfectly imperfect story.” – Ziwe

If you love the fashion and beauty industry and get a kick out of origin stories, More Than Enough by journalist, editor, and television host Elaine Welteroth is a must-read. This book to say the least was all-around inspiring, especially for aspiring writers and editors. If this is the first you are hearing about Elaine Welteroth, she was the youngest person EVER appointed as editor-in-chief, and the first African American to ever hold the post of beauty and health director at a Condé Nast publication in 2012. She is THAT girl. Welteroth is the ultimate multi-hyphenate. She is the very thing that The Curio Cabinet stands for. She can not be put in a box and has made an amazing name and career for herself while lifting up her community in the process.

The journey of identity, healing and self-trust is beautifully explored in Life, I Swear by Chloe Dulce Louvouezo. This book of essays features the writings of several influential black women including a powerful forward by Elaine Welteroth. These collections remind and inspire Black women to be unapologetic about how they claim their space and that their unique perspectives, voices and stories are incredibly needed and valued.

We are mending our traumas through revolutionary thinking around what it means for Black Women to survive, thrive, and discover ourselves.”

Who could forget one of the most beautiful and memorable moments at the 2021 U.S. presidential inauguration? Poet Amanda Gorman recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” during the inauguration to call for unity, collaboration and togetherness after the capital storm on January 6, 2021. This significant moment propelled her voice and career forward to an audience that needed her perspective the most. Call Us What We Carry is a collection of poems that explores history, language, identity and erasure while capturing the collective grief of the pandemic.

Black women share the unique journey of learning how to love and accept their natural hair. My Beautiful Black Hair by St. Clair Detrick-Jules is a compilation of 101 interviews with Black women on the deep, complex and meaningful relationships they have with their hair. Inspired by her little sister, Khloe, Detrick-Jules started to conduct these interviews and create this book to offer it as a love letter in order to overcome societal expectations and inspire Black women to work towards self-acceptance and liberation.

Written by poet R.H. Sin, She Just Wants To Forget is a collection of poems dedicated to women who are “tired of wasting their thoughts on people who were never worth thinking about”. This short book of poems is equally validating and reflective to readers who need space to heal and retreat.

Local Activations and Events:

Museum For Black Girls is located in Denver’s 16th Street Mall and has been celebrated in multiple cities as an evergrowing time capsule of the Black girl experience. The Museum for Black Girls goes beyond a traditional gallery. When you walk through its doors, you immediately feel immersed in stories, cultures and experiences that deserve to be celebrated. This month, Renesha Berry of the Urban Sudectress will be hosting a Valentine’s Heels Class in the museum on February 10th.

Read: MUSEUM FOR BLACK GIRLS RETURNS, INSPIRING VISITORS WITH A POWERFUL MESSAGE

Every Saturday this month, Stanley Marketplace will host local R&B singer and cellist Jae Wes, who will be playing live music in the common area from 11 am – 1 pm.

Through February 19, experience Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks at the Denver Art Museum. The exhibition features over 30 works by Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo. Using techniques like finger painting, Boafo depicts and celebrates Black excellence and Black joy. The exhibition is named after W.E.B. Du Bois and his study, The Souls of Black Folk, published in 1903, and the experience is curated with the Black gaze in mind and features a reading room meant for visitors to take a seat and enjoy literature from various Ghanaian authors.

The Blair-Caldwell African-American Research Library in Denver, Colorado. Photo by Jeffrey Beall.

Located in Five Points, the Blair-Caldwell African-American Research Library reopened in late 2023 after undergoing renovations. While the library opened in 2003, the renovations transformed the space into a true celebration of Black history, culture and excellence.

Jazz is the heart and soul of the Five Points neighborhood, having been a stop for notable musicians between the 1930s and 1950s. Jazz Roots 2024, the second annual event series, commemorates the historical significance of the neighborhood along with the legends who once played at bars and clubs in Five Points now considered the “Harlem of the West,” including Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and more. On February 17 and February 24, the community-driven event will bring Queen City Jazz Band, Gabe Mervine Jazz Trio and Taryn Newborn.

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