The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation has put together a full lineup of exhibits, talks and programs to recognize Black History Month.
The programs encourage visitors to explore the foundation’s two museums to “rediscover the experiences of Africans and African Americans in early America, from the first-known Africans in Virginia in 1619 to the role of African Americans in the Revolutionary War, and their legacies today.”
Black Artist Showcase
This annual showcase went on display Feb. 1 and will be available through March 29 at Jamestown Settlement. The exhibit displays 28 works from 27 Virginia artists based on the theme “Raise Your Voices: Sounds of Protest.” The theme, inspired by poet Phillis Wheatley, is in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The showcase will have a closing reception on March 28. Cost is $25 per person with advance registration.
Revving up to the weekend
This new Thursday evening music series at Jamestown Settlement takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, 19 and 26.
The series, which accompanies the annual Black Artist Showcase, offers opportunities to listen to live music, socialize and view the art exhibition. Performances feature musicians Sammy Lee (Motown folk, Feb. 12), Roberta Lea (country-neo-pop, Feb. 19) and Akeylah Simone (neo-soul rock, R&B, pop and jazz, Feb. 26). Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
After Angelo
The Feb. 21 programming at Jamestown Settlement is named for one of the first African women in Jamestown’s historical record. It celebrates African American culture and heritage through art, performance and community conversation about art and activism.
The day’s events include a community art project led by Clyde Santana, a muralist, poet and visual arts instructor, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and a 1 p.m. panel discussion featuring Travis Harris, an assistant professor of African American literature at Norfolk State University; and Sidney Rose McCall, a doctoral candidate studying slavery, abolition and freedom-making practices of Black towns across the American South.
Harris and McCall will be joined by Santana and Lacroy “Atlas” Nixon, the first poet laureate of Williamsburg.
Youth Art Workshop
Artist Sharard X will lead this Feb. 28 youth art workshop geared toward elementary and middle school students. Attendees will create their own paintings based on discussion of the artwork in the Black Artist Showcase.
The workshop is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $12 per student with advance registration required.
In addition to scheduled events, the galleries at Jamestown Settlement tell the story of Virginia Indian, English and West and Central African cultures from the 17th century. The documentary film “1607: A Nation Takes Root” traces the evolution of the Virginia Company and chronicles the arrival of the first recorded African captives in Virginia in 1619.
All daytime programs and exhibition galleries, including the Black Artist Showcase and After Angelo, are included with museum admission. More on the contributions of Black Americans during the Revolutionary War is on display at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. For more information, visit jyfmuseums.org or call 757-253-4838.
Kim O’Brien Root, kimberly.root@virginiamedia.com
https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/02/07/jamestown-settlement-celebrates-black-history-month/
