Highlands Council fosters a vibrant and caring community committed to service, diversity, stewardship, and well-being. This month, we join communities nationwide to honor Black History Month and recognize the important contributions of African Americans to our country’s history. Take a moment to learn more about the contributions of African Americans in our community, starting with the following resources:
- Find upcoming programming, resources, and exhibits from the Northwest African American Museum and the Museum of History and Industry.
- Participate in one of the city of Issaquah’s upcoming Black History Month events, including Cultural Conversations: Black History Month and Black History Month: Trivia Challenge on Feb. 17.
- Participate in the YWCA GenRising’s upcoming virtual Black History Month Trivia Night on Feb. 24
- Discover and support local black-owned businesses, including black-owned restaurants. You can start with the directory provided by Intentionalist and consider entering its “Black History Month Receipt & Receive” contest.
- Choose a book (or two!) from this list of recommended titles from the King County Library System. Tip: Many of these titles are available in our community’s Little Free Libraries, courtesy of the Issaquah Highlands Cross-Cultural Committee.
- Watch the city of Issaquah’s 2021 Cultural Conversations: Honoring Juneteenth to hear about the experiences of African American neighbors and check out the provided list of resources, including recommended movies, articles, and children’s books.
- Learn about the local contribution of African Americans:
- Check out the Issaquah History Museums archives, including this oral history from Manny Brown, a longtime Issaquah resident who was an Issaquah High School wrestling coach for over 20 years and is a strong force for social justice.
- BlackPast is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization “dedicated to providing information to the general public on African American history and the history of more than one billion people of African ancestry around the world.”
- Watch last year’s episode of Kimberly’s Cultural Kitchen and learn about African American traditions and recipes.
- Look back at one of our favorite Blakely Hall art gallery exhibitions by the Pacific Northwest African American Quilters.
- Print and color an Issaquah Highlands Black Lives Matter heart to display in your window.
Highlands Council also invites you to attend the Issaquah Highlands Cross-Cultural Committee meeting on Feb. 10, where we will start to plan this summer’s Global Grub & Groove series, including a celebration of Juneteenth.
Illustration by Katie Cannon, Highlands Council marketing & media creator, inspired by the work of Black artist Bisa Butler.
