Join us for Blacktastic!

A Children’s Festival of Maryland Black History + Culture

We invite your classes to celebrate the joy of Maryland Black history and culture with our amazing teaching artists and special guests. Seven enriching performances and workshops - all in one day and for all grade levels! - will bring the inspiration of the arts and arts integration into your classroom.

Learn About and Celebrate Historic Black Marylanders:

- Mother Mary Lange
Foundress of the Oblate Sisters of Providence

- Lucille Clifton
Poet and Author

- Matthew Henson
Arctic Explorer

- Chick Webb
Drummer and Band Leader

- Lillie Carroll Jackson
Activist and Mother of Freedom

- Eubie Blake
Musician and Composer

Receive a free digital Blacktastic Activity Book
Every class or school that registers can access our digital Blacktastic Activity Book to support classroom learning with activities that reinforce what students learned during the festival!

Participate in Maryland Black History trivia games
In between each performance and workshop, students can participate in trivia games that test young learners’ knowledge of some of our state’s famous historical Black figures!

Connect to English, History, Science, Math, and more
Act, dance, sing, and create alongside five incredible teaching artists and ensembles ALL DAY while connecting to English, History, Science, and Math–and feel the learning come alive!

Blacktastic Artists + Programs:

Lillie Carroll Jackson Made It Happen! A Lyrical Tribute to Baltimore's Mother of Freedom

Join Hip Hop artist Jamaal "Mr. Root" Collier in celebrating the life and legacy of Baltimore's most renowned activist and Mother of Freedom: Lillie Carroll Jackson. Enjoy a virtual field trip to the Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum and interactive activities that are fun, engaging, and full of rhythm and rhyme!

Academic Connections: English, Social Studies

Onward and Forward! Representing Matthew Henson

Entertainer, educator, and poet Drew Anderson invites you to an innovative exploration of arctic explorer Matthew Henson through clever spoofs of popular songs. Take a virtual field trip to Matthew Henson's grave and learn how he bravely pioneered and trailblazed his way to the geographic North Pole, overcoming many obstacles along the way!

Academic Connections: Science, English, Social Studies, Geography

The Roots and Rhythm of Chick Webb by SOLE Defined

Explore the contributions of Baltimore's celebrated drummer and band leader Chick Webb through an interactive percussive dance performance with SOLE Defined. Students will try out their creativity and musicality as they learn to become percussionists while embodying the energy and style of Chick Webb. Participants will need space to move their feet and hands in order to turn their bodies into percussive instruments.

Academic Connections: English, Social Studies

Blacktastic Halftime Show with SPECIAL GUESTS!

Join the world-renowned and ever-historic Morgan State University's Magnificent Marching Machine for traditional and popular tunes in the instrumental music traditions of historically Black colleges and universities. Performances feature high school marching bands, majorettes, cheerleaders, and dance teams from Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

The Crusade of Mother Mary Lange: A Mini Musical

Mother Mary Lange established the first Black convent, opened the first school for Black children in Baltimore, and provided job training for Black women. Join the Milford Mill Academy Band as they pay tribute to the revolutionary educator and activist through instrumental music, theatre, and poetry!

Academic Connections: History

"Eubie Illin'!" Sing and Shuffle Along with Ragtime Composer, Eubie Blake

Eubie Blake was one of the most illin’ (legendary) pianists and composers of jazz, popular music, ragtime, and vaudeville tunes. Vocalist Renée Georges and the Kidz MusiQ Club transports audiences back to the years 1890-1917 through a performance of "rags," call-and-response, and dance.

Academic Connections: English, Social Studies

For the Love of Lucille Clifton!

Celebrate the life and legacy of Maryland's Poet Laureate Lucille Clifton with Baba Bomani through music, spoken word, and a virtual field trip to the Lucille Clifton House. With inspiration from Lucille Clifton's story, participants will use Baba Bomani's signature B.A.R.S writing system to share their own stories and tributes to Black historical figures.

Academic Connections: Math, Social Studies

Click Here To Register

Date: February 23, 2023

Time: 9:00am to 12:30pm

Venue: Online

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