The MSR celebrates Black history 365 days a year and enjoys a living legacy as one of the state’s oldest Black businesses. Below we’ve compiled a few events for this week to kick off and celebrate Black history. Each week we will highlight free or low-cost events in the community.

Rondo Night
Feb. 1 | 5-9:30 p.m. @ Landmark Center Cortile, 75 West 5th St., St. Paul
The St. Paul Winter Carnival presents Rondo Night. Learn more about the history of the Rondo neighborhood, sample foods from the Taste of Rondo Bar & Grill, enjoy performances by Rondo-based artists and support BIPOC artisans, businesses and organizations. The event is free and open to the public. For more info, visit www.wintercarnival.com/events/rondo-night

Westminster Town Hall featuring Michele Norris  
Feb. 1 | 6 p.m. @ Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Ave., Mpls.
Veteran journalist and author Michele Norris will talk about her book “What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity” in an in-depth conversation. Doors open at 5 p.m., with a musical prelude by T. Mychael Rambo at 5:30 p.m. A book signing and a reception will be held afterward and is free and open to the public. For more info, or to watch live, visit westminsterforum.org.

The Givens Collection presentation by Davu Seru
Feb. 1 | 6-8 p.m. @ Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, 1256 Penn Ave. N., Fourth Floor, Mpls.
Join Davu Seru, curator of the Givens Collection of African American Literature at the University of Minnesota, as he shares his insights into this local treasure. The collection is home to novels, poetry, plays, short stories, essays, literary criticism, periodicals, and biographies that span nearly 250 years of American culture, African American art, education, social sciences, sports, and entertainment. Admission is free. For more info, visit www.maahmg.org.

First Thursday Films: The League
Feb. 1 | 7-9 p.m. @ The Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway Ave., Mpls.
Kick off Black History Month with a viewing of “The League,” which captures the journey of Negro League baseball’s triumphs and challenges through the first half of the 20th century. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”), executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Oscar-winning “Summer of Soul”) and Tariq Trotter (“Descendant”), and produced by RadicalMedia, the story is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil. Tickets are free for Northsiders and $5 for everyone else. For more info, visit bit.ly/CapriTheLeague

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Freedom Riders
Feb. 2-18 | Times vary @ The Conn Theatre, 1900 Nicollet Ave., Mpls
Written by Jacie Knight with music by Kymani Kahlil and Matt Koskenmaki, this theatrical production commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project, when in 1964 a group of mostly White college students from the North headed to the Deep South to help register new voters, unaware of the hate and violence that they and the families they were hoping to help would face. Tickets are $15.
For ticket info, visit youthperformanceco.org

Reinvigorating a Historic Corridor of Black Culture – A Social Hour
Feb 2 | 9-10 a.m. @ Seward Community Co-op Friendship Store, 317 East 38th St., Mpls.
Join Anthony Taylor, a community development lead at the Cultural Wellness Center, at the Friendship store classroom for a breakfast hour to learn about the history of Dreamland on 38th Street, the Cultural Wellness Center, and the surrounding neighborhood. Coffee and baked goods will be provided. This is a free event.   For more info, visit bit.ly/HistoricBlackCorridor

Black Citizenship Panel Discussion: Minnesota Post-Civil War
Feb. 3 | 1-2:30 p.m. @ Minnesota History Center, 345 West Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
Scholar Drs. William Green and James Robinson will lead a discussion in celebration of the opening of the exhibit “Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow” at the Minnesota History Center. This new exhibit tells the history of African Americans’ struggle for full citizenship and racial equality in the 50 years following the Civil War. This is a free event. For more info, visit bit.ly/MNPostCivilWar

Mia Black History Month Celebration
Feb. 8 | 5-9 p.m. @ Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls
Mia is celebrating Black History Month with an afternoon of art and music. Enjoy tunes by DJ Keezy, the exhibit “American Gothic: Gordon Parks and Ella Watson,” and indulge your artistic side by making make zines with BakiBakiBaki. This event is free and open to the public; food and drink are available for purchase. For ticket info, visit new.artsmia.org

For more events, visit spokesman-recorder.com/events.

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