The Southfield Parks & Recreation Department will host a ‘Southfield Celebrates Black History Month’ kick-off event on Saturday, February 1 from 4-9 p.m. in the Southfield Pavilion, 26000 Evergreen Road. The event will feature the Black History 101 Mobile Museum, a lecture by museum founder Dr. Khalid el-Hakim, a Black-owned Business Marketplace, and music by DJ DeezyD.

The Black History 101 Mobile Museum is an award-winning collection of over 7,000 original artifacts of Black memorabilia dating from the trans-Atlantic slave trade era to hip-hop culture. For 2020, the museum is proud to curate the Parallels in Time exhibit featuring over 150 original artifacts documenting the Black experience from slavery to hip hop. There is wide range of topics reflected in the rare objects on display including the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Jim Crow, Black leaders/organizations, Civil Rights, Black Power, Sports, and Entertainment. Museum founder Dr. Khalid el-Hakim, who has been called the "Schomburg of the Hip-Hop generation" because of his passionate commitment to collect and present these artifacts to the public via a non-traditional museum, will fascinate the audience with his lecture adding a voice and dimension to the pieces on display.

The Black-owned Business Marketplace will be open throughout the event for attendees to browse and support Black-owned businesses from the metro area.

Parks & Recreation is presenting ‘Southfield Celebrates Black History Month’ to remember the contributions and celebrate the history of African-Americans. The month-long celebration will also include Black History Movie Night on February 7 featuring the documentary 13^th; the new Conversations & Cocktails event on February 15 and The Spirit of Harriet Tubman play on February 17; Between the Lines Coloring Café featuring Naturally ILLustraded on February 22; and concluding on February 28 with the return of The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers event. For more information on ‘Southfield Celebrates Black History Month,’ visit www.cityofsouthfield.com.

For more information on the kick-off event, contact Southfield Parks & Recreation at (248) 796-4620.