Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group Monthly Program/Meeting

On Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 1:00 pm, the Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group will host its monthly meeting and program at the Black Archives of Mid-America. The 2024 theme, African Americans and the Arts will be explored this month through the lens of poetry with featured guest speaker, Mr. Glenn North. North is the Director of Inclusive Learning and Creative Impact at the Kansas City Museum.

In line with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s (ASALH) 2024 theme “African Americans and the Arts,” poet Glenn North will look at the history of African American poetry, how it has helped contextualize the Black experience, and how it has been an effective tool in the pursuit of liberation. Poetry is one of the literary forms where African American artists have used their art “to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment”. Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, Claude McKay, and Nikki Giovanni are just a few of the Black Liberation Poets who through their poetry have expressed the struggles, aspirations, and triumphs of Black communities. North will also discuss the Restorative Poetics Initiative he is implementing as the Kansas City Museum’s Poet-in-Residence.

Please join us!