[Updated 2/2/2025 to correct spelling of Nikki Giovanni]

The Lamond-Riggs Library Friends is hosting Black History Month events throughout February at the Lamond-Riggs Library (5401 South Dakota Avenue NE, 1st Floor Meeting Room). Light refreshments will be provided.

Lamond-Riggs Library Friends 2025 Black History Month Program (updated flyer)

• Thursday, February 6, 2025: Commemoration of the Slaves who Built the US Capitol | 1pm – 2pm

The DC Office of Planning (OP) hosts “Foundations of Freedom: Recognizing the enslaved People who Built the US Capitol.” This interactive program features the Office of Planning Staff and the artist as they discuss the commemorative program process. A question-and-answer session follows.

• Saturday, February 8, 2025: Helping to Bring Black History to Television | 2pm – 3pm

Nick Lindner, camera operator and Lamond-Riggs community member, will host a presentation on his participation in documentary work, the role and importance of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and his contributions to important PBS programming such as “Reconstruction” and “The Black Church.”

• Sunday, February 9, 2025: Barry Farm Documentary | 2pm – 3pm

This documentary addresses the unfinished story of Barry Farm, founded in 1867. It is a portrayal of the people who built a community from nothing to its eventual succumbing to urban renewal in 2018. It is a must watch for those interested in DC history.

• Sunday, February 16, 2025: Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project Documentary | 2pm – 4pm

Nikki Giovanni died, at the age of eighty-one, on December 9, 2024. She left a rich legacy of work ranging from children’s poetry to calls for Black Power. The documentary, as told by Nikki, follows her life from her earliest memories to her senior years.  It is funny, sad, and poetic.