Come, See, Play, Explore! NASCAR, Wakanda, and More
January 18, 2019 – February 28, 2019
Actress Dorothy Steel during a scene in Black Panther
PORTSMOUTH,, VA (BlackNews.com) — The Portsmouth Museums and the Portsmouth Public Library will kick off 2019 in grand fashion with its fourth annual African American Heritage Series, Black History Now – Celebrating Today’s Change Makers. This year’s series gets the green flag on Saturday, January 19th with S.T.E.M.-ulating Minds: Women at Work, when Norfolk State University graduate Brehanna Daniels, the first African American woman on a NASCAR pit team, gives visitors at the Children’s Museum of Virginia an up close and personal look at what it takes to work for a professional racing team. Visitors will be challenged with a tire changing simulation game, and have opportunities to take pictures behind the wheel of an actual race car.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will make an appearance at the Children’s Museum of Virginia on Saturday, January 26th when 92-year old actress Dorothy Steel from the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther hosts Q & A, photograph, and autograph sessions for children. ACT Dance Theatre’s professional cosplayers, dancers, and live West African orchestra join Mrs. Steel to create A Weekend in Wakanda.
Take flight with the Tuskegee Airmen at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center on Saturday, February 2nd during a pictorial presentation of Petersburg, VA native and WWII Lt. Col. Howard Lee Baugh who fought for freedom in Europe while facing segregation on the homefront.
For updates about these events, visit the Portsmouth Museums’ websites, www.childrensmuseumva.com; and www.portsvaAfricanAmericanHeritage.com, and Portsmouth Public Libraries at www.portsmouthpubliclibrary.org.