COLUMBUS — The Ohio Statehouse will celebrate Black History Month throughout February with a special display, free historical performance each Thursday at noon and special tours of the George Washington Williams Room.
The 2014 Rosa Parks Children’s Art Exhibit, The Power of One, is a K-third grade student art exhibit sponsored by COTA. The exhibit is the students’ artistic expression of how they would change things for the better.
Living history programs will be presented each Thursday at noon throughout February. Visitors will meet first-person interpreters who portray prominent African Americans in U.S. history.
Each 45-minute vignette will focus on African-American history as part of Black History Month at the Ohio Statehouse.
The programs are presented by We’ve Known Rivers, which is a partnership of dynamic storytellers with a passion for history and education. The programs are free and open to the public. The programs will be streamed live at www.ohiochannel.org.
Performances
Scheduled living history performances include:
- Feb. 13: Martin Luther King, Jr., portrayed by Anthony Gibbs. Presented in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse.
- Feb. 20: “Rise and Ride: The Story of the Freedom Riders,” with the entire cast of We’ve Known Rivers. Presented in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse.
- Feb. 27: Phyllis Wheatley and George Washington, portrayed by Sandra Quick and Ken Hammontree. Presented in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse.
Soul food
A special soul food menu will be offered in the Capitol Cafe each Thursday in February.
Tours will visit the George Washington Williams Memorial Room throughout February. George Washington Williams was the first African American elected to the Ohio General Assembly.
This room exhibits furnishings representing styles popular in the U.S. in the late 1800s. The furniture includes period antiques, reproduction pieces and art work that help visitors experience history.
The Ohio Statehouse is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed holidays. Admission is free.
The Ohio Statehouse is handicapped accessible and senior friendly.
