LENOIR, NC (January 31, 2024) ⇒ The City of Lenoir will celebrate Black History Month starting on Feb. 1, 2024, with a daily social media quiz. Events will continue through February with a gospel singing, movie night, essay contest and quiz bowl, and blood drive.
Staff at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center are writing the questions for the daily social media quiz. The theme this year is called “Let’s All Sit Together, As Human Beings Should.” The questions will focus on the Greensboro Four.
“The purpose of Black History Month is to educate people of all cultures on the significant accomplishments of African Americans of the United States,” Martin Luther King Jr. Center Manager Lester Whittington said. “The Martin Luther King Jr. Center staff want to do our part in the education process by sharing questions and answers about Black history with the community.”
The questions will be posted on City of Lenoir social media at:
- Facebook: facebook.com/CityofLenoir
- Twitter: twitter.com/CityofLenoir
- Instagram: instagram.com/cityoflenoirnc/
- Nextdoor: nextdoor.com/agency/city-of-lenoir/
Aside from the daily social media quiz, staff are hosting four other Black History Month events in February. The celebrations include a gospel singing, movie night, essay contest and quiz bowl, and blood drive.
All events are free to the public and will be held at the at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. The MLK Jr. Center is located at 313 Greenhaven Dr. NW, Lenoir. For more information, call the MLK Jr. Center at 828-757-2170.
GOSPEL SINGING
Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 @ 3:00 pm
The gospel singing will feature Faith Banner, Kyesha Horton, LaDawnna Bradshaw, and Sons of The Cross.
MOVIE NIGHT
Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024 @ 4:00 pm
Staff at the MLK Jr. Center will host a free showing of The Color Purple (2023).
A movie review website describes The Color Purple as, “A story of love and resilience based on the novel and the Broadway musical, The Color Purple is a decades-spanning tale of one woman’s journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.”
The movie is rated PG-13. Children 13 years old and under MUST be accompanied by parent(s).
ESSAY CONTEST & QUIZ BOWL COMPETITION
Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 @ 6:00 pm
Come watch local students show off their knowledge and writing skills during the Black History Month Essay Contest & Quiz Bowl.
For the Black History Month Essay Contest, students from Gamewell Middle School, William Lenoir Middle School, Hibriten High School, and West Caldwell High School submit essays on a specific Black history topic. Students must write a 250-word essay exploring the topic. Submissions are judged and the winners read their essay for the audience.
During the Quiz Bowl, teams from the four schools compete to see which students can answer the most questions about Black History. The winners are named the Middle School and High School champs.
BLOOD DRIVE
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, from 2:00 to 6:30 PM
The city will close out Black History Month with an American Red Cross Blood Drive at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. Give back to your community by donating blood in support of Black History Month.
