The Kankakee Public Library will honor Black History Month with a range of activities. There library will host a young authors event, special programs, live entertainment, and local food vendors. Events for families include a Martin Luther King Jr.
Open House on Saturday, February 21, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., hosted by Dr. Patricia Polk on the second floor. In addition, there will be the Sounds of Blackness, an event for all ages on the second floor to experience how songs tell stories of history at 11 a.m. For adults the Soul Collections book club meeting on Thursday, February 26, will be featuring the book James by Percival Everett on the third floor starting at 5:30 p.m.
More children’s programming includes a Young Author Celebration on Friday, February 13 at 5 p.m. on the second floor featuring authors Pearson E. Taylor and Stevie Ann Smith presenting their books, inspirations, and writing processes. On Tuesday, February 24 kids can get a Taste of History as they learn about the inventions of some popular foods by Black innovators. For teens grades 7-12, every Monday at 5 p.m. come test your Black History knowledge with Battle of the Brains. On Saturday, February 7 at 11 a.m. take on a music trivia challenge with Drop the Beat Name the Beat.
Taste of Soul will return all month long on the first floor every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to enjoy offerings from local Black-owned food vendors, accompanied by live entertainment. The featured vendors include Essential Smoothies on February 6, Simply Scrumptious on February 13, BRDIVI Catering on February 20, and Mac’s BBQ on February 27. Performances include LeVar Kellogg on February 6, Chris and Corran Clark on February 13, Tonita Butler on February 20, and to close out the event N-Deep on February 27. Patrons will have the opportunity to purchase from their menus. All events and programs are free to attend and open to the public. Any questions should be directed to Shanelle Robinson: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
