RALEIGH, N.C. -- Fresh off the heels of a day meant to honor and remember the life of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the North Carolina History Museum is continuing its celebration of African-American history this weekend.

The 18th Annual African American Cultural Celebration kicks off on Saturday, January 26, with a procession and ends with a celebration of black North Carolina farmers.

Spectrum News anchor Caroline Blair sat down with the program’s coordinator, Emily Grant, for a look at six can’t miss features of this year’s celebration.

  1. Procession (10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m., Bicentennial Plaza) Hear the thunderous sound of the Tryon Palace Jonkonnu Drummers as they lead the way of the opening ceremony and then listen to the Wake Technical Community College Inspirational Choir perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” 
  2. Sugar Shack Dance Tribute (11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Daniels Auditorium, Level 1)  J. Ivy, poet, writer, voice-over artist, photographer, and NNCCU Dance Group, facilitated by Nicole Oxendine: A dance tribute to artist Ernie Barnes and his painting Sugar Shack.
  3. Affralachians in the Appalachians (2:30 – 3 p.m., Staircase Stage, Level 1)  Listen to the stories of African Americans in the Appalachians told through the usage of a banjo and fiddle.
  4. NC and Hip Hop (11:55 a.m. – 12:25 p.m., Longleaf Classroom, Level R)  Hip Hop in North Carolina? Yes, the once musical form that originated in the north does have a North Carolina presence. N.C. A&T professor of Rural Sociology, Chanel Nestor, will present “Don’t Wait Til It’s Cool: An N.C. Hip Hop Photography Exhibit.”
  5. Civil War Reenactors (10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., A Call to Arms Gallery, Level 3)  Get a glimpse of what life was like for African Americans serving during the Civil War. Reenactors will portray the lives of members of Battery B, 2nd Regiment, U.S. Colored Light Artillery in the 37th U.S. Colored Infantry.  
  6. Black Farmers Market (10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Bicentennial Plaza)  Visit with some of North Carolina’s black farmers and buy some of their produce and goods. The black farmers market held their inaugural market in November in Durham and plan to make the once a year market an annual event.

Courtesy: NC Museum of History

To learn more about the 18th annual African American Cultural Celebration, visit the NC Museum of History’s website.