This Black History Month event will explore Wilmington’s true Black experience

February is Black History Month. Beyond hosting your own related programming and supporting local Black-owned businesses, here’s an opportunity to listen and learn from Black leaders in Wilmington.

On the evening of Thursday, Feb. 25, REACH Riverside and Wilmington It’s Time will present the first in a series of two virtual events called “Celebrating Black Excellence in Wilmington, Delaware.” The one-hour events will feature panels made up of Black community members, who will discuss their experiences growing up in Wilmington. The goal is to show the true, often hidden, experiences of Black people in the city, while inspiring all to work together for a better future.

The first event will be hosted by Logan Herring, CEO of The WRK Group (REACH Riverside,The Warehouseand Kingswood Community Center) and feature a panel of four Black Wilmington men. The second part of the series, which will feature a panel of Black Wilmington women, will happen in March (Women’s History Month) and will be hosted by Kenyetta McCurdy-Byrd, COO of the WRK Group.

The February event’s panelists are:

• Jahmere Hargraves, small business owner, cofounder and current vice chair of The Warehouse
• Markevis Gideon, founder and owner of NERDiT Now and board member for The Warehouse
• Ray Rhodes, executive director of the Christina Cultural Arts Center and board chair for Kingswood Community Center
• Aaron Bass, CEO of East Side Charter School

This free, public event will take place on Facebook Live. RSVP here.