Black History Month 2025

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION

February 9, 2025 | 10 AM - 4 PM

Celebrate Black History Month at KID Museum!

Join us to honor and celebrate Black cultures and the contributions of Black artists, makers, scientists, engineers, and innovators at our Black History Month Community Celebration on February 9th from 10 AM to 4 PM!

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Black girl drawing "I'm Black History" on a cardboard sign.

Event Details

Historic Woodworking with Josiah Henson Museum & Park

10 AM - 4 PM

Discover the art and history of woodworking! Explore historical and modern woodworking tools like hand drills, planers, rasps, and files as you learn all about this timeless craft. In partnership with our friends at the Josiah Henson Museum & Park, KID Museum will showcase woodworking techniques that reflect #HistoryMaker Josiah Henson’s commitment to empowering individuals through skilled craftsmanship.

From Vibrations to Beats: Experiencing Sound with the Swaliga Foundation

10 AM - 4 PM

Get hands-on with the invisible: test out the science behind vibrations and sound waves with our friends from Swaliga Foundation! Once you’ve gotten familiar with the physics, take the next step and create your own musical composition using cutting-edge software. Are you ready to boogie?

Meet a Maker: Recycled Fashion Dreams with Culture Queen

11 AM - 12:30 PM

Join our friend Culture Queen to celebrate the history of Black fashion designers! Hear all about the incredible artists and textile engineers who made fashion what it is today in an interactive storytelling experience. Then, work in teams to design eco-friendly wearable art. We’ll provide the recyclable materials and traditional cultural references; you provide the inspiration and drive! Once everyone’s crafted their going-green looks, we’ll put on the fashion show to end all fashion shows, right in the middle of KID Museum.

Rhythms & Craft: Nigerian Drumming & Cowrie Shell Creations

12 PM - 4 PM

The incredible talents at Edewor Foundation are back once again to put on a Nigerian drumming showcase! This 30-minute performance will be more than just a chance to groove to the rhythms: we’ll also be learning all about the instruments and regalia these artists use and the history of the cultural traditions they embody. Afterwards, make a necklace or bracelet out of cowrie shells, an important material and visual symbol in many African cultures. Drawing inspiration from these rich traditions, design and craft your own unique piece!

Celebrate at Home: Maker Playground

All Month Long!

Keep the celebration going outside of KID Museum! Visit our Black History Month Digital Maker Playground page to find a wide range of free maker activities you and your family can enjoy together. Build a monument, make some music, or develop an invention that will change the world… all without leaving home!

Celebrating Black #HistoryMakers

Afua Bruce

Computer Engineer

Growing up, Afua Bruce’s parents often told her and her sisters to study hard and see what they could do to help other people. She soon realized that she could use her passion for technology to change the world for the better. It all started with a simple database to help a local nonprofit organization stay on top of their goals. Nowadays, Afua thinks of tech as her superpower. With computer engineering, she assists organizations that keep children out of jail, help low-income families access benefits, and ensure all kids have safe homes. She’s even worked with the White House.

Afua Bruce
Computer Engineer

Javon Ford

Cosmetic Chemist & Science Communicator

Everyone’s skin is a little bit different — but we all need to take care of it. After seeing how much misinformation is spread about skincare on social media, cosmetic chemist Javon Ford decided to start creating and sharing educational videos about what actually goes into the products people use every day. He breaks down soaps, face washes, sunscreens, and other products, explaining the ingredients in simple, straightforward terms so that the average person can take better care of themselves.

Javon Ford
Cosmetic Chemist & Science Communicator

Dr. Ronald S. Gamble, Jr.

Theoretical Astrophysicist

How much do we really know about the universe? Theoretical astrophysicists, like NASA’s Dr. Ronald S. Gamble, Jr., are constantly stretching the boundaries of the imagination to research the invisible parts of our existence. Dr. Gamble specializes in the way energy moves through the universe, particularly around supermassive black holes. But he’s not just a scientist; he’s also been an artist, painter, and illustrator for 15 years.

Dr. Ronald S. Gamble, Jr.
Theoretical Astrophysicist

Matthew Goins

Creator of Puzzle Huddle

Matthew Goins is the creative force behind the DC family-run jigsaw puzzle company Puzzle Huddle. Matthew and his wife, Marnel, created Puzzle Huddle after they felt there was a lack of diverse representation of children in toys — particularly puzzles. Matthew used his knowledge of arts and crafts and started to make his first puzzles for his own children using cardboard, printed high-res images, glue, and scissors. Since then, Puzzle Huddle’s mission has spread far beyond their home, making it onto shelves in big box stores like Target. Even Oprah featured them in her Gift Guide. Puzzle Huddle is changing the way kids play and learn and has made a significant impact on the toy industry.

Matthew Goins
Creator of Puzzle Huddle

Jessica Hebron AKA Culture Queen

Award-Winning Performer, Artist, Author, & Educator

Jessica "Culture Queen" Smith is a Grammy-nominated teaching artist, children's musician, author, and curator, who creates empowering entertainment for children! She is the founder of Culture Kingdom Kids, LLC, where since 2010, Culture Queen has produced innovative Black History-themed children's performances and festivals at museums, theaters, schools, libraries, restaurants, and malls across the country, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture and the Reginald Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture. Her children's album, I Like the Me I See!, released in 2016 along with her 2019 children's book by the same title, hits all the right notes for families and educators, bringing up confident, culturally aware, and curious children.

Culture Queen has been a featured speaker on TedXRVA, and her TED-ED video entitled "Mansa Musa: One of the Wealthiest People Who Ever Lived" has received over 6 million views. She's also an award-winning playwright whose children's musical, Bone Soup: A Kwanzaa Story, is published by Pioneer Drama Service and produced nationwide. The "Kwanzaa Slide" line dance she co-created has gone viral and reached the top of Sirius XM's Kids Place Live charts.

As the Chief Arts Officer of Arts For Learning Maryland - a nonprofit working to transform learning through the arts for more than 250,000 Maryland students annually, Culture Queen founded and produced "Blacktastic: A Virtual Children's Festival," which was attended by over 59,000 students across the State of Maryland. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Education from Virginia Commonwealth University and is pursuing a master's at Morgan State University. Jessica received the PGCPS's 2015 Alumnus of the Year Award and was voted Top 40 Under 40 by the Prince George's Social Innovation Fund in 2011. She's the proud cat mom of two Black Baltimore City kitties, Nubia and Onyx, and enjoys playing Uno, eating cupcakes, and dancing to Stevie Wonder tunes.

Jessica Hebron AKA Culture Queen
Award-Winning Performer, Artist, Author, & Educator

Josiah Henson

Author, Master Woodworker, Abolitionist, & Minister

Josiah Henson is an important figure in the fight against slavery. Born into an enslaved family in Port Tobacco, Maryland, in 1789, he was determined to escape — and in 1830, Josiah took his family north, founding the Dawn settlement in Canada to support other emancipated people. As a woodworker and minister, he led vocational training and provided stability for his community. His commitment to empowering others through craftsmanship and education reflected his vision for a society free of oppression. Josiah’s legacy extends to his autobiography, “The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself.” This work shed light on the harsh realities of slavery and helped strengthen the abolitionist movement. Josiah’s contributions as a liberator, maker, and author are a testament to his impact on accomplishing justice and equality. Learn more about Josiah Henson by visiting the Josiah Henson Museum and Park, which preserves the house where Josiah was enslaved when a child and young adult, located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Josiah Henson
Author, Master Woodworker, Abolitionist, & Minister

Dr. Shanika Hope

Director of Computer Science Education at Google

Can a great teacher change your life? Dr. Shanika Hope knows firsthand the power that teachers have to inspire kids to do great things. Growing up in foster care, she often felt that the world was "too much" and says she sought refuge in school. Today, she says she owes her thirst for knowledge to one of her favorite teachers. As a tech educator at Google, Dr. Hope has dedicated her career to ensuring that all children have access to technology and computing. Her job is to create programming and products that support widespread access to tech education, especially in the kinds of communities where she herself grew up and, for years, was a classroom teacher.

Dr. Shanika Hope
Director of Computer Science Education at Google

Sharon Caples McDougle

Spacesuit Technician & Author

Picture an astronaut: what are they wearing? If you said an orange spacesuit, you can thank Sharon Caples McDougle, a retired spacesuit technician who worked to ensure the safety of NASA astronauts for many years. Sharon was both the first woman and first Black person to manage the Crew Escape Equipment department. She and her team were responsible for suiting up the astronauts, testing their equipment, strapping them into the space shuttles, and recovering the crew upon landing — all critical roles to ensure missions go smoothly. Since retiring, Sharon has written a children’s book about her experiences: Suit Up for Launch with Shay!

Sharon Caples McDougle
Spacesuit Technician & Author

Murjoni Merriweather

Artist

Since graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Maryland artist Murjoni Merriweather has been working in clay and ceramics to talk about and celebrate Black culture. Tired of seeing Black stereotypes, Murjoni began to push back on European standards of “beauty” by producing sculptures based on real people and real experiences. These sculptures stand tall and proud, unapologetically taking up space and highlighting style niches like grillz and nail culture within Black American experiences.

Murjoni Merriweather
Artist

Dasia Taylor

Inventor

As inventor Dasia Taylor likes to say, “Age by no means defines when you can and cannot invent.” Dasia’s path to invention began in 11th grade at Iowa City West High School, where she developed low-cost “smart” sutures to help detect infections. She experimented with using beet juice to coat her cotton stitches and discovered that this allowed them to change color as they reacted to the Ph of a wound that is infected. Currently, she is a college student at the University of Iowa, as well as an entrepreneur and STEM advocate. Dasia is aspiring to obtain a patent for her "smart stitches."

Dasia Taylor
Inventor

Access for Every Maker

KID Museum is dedicated to expanding access to STEM and maker learning opportunities for all by providing free and reduced-cost opportunities to participate in our programming.

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