Rufus King Park in Jamaica. Photo via NYC Parks
Jan. 31, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
NYC Parks will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events across Queens, featuring oyster workshops, explorations of Black pioneers in STEM, and discussions on Black history in space exploration.
Educational and cultural programs honoring Black history will be held throughout February and March across all five boroughs, with several notable events scheduled in Queens.
Black History Month celebrations will kick off in Queens with a “Hands-on Black History: Oysters!” event at Rufus King Park in Jamaica on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. The free workshop will explore the history of the Black oystermen and the legacy of Thomas Downing, the city’s “Black oyster king.”
Participants will have the opportunity to stop on the underground railroad, practice oyster filtration, and even investigate oyster habitats. They will also have a chance to celebrate free Black business owners during the 19th century.
Meanwhile, the Idlewild Park Environmental Center in Springfield Gardens will host “Blast Off- Discovering Space and Black History” during the mid-winter school break.
The free event, which will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. between Feb. 18 and Feb. 20, will allow children to explore the solar system, stars and the future of space while also learning of the contributions of Black scientists and astronauts through fun activities, experiments, and games.
NYC Parks will host a Black History Month event at Lewis Latimer House later in February.
Lewis H. Latimer House in Flushing will also host Black History Month events offering visitors an opportunity to learn about “Black Pioneers in STEM.”
The event, which is free to the public, takes place between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23. It offers a chance to learn about prominent African Americans who helped shape the course of history. It will also teach visitors about the sciences of Lewis Latimer, who invented the carbon filament lightbulb.
In March, NYC Parks will host a Black History Women’s History Event at the Sorrentino Recreation Center, 18-48 Cornaga Ave, Far Rockaway.
Council Member Selvena Brooks Powers will host a viewing of the Netflix movie “The Six Triple Eight”, which explores the only US Women’s Army Corps unit of color stationed overseas during the Seconc World War as they discrimination and war-torn conditions to sort over 17 million pieces of mail ahead of schedule. Refreshments will be served at the free event, which takes place from 6-10 p.m. on March 20.
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