Celebrate Black History Month at Epcot with guest appearances and new exhibits

Feb 05, 2016 in "The American Adventure (Pavilion)"

Posted: Friday February 5, 2016 3:33pm EST by WDWMAGIC Staff

Epcot will celebrate Black History Month with special guest author appearances, three new pieces at the American Adventure Re-Discovering America gallery and new artwork in the rotunda.

Black History Month Author Series

Book signings are open to all guests and hosted at the American Adventure Pavilion, where books written by each guest author are also available for purchase throughout the month.

Terry McMillan, author of “Who Asked You?”

Saturday, Feb 6, 1 - 2 pm and 3 - 4pm: Critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Terry McMillan is known for her powerful novels and short stories about African American women. Her novel, “Waiting to Exhale,” was adapted into a film starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett in 1995. Many of McMillan’s other novels, including the award-winning “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Disappearing Acts,” and “A Day Late and a Dollar Short,” have also been brought to life for film and television audiences. McMillan recently published her eighth novel, “Who Asked You?,” a story about the challenges and strength of a family.

Chef G. Garvin, author of “Turn Up The Heat With G. Garvin: More Than 200 Incredible Recipes from the Chef Who Keeps it Super Simple”

Saturday, Feb 13, 1 - 2pm and 3 - 4pm: Acclaimed chef and television host, Chef G. Garvin has mastered the art of cooking as well as writing. His first cookbook, “Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin: More Than 200 Incredible Recipes from the Chef Who Keeps it Super Simple,” received an American Literacy Award and nomination for an NAACP Image Award. Chef Garvin has enjoyed continued success with his subsequent cookbooks and television show “Road Trip with G. Garvin” on The Cooking Channel.

Terrence Roberts, author of “Lessons from Little Rock”

Saturday, Feb 27, 1 - 2pm and 3 - 4pm: Terrence James Roberts, Ph.D. is one of the “Little Rock Nine,” a group of history-making African American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Roberts was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bill Clinton in 1999. His book, “Lessons from Little Rock,” is a memoir of his experience during the integration of Little Rock Central High School and the lessons learned from that historic episode.

New additions to Epcot's Kinsey Collection exhibit

Three new pieces recently have been added to the exhibit inside the American Adventure Pavilion which is open daily.

  • “Banneker’s Almanack and Ephemeras” by Benjamin Banneker, is the mathematical and mechanical work of Benjamin Banneker. Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, read and approved of Banneker’s work. The almanac was published in 1771.

  • “My Bondage and My Freedom” by Frederick Douglass, is an autobiography recounting Frederick Douglass’s life as a slave and that as a freeman. Published in 1855, the book is a first edition.

  • “Survivor” by Elizabeth Catlett, is a beautiful Linoleum block print inspired by a photograph taken by Dorthea Lang titled “Ex-slave with a Long Memory.” The print was created in 1983.

New Artwork in the American Adventure Rotunda

New portraits have been added to the collection for the month of February to further illustrate the contributions of many African American notables.

The new displays feature African American figures such as Thurgood Marshall, the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice; Ronald Erwin McNair, the second African American to fly in space; and Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to stage a public airplane flight in America.

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Disney AnalystFeb 07, 2016

I'm so happy with this show of diversity and history. Amazing!

CaptainShorttyFeb 07, 2016

I don't believe so. I think I remember them doing it last year as well.

MadMax11Feb 06, 2016

I love this idea. Agree entirely with @FigmentForver96 This feels like the sort of thing EPCOT should be doing more of. Consistency in presenting the cultures of the nations represented there. I wish I could be there for the event with the gentleman from the Little Rock Nine.

SmiddimizerFeb 06, 2016

Is this the first time Epcot has done anything for Black History Month?

disney4life2008Feb 05, 2016

Yes!!! This is a welcomed addition!! I wish i had known earlier im at epcot now, i would have waited until tomorrow to see terri McMillan

FigmentForver96Feb 05, 2016

That's cool! Nice to see little things like this! This is what Epcot should be doing