The city is full of options each year that seek to celebrate the legacy and meaning of Black History Month. And while we have many choices, one organization, our downtown Grand Rapids Public Library, has a plethora of educational programming that flows throughout the month, offering a diverse array of topics and experiences.
By far the library’s (and possibly the city’s) biggest event during Black History Month is its Taste of Soul Sunday, where they invite locals to come downtown and experience African American history and culture.
What makes this year’s sensational programming really soar is that the GRPL held a community focus group over the summer of 2017 to garner insights and feedback from the community. The result of this listening session is a freshly revamped and lively event rooted even more in our local culture and Black experience, but also one that ventures into the headlines of the days we find ourselves living.
Organized into easy-to-navigate categories of Listen, Learn, Create, Eat, and Preserve, the GRPL welcomes everyone to venture down this Sunday for a truly remarkable afternoon that moves beyond just the “Taste” experience that draws so many to this venue each year.
Scheduled to appear at Sunday’s GRPL Taste of Soul Sunday event are:
LISTEN
– Karisa Wilson Music
– Zion Lion
– Noel Webley and Jazzy Friends Quintet
– Julius J. Hight featuring Bedrock
LEARN
– A Team of Her Own: Minnie Forbes & Negro League Baseball
– The Spirit of South High School
– From Jackie Robinson to Kaepernick: A Brief History of Athlete Activism with Dr. Louis Moore
CREATE
– What Does Your Name Mean to You? Poetry Workshop with Fable the Poet and The Diatribe.
– Crafts for Kids
EAT
– NoLos Soul
– IRIE Kitchen
– Big Ed's BBQ
– Mosbyspopcorn
The “Preserve” portion of the program is where the public contributes to deepen this event and future ones by sharing their story.
GRPL and the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives (GRAAMA) invite attendees to bring down to the downtown branch their personal family photographs, letters, and journals during Taste of Soul Sunday. These items will be digitized along with your spoken word narrative about how your personal history contributes to the story of our community.
This event is free and open to the public and is made possible through the funding of the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation. You can see the posted performance times at
GRPL's website.