ADD TO CALENDAR
Learn ASL: The Hartford Public Library and Disabilities Network of Eastern CT are offering a six week beginner’s American Sign Language course (via Zoom). The first session is February 1, 2021 at 5:15 PM. This is free, but registration is required. The expectation is that participants will attend all six sessions, so check that schedule first to make sure you aren’t double-booking yourself.
Blackened and Bleached: The Wadsworth Atheneum is presenting a free virtual program at noon on February 4, 2021. As they put it, “[a]rtist Sonya Clark uses the Confederate Battle Flag to examine how the symbols of white supremacy and slavery haunt us.” Register to get the Zoom link.
Gradual Emancipation: Dr. Daniel Broyld, associate professor of African American History and Public History at Central Connecticut State University and Museum Educator Mariana Garcia will be talking (via Facebook Live) about “gradual emancipation, its impact on people living in slavery, and the anti-slavery movement in Connecticut.” This hour-long discussion begins at 3 PM on February 4, 2021 and is free. Visit the Old State House Facebook page to view the event.
Victory: Attend (on Zoom) a reading of and conversation about Athol Fugard’s one-act play Victory. Hosted by HartBeat Ensemble, performers from Capital Classics Theatre Company will give the reading, which they describe as a “powerful play [which] examines the despair of many young Black citizens in South Africa who see little prospect of a constructive future.” This begins at 7:30 PM on February 6, 2021. Free, but registration is required.
Black Biographies and Portraits: Gretchen Gerzina, professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will be giving a (virtual) talk on “the definitions of freedom and enslavement when slavery was institutionalized.” This virtual program through the Wadsworth Atheneum at 5 PM on February 17, 2021 is free, but registration is required.
Virtual Cinema: Cinestudio is offering various films that you can stream at home (after you pay). What does it mean to stream? That’s another reason to appreciate Cinestudio. They don’t assume everyone has the same vocabulary, so they set up a page that explains the terminology and what you need to do to make the magic happen.
ON A BUDGET
Even when it seems like there’s nothing going on, there’s something to do. Check out this guide to things you can access in Hartford at no cost, from murals to tiny parks to free pantries:
