Black History Events Opportunities Throughout Wilmington

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Fort Fisher State Historic Site continues its series “’Dwell with Gratitude and Pride’: New Perspectives on the Wilmington Campaign” with weekly programming commemorating the diverse people and their experiences in the Civil War. Developed by Fort Fisher and partners Cameron Art Museum and the New Hanover County Library, the series explores White, Black, Asian, Indigenous, and Hispanic servicemen and civilians’ contributions to the battles throughout the Lower Cape Fear.

Four programs are scheduled for the month of February. On Feb. 3 at 1 pm, Cameron Art Museum’s Cultural Curator Daniel Jones will lead a tour along the remains of Forks Road where U.S. Colored

Troops fought against Confederate soldiers. Learn about the relentless courage of the African American soldiers in one of the final battles of the campaign and how their legacy continues. The tour includes a discussion of Stephen Hayes’s Boundless sculpture which commemorates the US

Colored Troops in the Wilmington Campaign. The tour is included with the cost of admission to the museum, which is located at 320 S. 17th St. in Wilmington.

On the 158th anniversary of the Battle of Sugarloaf, historians Sawyer and O’Connor will lead guided tours of the Sugarloaf at the Joseph Ryder Lewis Jr. Park, located at 1018 N. Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach. Walk in the spot where U.S. Colored Troops charged Confederate soldiers along the Sugarloaf line. The free tours will be offered Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11 am and 3 pm.

Cameron Art Museum will host its an- nual Battle of Forks Road commemoration program on Saturday Feb. 18, from 10 am-5 pm. The event features living history, speakers, and artist performances. the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR), the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational, and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary D. Reid Wilson, NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries, and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

Finally, the “’Dwell with Gratitude and Pride’: New Perspectives on the Wilmington Campaign” series concludes on Feb. 23, at 5:30 pm at the downtown branch of the New Hanover County Library. A panel of local historians will discuss the diverse experiences of people involved in the campaign, its aftermath, and how the Civil War and Reconstruction still shapes our community today.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office, and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.