Dans Hamptons

February has landed. Do we remember what that means? Yes, Valentine’s is on the horizon – but what encapsulates the entire month besides (I assume) more bizarre weather? That’s right, Hamptons people, it’s Black History Month. I’ve been watching some lame television lately, due to cold air, flu, a basically maudlin couple weeks of little output and a decent bout of interior exploration. I kind of got hooked on this “White Rapper Show” on VH1. The premise is a pretty simple, reality show formula. Imagine “American Idol” and “Survivor” mashed up with the Beastie Boys, Vanilla Ice, Snow (of Informer fame), 3rd Bass (MC Serch is the host) and Eminem. That’s pretty much the show. A bunch of white kids stay in the South Bronx and battle it out to be the next big, white MC. What does this have to do with Black History month? Nothing really, I just noticed some serious white guilt creeping up on a contestant or two. I’m white, quite pasty in fact, but I don’t feel this guilt. Yet I do feel the need to promote this month. Maybe it’s just easy like all the other standard events and holidays I cover. Maybe, like the White Rappers, I want to try a little harder to understand a culture of which I’m not a part. I certainly can’t claim to be truly “colorblind” as the God Warrior on “Trading Spouses” asserted on a recent episode, where she was paired with a black man who had some very strong opinions about white folks. Let’s just say he wouldn’t appreciate the VH1 show I’m currently enjoying. The guy said Eminem shouldn’t be performing “black music.” I’m not colorblind – I just don’t care. We’re black. We’re white. We’re not that different. Oh, God, all this qualification. There’s obviously something going on here. I can’t sort it out, but maybe a little learning can help. February is a month filled with cultural events that might help us understand each other and ourselves when it comes to issues of race that, despite huge steps forward, are by no means ironed out in this country or the world. Manhattan is, as usual, the best place to find answers. I’m going to throw out a few ideas. All this confusion has to go somewhere positive.

At the Mid-Manhattan Library, which is a branch of the New York Public Library, “Children’s Book Illustrations” is running through April 14th. The emerging New York graphic designer and illustrator Ansel Pitcairn has created drawings for two children’s books. Portraits of African American Heroes and Aisha’s Crowning Glory are illuminated with Pitcairn’s realistic yet expressive images, which are presented in this show. Author Tonya Bolden will host an artist’s dialogue on February 26 at 6:30 p.m. on the 6th floor. Expect to discuss her biographies that accompany Pitcairn’s illustrations in the book of portraits of heroes like Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King, Jr. among many others. Located at 455 Fifth Avenue (212) 340-0849.

This Sunday, Feb 4, from noon to 1:30 p.m. you can begin the month by celebrating with “Masquerade.” The Central Park Conservancy and the Museum for African Art are presenting this masquerade workshop to introduce the West African tradition through video clips and discussion followed by the opportunity to make your own mask based on the Goli mask of the Baule people of Côte d’Ivoire. The workshop is free and all ages are welcome at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, Central Park - inside the park at 110th Street between Fifth & Lenox Aves. Call (212) 860-1370 for more.

The last of my suggestions for connecting with black history is probably the most interesting to me. In 1991 during the construction of an office building at 290 Broadway, archeologists excavated the largest known intact colonial African cemetery in the States. The African Burial Ground spans over five city blocks, from Broadway past Lafayette Street going east and from Chambers past Duane going north. Walk the area and see what vibes you can channel or contact the New York Public Library Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at 515 Malcom X Boulevard (212) 491-2200 to find a breadth of information about all things African American, including the Burial Ground.

Maybe we’ll touch on this subject again in the coming weeks, but you’ve got enough here to get started. Black or white, we can all gain a lot from any of these events. Why not take advantage of this month that will surely provide refreshment from those other eleven months of white history?