A celebration of Black love and all its joys and challenges is coming to Madison’s South Side during Black History Month.
The Black Love Event brings local artists to perform and share their stories on their journeys in love. It’s now in its second year after Michael Alston, student engagement specialist at the Madison Metropolitan School District, started the event the previous year in hopes of showcasing to students at Madison West High School the side of Black love not often portrayed in the media and connecting it with Valentine’s Day. This year, he will move it from West High School to the heart of the South Side at the Black Business Hub in hopes of better reaching the community.
“At West, we have Singing Valentine’s. We have something that’s a tradition, but we don’t have anything that connects Black History Month with Valentine’s Day,” Alston said. “At West, because West is predominantly white, we don’t appreciate Black love. We hear about the crazy stories of domestic abuse and all of the negativity, but never what Black love looks like.”
Black love is complex, Alston said. It’s filled with struggle and growth, but it can be hard to find a way to portray that in a way that exemplifies the journey.
Movies and other media do showcase it in some regard, but finding it in real life is something Alston wants to see more to understand what Black love looks like.
“To have people come together and be able to talk about these things, I think it does wonders that we don’t really get to see,” Alston said. “I think if our Black kids and the people in our Black community can talk more about Black love and stuff like that, they can embrace it more.”
The Black Love Event will feature a range of performances through spoken word. Artists will share their own experiences with love and all that comes with it.
A panel discussion and a Q&A will follow, with panelists Latonya Jackson-Flynn, Antoine McNeail, Marlisha Wilbourn, Goddess Naoole and Chuck Daisy. For those not in attendance, a Facebook page for the event will allow people to ask questions to be answered by the panelists.
In addition, Alston is focused on the centennial anniversary of Black History Month. With this year as the 100th for celebrations, the Black Love Event plans to highlight the history of Black love through a slide show.
“This year, I really want to highlight different things at different times, or even different movies that express that. I want to give back lessons,” Alston said.
The Black Love Event will be hosted at the Black Business Hub, 2352 S. Park St., on Friday, Feb. 13, 5-8 p.m. It is free to attend; no registration is required.
