Black Events to Look For in January

Five Black Events including Book Releases, Movies, TV, and Celebrations for January 2021

Welcome to 2021! The New Mexico Black Leadership Council rounded up five Black events in the areas of books, film, and celebrations to look forward to during the winter days of January. 

Read The Prophets, an Antebellum Black Queer Love Story 

Robert Jones Jr.’s debut novel The Prophets imagines a love story between two young enslaved black men on a cotton plantation in Mississippi. Jones, a gay Black man who longed to read stories about Queer love when he was growing up, wrote the book that he wanted to read back then. He worked on the book while also writing a blog called “Son of Baldwin” that discussed race, sexuality, gender, and disability. It was through this blog that he made the connections necessary to land a book deal with Putnam. The Prophets releases on January 5th.

Watch (or Re-Watch) Underground on OWN January 5 

In 2016, the groundbreaking show “Underground” premiered on WGN America. The series, co-created by Misha Green (Lovecraft Country showrunner) and Joe Pokaski and starring Aldis Hodge and Jurnee Smollett, told the story of an enslaved man named Noah who organizes a daring escape from a Georgia plantation. The travails of “The Macon 7” trended on Twitter every Wednesday night for the next two years. To the outrage and disappointment of many, the show was canceled after the second season when WGN underwent a reorganization. In December, OWN announced that they are acquiring Underground. The revitalized presentation, hosted by John Legend, will include introductions by cast members and behind the scenes footage. Catch the re-release of Underground starting January 5 at 7 PM mountain on the OWN Network.

Watch the Premiere of One Night In Miami on Amazon Prime January 15

Actress Regina King makes her directorial debut with her adaptation of One Night in Miami.  It originally premiered at the Venice film festival and has been generating Oscar buzz. The story is a fictionalized account of one night on February 25, 1964 when boxer Muhammad Ali won his first world title match in Miami and celebrated with civil rights activist Malcolm X, football star Jim Brown, and singer Sam Cooke. One Night in Miami, starring Eli Goree, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr., premieres on Amazon prime video on January 15, 2021.

Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Grant Chapel MLK Celebration January 18

Celebrate the life and ideals of Dr. King with Grant Chapel AME at their twenty-fifth annual commemoration on Facebook live and Zoom! The theme “Keeping the dream alive: A day ON, not a day OFF!” encourages us to work toward creating a fair, equitable, and inclusive society by Dr. King’s example. 

Grant Chapel’s MLK Celebration takes place via Zoom on January 18, 8AM Mountain Time.

https://nmblc.org/events/25th-annual-mlk-commemorative-celebration/

Also, the City of Albuquerque is launching a CABQ Days of Nonviolence for the month of January.

https://cabqnv.com/

Witness the Inauguration of the First Black Female Vice-President January 20

The Inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be a largely virtual celebration. The televised socially distanced swearing-in ceremony in front of the US Capitol will be followed by virtual diverse performances and communities across the country. The 2021 inauguration will not only be the first in the wake of the coronavirus but will be historic as the first inauguration of a Black female vice president.