This Black History Month, tens of thousands of Maryland students will celebrate the joy of Black history and culture through the arts at Blacktastic: A Children’s Festival of Maryland Black History & Culture—a day-long, arts-integrated, performance-packed virtual experience produced by the nonprofit Arts for Learning Maryland.

On Thursday, February 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Blacktastic will deliver seven inspiring performances and educational workshops by teaching artists that celebrate renowned Black Marylanders—building pride of place among students in the process.

Led by dancers, storytellers, Hip Hop artists, and marching bands from Morgan State University and Milford Mill Academy, students will find engaging lessons on renowned Black Marylanders such as Chick Webb, Mathew Henson, Lucille Clifton, Lillie Carroll Jackson, Mother Mary Lange, and Eubie Blake. Teaching artists will be presenting from historic sites associated with each Marylander—making Blacktastic a virtual field trip for students.

By infusing traditional learning with artistic expression, Blacktastic transforms traditional learning experiences while reinforcing classroom lessons in english, history, science, and math with curriculum-aligned content.

Last year, more than 30,000 students attended Blacktastic from every county in Maryland. Educators are invited to register today to bring their classes or entire schools to this virtual experience for all ages.

Said Jessica Hebron, Arts for Learning Maryland’s Chief Program Officer, “students will celebrate the joyful, beautiful, inspiring history of Black culture in Maryland by learning the stories of Marylanders who have broken barriers, made change, and inspired millions!”

Registration for Blacktastic includes a digital activity book that reinforces what students learned during the festival through hands-on experiences. A variety of affordable pricing options are available to individual classrooms or entire schools. And all registrants will have access to the festival recording through June.

To learn more about Blacktastic, visit artsforlearningmd.org/blacktastic.