National Archives Public Programs in January
Press Release · Thursday, December 22, 2022

Washington, DC

In January the National Archives will present free public programs at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, at its Presidential Libraries nationwide, and virtually online. 

*(In Person Only) Family Activities – Sports in the Archives
Tuesday, January 3 – Tuesday, January 31 (except 1/16), Monday–Friday only, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET
Boeing Learning Center, National Archives Museum, Washington, DC
No registration required
Play ball! Join us at the National Archives as we explore the wide world of sports with our new exhibit All American: The Power of Sports. Participate in family-friendly activities and learn how well-known athletes and competitions shaped American history, on and off the field. Whether you are a star athlete or a sideline spectator, the Boeing Learning Center has records and activities for you! 

(In Person Only) Sunday Concert Series at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Saturday/Sundays, January 8, 15, 22, and 29, at 2 p.m. PT
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA
January 8:  Roman Rudnytsky – Pianist
January 15:  David Rubinstein – Pianist
January 22:  Duo Art – Violin, Piano Trio
January 29:  Eric Marchese and Friends – Ragtime Piano

(In Person only) Homeschool Day at the LBJ Library 
Wednesday, January 11, 10 a.m.–noon and 1 p.m. –3 p.m. CT
Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, TX
Registration is required
The LBJ Library invites homeschool families and programs to attend Homeschool Day for activities, story time, and exploration of the museum. We’ll be celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with hands-on activities and crafts. There’s plenty to learn at information stations and throughout the museum space.  

Registration is required, but admission is free for students who are registered. One adult chaperone is required for every eight students and will be admitted free of charge; additional adult chaperones will be charged an admission fee of $7.00 each. Each session is limited to 75 students. Registration is currently open but closes on Monday, January 9, 2023 or when the session is full.

(Online Only) Book Talk – Living the Dream: The Contested History of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Wednesday, January 11, at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
In Living the Dream, author Daniel T. Fleming tells the history behind the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the battle over King’s legacy that continued through the decades that followed. Creating the first national holiday to honor an African American was a formidable achievement and an act of resistance against conservative and segregationist opposition. Joining the author in conversation will be Renee Romano, Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies at Oberlin College

(Online Only) “Civics for All of US” Teacher Workshop – An Ordinary American Takes an Extraordinary Stand: Teaching Korematsu v. United States
Thursday, January 12, at 7 p.m. ET
Register to attend online
The phrase “ordinary American” appears in President Bill Clinton’s remarks at the 1998 Medal of Freedom presentation: “In 1942 an ordinary American took an extraordinary stand. Fred Korematsu boldly opposed the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.” During this workshop with the Clinton Presidential Library, teachers will explore primary sources for teaching Korematsu v. United States and Japanese American incarceration. Teachers will also discover strategies for making connections to the Constitution and Bill of Rights with resources from the National Archives.

(In Person & Online) Lecture Series – Becoming America: How We Gained and Secured Freedom and Self-Government
Tuesdays, January 17, 24, and 31, at 6 p.m. PT
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA
Watch the videos on the Nixon Library’s YouTube channel
January 17: “No Bill of Rights—No Constitution! Did It Matter?” Jo Ellen Chatham
January 24: “The First Amendment: Our Freedoms to Speak, Assemble, Print, and Petition the Government” Robert Robinson
January 31: “The First Amendment: Our Freedom to Worship, or Not” Bryan Santin

In this lecture series, we will reflect on our history as a nation with an overview of our founding documents. The series runs through February 28. For a full list of lectures, please visit the Nixon Library’s website.  

(In Person Only) Performance – Celebrate! with Benkadi Drum and Dance
Monday, January 16, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. E.T.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA
Registration is required
With vivid costumes and uplifting energy, the multicultural Benkadi Drum and Dance group performs traditional West African rhythm and movements to celebrate the spirit of coming together in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Join us for singing, dancing, and drumming. Watch as a folktale comes to life before your very eyes!

*(Online Only) Book Talk – Beyond Baseball’s Color Barrier: The Story of African Americans in Major League Baseball, Past, Present, and Future
Wednesday, January 18, at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
In Beyond Baseball's Color Barrier, author Rocco Constantino chronicles the history of generations of ballplayers, showing how African Americans have influenced baseball from the 1800s to the present. He details how the color line was drawn, the efforts made to erode it, and the progress toward Jackie Robinson’s debut. Personal accounts and colorful stories trace the exponential growth of diversity in the sport since integration, from a boom in participation in the 1970s to peak participation in the early 1990s. Beyond Baseball's Color Barrier not only explores the stories of icons like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Satchel Paige but also considers contributions made by players like Vida Blue, Mudcat Grant, and Dwight Gooden. Exclusive interviews with former players and individuals involved in the game add firsthand expert insight into the history of the topic and what the future holds.

(Online Only) Young Learners Children’s Book Program—A Song for the Unsung: Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the 1963 March on Washington
Thursday, January 19, at 11 a.m. ET
Watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
Poet, author, and professor Carole Boston Weatherford discusses her new picture book biography of Bayard Rustin. Rustin worked behind the scenes for the Civil Rights Movement including organizing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, when a quarter of a million activists and demonstrators from every corner of the United States convened in the nation’s capital. It was there that they raised their voices in unison to call for racial and economic justice for all Black Americans.

Carole Boston Weatherford—hailed by Huffington Post as a “master of picture book nonfiction”—is a Newbery Honor author, New York Times bestseller, and two-time NAACP Image Award winner. Since her 1995 debut, she has published more than 60 books, including these Caldecott Honor winners: Freedom in Congo Square, Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Six of her books have won Coretta Scott King Awards or Honors. This program is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation.

(Online Only) Book Talk – American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765–1795
Thursday, January 26, at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel
Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Edward Larson discusses liberty and slavery in a deeply researched account, from the first anti-British protests in the 1760s to the Revolutionary War, the Constitutional Convention, and through George Washington’s Presidency. Larson delivers a comprehensive account of Black participation in the founding, from protesters and soldiers to commentators, including Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Harry Washington, Ona Judge, and Daniel Payne, a Black man formerly enslaved by George Washington who watched from a departing British ship in the New York harbor as Washington and his forces were welcomed to the city as liberators.

(Online Only) “Civics for All of US” Distance Learning Programs for Students
Friday, January 27, at 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. ET
These programs are offered as a part of Civics for All of US, a new education initiative from the National Archives that promotes civic literacy and engagement. Our interactive distance learning programs draw upon the vast holdings of the National Archives to promote the knowledge and skills students need for civic engagement in the 21st century. Each program is led by one of our educators located at National Archives sites or Presidential Libraries across the country. Check civics.archives.gov for more information, including how to request a program for groups of 10 or more students. 

• The Constitution and Our Community (Grades 3–5) at 11:15 a.m. ET; Register online
  ​During this program, students will explore the idea of community, hone their primary source analysis skills by examining government records, and connect the Constitution to their own lives.
• No Conscription Without Representation: Voting Rights and the Constitution (Grades 9–12) at 2:15 p.m. ET; Register online
  Using the Constitution, constitutional amendments, legislation, and a Supreme Court case, students will explore the progression of voting rights in the United States with particular focus on the effort to lower the voting age to 18. Additional primary source documents from the National Archives, including photographs, video recordings, and political cartoons, will enhance student understanding of the ways in which contemporary events and public civic engagement influence their lives today.

(In Person Only) Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Birthday
Monday, January 30, at 3 p.m. ET
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY
The National Park Service will hold a Rose Garden Ceremony to commemorate Franklin Roosevelt’s birthday. Following the ceremony, the FDR Presidential Library will invite attendees to return to the Wallace Center for birthday cake and refreshments. 

*All American: The Power of Sports and programs presented in conjunction with the exhibit are made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of AT&T, AARP, and Mars, Incorporated. Additional support provided by HISTORY® and the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family.