Gov. Mike Easley has proclaimed February as Black History Month and urges citizens to observe and honor the influence of African Americans on the cultural heritage of North Carolina. Educational opportunities are planned for museums and historic sites across the state during the month of February.

“Black History Month pays tribute to the numerous outstanding accomplishments, past and present, which these individuals made to our state, nation and the world,” Easley said. “I encourage all citizens to take this opportunity to recognize, understand and appreciate the contributions of African-Americans to our society.”

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources has scheduled a number of events and programs throughout the month of February. Highlights include:

· Town Creek Indian Mound: 4:00-5:00 p.m. Saturday, February 2. The state historic site will show the film “Black Indians: An American Story.” Narrated by James Earl Jones, this movie brings to light a forgotten part of America’s past – the cultural and racial fusion of Native and African Americans. Special viewing in museum auditorium.

· Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum: 2:00 p.m. Sunday, February 3. Local and regional scholars, artists, professional and business leaders share experiences and vision relating to the legacy of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown.

· State Capitol: 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 9. “This Side of the River.” Documentary and symposium about Princeville, N.C., the first town in the United States chartered by African-Americans.

· N.C. Museum of History: 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday, February 9, 16, and 23. As part of the museum’s African American History Tour, visitors to the exhibit “Bearing Witness: Civil Rights Photographs of Alexander Rivera,” will learn about North Carolina’s African American community during the time of the Civil Rights movement.

For more information about Black History Month events sponsored by the Department of Cultural Resources, visit www.ncculture.com.