Blacktastic!
A Virtual Festival of Maryland Black History + Culture
February 26, 2026Â |Â 9:30 am
Celebrate the impact of Maryland’s Black history and culture with Blacktastic: The Remix!
This year, we’ve combined audience favorites from the past five years of Blacktastic into one exceptional virtual program for your students to enjoy in the classroom!
Your purchase includes access to the virtual festival and a printable, curriculum-aligned activity book with follow-up lessons to extend learning. Registrants will experience a new, user-friendly streaming platform and extended on-demand access to view the festival through June 26, 2026.
2026 Blacktastic
Programming
Verda Freeman Welcome
Trailblazing Maryland state senator and civil rights/community activist
Victorious Verda's Welcome Wagon: The Life and Times of Verda Freeman Welcome
Senator Verda Freeman Welcome made Blacktastic history when she became the first Black woman elected to the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland's second female senator!
Join singing storyteller Debra Mims in this one-woman show as she portrays Verda Freeman Welcome as you've never seen her before. The program will feature a virtual field trip to Morgan State University's Verda Freeman Welcome Bridge!
The Roots & Rhythm of Chick Webb
Roots and Rhythm, led by SOLE Defined, explores the contributions of Baltimore’s own drummer and bandleader Chick Webb through an interactive percussive dance performance. Audience members are invited to tap into their own creativity and musicality as they learn to become percussionists—using their bodies to embody the energy and style of Chick Webb.
Participants will need space to move their feet and hands, as they turn their bodies into percussive instruments throughout the presentation.
Chick Webb
Legendary jazz and swing drummer and bandleader
Denyce Graves
World-renowned mezzo-soprano opera singer
Denyce Graves: A Real Life Diva
Jam along with Baba Bomani as he presents a musical tribute to Denyce Graves, then join the Blacktastic Living Legend Honoree and world-renowned mezzo-soprano opera singer for an interactive vocal workshop and a look at historical artifacts from her career.
Go behind the scenes of her vocal studio at the historic Peabody Conservatory, the oldest conservatory in the United States.
Lillie Carroll Jackson Made It Happen!: A Lyrical Tribute to Baltimore's Mother of Freedom
Join Jamaal "Mr. Root" Collier in celebrating the life and legacy of Baltimore's most renowned activist and Mother of Freedom: Dr. Lillie Caroll Jackson.
Through spoken word, poetry, and a virtual field trip to the Lillie Carroll Jackson Museum, participants will enjoy interactive activities that are fun, engaging, and full of rhythm and rhyme!
Lillie Carroll Jackson
Civil rights leader and “Mother of Freedom”
2026 Blacktastic
Registration Cost
Registration includes access to the Blacktastic virtual festival and a digital activity book with grade-banded Creative Challenge activities aligned to Maryland State Education Standards.
Financial Assistance for Schools + Centers: Limited funding is available for classrooms and schools in need of support. Financial assistance is provided through our Access for All fund and is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Apply early.