I must first start off by giving a big round of applause to Macy’s for not only publicly acknowledging Black History Month, but for contributing to the festivities in such a major way. Each year, select Macy’s stores across the country hold in-store events for Black History Month featuring a celebrity guest of some capacity. Last year, actress Jurnee Smollett was in attendance and I was so bummed that I missed out. This year, I was determined not to be left out so I was stalking their website, waiting for the moment that any information about the event was posted!
The evening kicked off with musical selections from a band known as the Rakiem Walker Project based out of Harlem, New York. Rakeim Walker is a saxophonist and also the musical director of the band, not to mention, he’s worked alongside several big named artists in the industry. (Yes, I did a little homework) The group rotates between three lead vocalists. That night, we were blessed with Gloria on the mic as the group covered some crowd favorites from The Roots– You Got Me (Things Fall Apart) to The Jackson Five– I Wanna Be Where You Are and several others. Take a listen!
Following the performance, there was a pre-filmed interview with Saul Williams and a poetry reading from the artist as well. The special guest of the night was celebrity Chef and owner of the Red Rooster Restaurant in Harlem, Chef Marcus Samuelsson, who’s been on tour promoting his new cookbook. He stopped in to have some thought- provoking discussion about why he chose to open a restaurant in Harlem, the importance of giving back to the community and so much more.
Following the Q&A session, we were able to sample a few of the chef’s recipes!
Double Dragon Rice w/ Grilled Shrimp
“Mr. T’s Meatballs”
Squash Salad w/ crunchy Quinoa + Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette
You can’t tell me that doesn’t look delicious! In addition, each person who RSVP’D online for the event received a $10 Macy’s gift card redeemable that night! With my gift card, I purchased this cute travel mug.
Oh, and did I mention this event was FREE???
I definitely hope to attend some more black history celebrations before the month is over– and just in general! How do you plan to celebrate Black History Month this month and throughout the year? You can follow Chef Samuelsson at on social media at: @marcuscooks and check the Macy’s events page to see how you can get in on the festivities!
– A Black Girl About Town
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A Black Girl About Town 
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