Colorado Mountain College, Colorado Humanities present ‘Black History Live: Louis Armstrong’

Colorado Humanities’ Black History Live program and Colorado Mountain College Spring Valley will present a portrayal of jazz icon Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, which the public is invited to attend on Feb. 20 or to view it live on YouTube.

February is Black History Month, and CMC, several communities and statewide organizations will feature Colorado Humanities’ living-history portrayal of Armstrong by scholar and actor Marvin Jefferson. 

The portrayal will be performed in a Chautauqua format, a first-person dramatization of a historical figure. The speaker’s monologue typically runs 40 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of questions and answers, first in character and then out of character as the scholar/performer. 

Armstrong, one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century, transformed American music with his groundbreaking trumpet playing and singing. Born Aug. 4, 1901 — though he claimed July 4, 1900 — in New Orleans, Armstrong grew up in extreme poverty in a neighborhood known as “The Battlefield.” Despite his challenging upbringing with a father he rarely spoke of and a mother who worked tirelessly to support her family, Armstrong cherished the life lessons of resilience and respect his mother taught. 

Jefferson studied acting at the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University and was the producer/artistic director of the Ensemble Theatre Company in New Jersey, a professional acting company he co-founded from 1981-96. Jefferson taught acting for several summer programs in the New Jersey area and currently teaches acting at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey. 

The performance is at 3 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20 at CMC Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs, or by accessing the event livestream at Colomtn.me/bhlive25.

Call or email Dr. Adrian Fielder, CMC Spring Valley assistant dean of instruction, 970-947-8246, afielder@coloradomtn.edu for more information.