A live presentation featuring Dayton’s own Underdog Academy will take place at the Main Library in celebration of Black History Month. The program, titled Poetic Thesis: Featuring Underdog Academy, will be held on Saturday, February 12, from 3-4:30 pm, in the Forum.

According to member Matthew Vaughn, “Underdog Academy (UA) is a poetry collective operating from the reality and fantasy of the Black masculine identity. We seek to promote the exploration and determination of self by embracing the multiplicity of our respective truths.”

With Poetic Thesis, the group plans to deliver a family-friendly afternoon of “Legacy, Literacy, and Liberation,” adds Vaughn. Other group members include Tripp Fontane, Atlas the Poet, and Leroy Bean.

Dayton Metro Library is offering an extensive collection of programs focusing on Black Culture. However, due to the ongoing shifting and changing nature of COVID-19 and its variants, some of our Black History Month events and programs may require advanced registration.

To see a full list of these exciting initiatives, and to register if required, please visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org/BlackCulture or call the Ask Me Line at 937.463.2665.

Patrons over the age of two are required to wear a mask while attending indoor, in-person, Library-sponsored programs. Masks will be available for patron use.