This month we celebrate black history and the first anniversary of Civic Hall, and find out which presidential candidates will advance in the first round of primaries. In the meantime and between time, here are some of the top events in NYC:
February 2
Converting A Tram Depot Into A Creative Quarter In Lviv: A Conversation With Ilia Kenigshtein
February 4
The Mayor will deliver his State of the City address
Databite No. 68: Beth Bechky — working in a crime lab
February 6
Chef Showdown at Microsoft Fifth Avenue
The Chef Showdown is a competitive platform for new and ambitious chefs to showcase their creative talents for an afternoon of food, drinks and interaction. This competition will bring together past Chef Showdown champions and food lovers (a.k.a. you!), for a night of bites, drinks and conversation.
Pre-Super Bowl NFL Madden Tournament
Put your Madden skills to the test! Microsoft Flagship Store is celebrating Super Bowl 50 with a Madden Tournament. Stop by for your chance to win an Xbox One and Madden NFL 16 game, and Microsoft swag. The tournament begins at11:00am on February 6. First 20 guests to participate. Must be 13 years of age or older.
Target First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum — Radical Black History
February’s free “Target First Saturdays” programming includes an interactive exhibit on black radicalism, a monologue performance series on the topic of racial profiling, a screening of a Black Panthers documentary and a free concert by Brooklyn-based singer Charles Perry.
February 7
Eric Foner on the Underground Railroad
Scholar Eric Foner discusses the story of fugitive slaves and antislavery activists who helped them reach their freedom through the Underground Railroad.
February 8
BetaNYC’s #BetaTalk – Open Referral and the future of “the safety net”
Join us for a lunchtime conversation as Greg Bloom, Open Referral, is interviewed by Noel Hidalgo, BetaNYC and 2015 Data and Society Research Institute fellow. Greg Bloom will introduce the Open Referral Initiative and discuss its mission to make it easy to share, find, and use social service data. This conversation will dive into the issues needed to build a networked future of service providers, their data, and the people who need it most. Join us as we discuss open data and how its interoperability can transform a safety net for the 21st century — with a specific focus on the challenges and opportunities in New York City.
February 9
Techfugees NY Creative Conference
February 10
CUNY Tech Meetup — Leaders of the New Digital Age
February 12
February 16
Book Talk: The Industries of the Future
February 17
Surveillance in the Shadow of the Dotcom Bubble
February 18
Civic Hall is launching The Innovation Breakfast Series and the inaugural speaker is Maria Torres-Springer, President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, in conversation with Baratunde Thurston of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Databite No. 69: Daniel Grushkin
February 25
A Walk in History Clergy Tour & Breakfast
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and the Weeksville Heritage Center present a tour of the African-American cultural institution, located in what many consider one of America’s first free black communities.
February 26th is our next Machine Eatable, featuring Microsoft Research’s Hanna Wallach. Registration page coming soon.
Month-Long Events
America: The Legacy of African American Public Service at the Central Park Arsenal
Despite the presence of slavery, segregation and prejudice, an African American was elected to US public office as early as 1768—and many more have followed, including Barack Obama, whose 2008 election made him the first black president of the United States. This exhibition features art celebrating those public servants and their achievements.
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is hosting a great series of events this month, including a Black Life Matters Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2016 Edition Saturday, February 6.
Upcoming
March 5 — NYC’s open data celebration, hosted by BetaNYC
See you next month!