A new two-week music and speaker series celebrating Black History Month arrives at the historic Victory Grill on Feb. 17, culminating with an awards ceremony for Austin area music producers on Feb. 29.

"Tomorrow's Black History, Today" will feature nightly engagements at the historic Victory Grill, including themed evenings of hip hop, R&B, gospel and rap performers from artists like strawberry JAM, Another Run, LZ Love, East Side Syndicate, Chris Spivey & Nu Destiny and Drastik. Some evenings will also feature speaking engagements with songwriter, DJs and music historians.

The concerts take place at the Victory Grill, the last remaining original Chitlin' Circuit "juke joint" in Texas and a proud part of the rich musical tradition of Austin. During the 1950s acts like Ike and Tina Turner, James Brown, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Chuck Berry and Janis Joplin all played at this proud institution, which has been renovated and reopened to bridge the music of the past with the contemporary sounds of today.

Likewise, the closing night of "Tomorrow's Black History, Today" recognizes five producers and artists from the Austin hip hop community who have worked tirelessly to bring local urban talent to the forefront. In a free celebration at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, community members are invited to join together for a night of fellowship, on the last night of Black History Month.

All of the shows in the series will either be low-cost or free. All of the proceeds raised from the two-week series will go toward supporting the year-long programming efforts of Capitol View Arts, a new Austin area nonprofit that offers support to the arts community through collaborative opportunities.

The series is made possible through the combined efforts of Capitol View Arts and Austin music promoters and talent producers, Another Option Productions. Both organizations are dedicated to advancing up and coming black artists in and around the Austin area.