Black History Celebration 2013 FROM BACH TO THE BLUES: A Musical Journey through Newark - Newark Public Library

Black History Celebration 2013 FROM BACH TO THE BLUES: A Musical Journey through Newark

Black History Celebration 2013
FROM BACH TO THE BLUES:
A Musical Journey through Newark
Black History Month 2013 King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, 1921.

Curated by Sandra L. West

Exhibition on view January 30 – March 9, 2013
2nd Floor Gallery

 

Opening Reception    |     Schedule of Programs    |    Flyer    |    Press Release
 


PNC_Foundation PNC Foundation is proud to support The Newark Public Library’s Black History Month Celebration.

All programs are free and open to the public. All programs are at the Main Library, 5 Washington Street, unless otherwise specified. To RSVP for any program or for more information please call 973–733–5411. To check whether the Library is open in the case of inclement weather, call
973–733–7800.


Opening Reception
Wednesday, January 30
Main Library, Centennial Hall, Second Floor
6:00 – 8:00 pm

Richard Alston Richard Alston.

 

Speakers: Jah Jah Shakur of Africana Institute at Essex County College on the Hip–Hop Movement in Newark, and Sandra L. West on the modern civil rights movement in Newark and the impact of classical African American musicians on Newark. Performances include: soprano Laurel Pryor; Return to the Source, a cappella renderings of songs of the civil rights movement; Ashley Charles, Central High School senior and rap artist; Richard Alston, performing Classically Black: Piano Compositions by Composers of African Descent; Team on the Move, Double Dutch group. Art work by Zachary Ouma will also be on view.

On January 30, parking will be available in the Rutgers Lot (#506) on Essex Street behind the Library at a discounted rate of $4.50.


2013 Black History Celebration Programs

Film Fest: Lady Sings the Blues
Saturday, February 2
Auditorium
10:00am – 12:00pm

The life and legacy of jazz singer Billie Holiday, starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams.
Author Event: Fearless: A Bold Approach to Reinventing Your Life
Saturday, February 2
Auditorium
1:00 – 3:00pm

Book presentation with co–author Caryl Lucas. Book signing to follow.
Caryl Lucas
Caryl Lucas
Annual African–American Read–In
Wednesday, February 6
Weequahic Branch
355 Osborne Terrace
973–733–7751
5:30 – 7:30pm

Library staff and community members gather to read works of prominent African–American authors. The poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks will be featured.

Film Fest: The Temptations
Thursday, February 7
Auditorium
12:00 – 2:00pm

The story of the Motown group with amazing harmony and skillful choreography.

Film Fest: Mo’ Better Blues   CANCELED
Saturday, February 9
Auditorium
12:00 – 2:00pm

Starring Denzel Washington and produced, written and directed by Spike Lee.

Jazz Concert
Wednesday, February 13
Centennial Hall
6:00 – 8:00pm

The Rudy Walker Quartet will feature Newark native actor
Jamil Mangan reciting poetry by late Arts High School teacher Halim Suliman. The Camille Thurman Quartet will also perform.

On February 13, parking will be available in the Rutgers Lot (#506) on Essex Street behind the Library at a discounted rate of $4.50.

Rudy WalkerJamil Mangan
The Rudy Walker Quartet    Jamil Mangan
From the Archives: Entrusted To Our Keeping: The Legacy of African-American Literary Societies
Thursday, February 14
Board Room
Limited Seating. RSVP: 973–733–5411
12:00 – 2:00pm

Reviewing the Library’s 2008 Black History Month program.
Film Fest: Three Mo’ Tenors   CANCELED
Saturday, February 16
Auditorium
12:00 – 2:00pm

Thomas Young, Roderick Dixon, and Victor Trent Cook sing in a concert spanning opera, pop, blues, Broadway, and spirituals, originally recorded for a Great Performances telecast.
Sankofa Stories
Tuesday, February 19
Weequahic Branch
355 Osborne Terrace
973– 733– 7751
10:30 – 11:30am

Master storyteller
Shirley Johnson will tell Sankofa Stories for preschoolers featuring tales from the African Diaspora. Johnson recently headlined the NJ Storytelling Festival and Harlem Book Fair–Newark.
W.E.B. Du Bois Reading Circle
Wednesday, February 20
Board Room
Limited Seating.
6:00 – 8:00pm

Celebrating its third anniversary with a discussion of
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable.
Malcolm X
From the Archives: Dear & Glorious Physician: The History of Black Doctors, Nurses & Hospitals in Newark & Places Just Beyond the River
Thursday, February 21
Board Room
Limited Seating. RSVP 973‐733–5411
12:00 – 2:00pm

Reviewing the Library’s 2009 Black History Month program.
Film Fest: Dreamgirls
Friday, February 22
Auditorium
12:00 – 2:00pm

Based on the Broadway musical, the story of a trio of black female soul singers in the early 1960s. Starring Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, and Jennifer Hudson.
Community Discussion: What are the Black issues of 2013?
Wednesday, February 27
James Brown African American Room
5:00 – 8:00pm

Community discussion led by
Diane Colson, Treasurer, New Jersey Black Issues Convention and Sandra L. West, President, Bethany Baptist Church Black History Committee.
Panel Discussion: The History, Evolution, and Future of Black Music
Saturday, March 2
Centennial Hall
12:00 – 4:00pm

Panelists:
Amiri Baraka, architect of the 1960s Black Arts Movement, author, Blues People and Black Music; Jeff Billingsley, CEO, Cobblestone Records; King Downing, entertainment attorney; Bobby Jackson, syndicated broadcaster The Jazz Mind; Dorthaan Kirk, Special Events & Program Coordinator WBGO–Jazz 88FM; Gwen Moten, City Commissioner and Supervisor of Cultural Services for The City of Newark; and Nikoa Workman, cellist and founder of Firey Strings Company. Junius Williams, Sr., vocalist and harmonica player with Return to the Source., will serve as moderator.
Amiri BarakaJeff Billingsley
Amiri Baraka             Jeff Billingsley
King DowningBobby Jackson
King Downing             Bobby Jackson
Anansi, Spiderman of Africa!
Tuesday, March 5
Weequahic Branch
355 Osborne Terrace
973–733–7751
10:30am

Performed by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre
Anansi, Spiderman of Africa!
Wednesday, March 6
North End Branch
722 Summer Avenue
973–733–7766
4:00pm

Performed by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre
Author Event: Religious Allusions in the Poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks
Wednesday, March 13
Auditorium
6:00 – 8:00pm

Lecture by
Dr. Margot Harper Banks. Tributary poetry to the memory of Brooks, recited by poets Dorothea Moore, Betty Neals, and Sandra L. West. Book signing to follow.

Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Brooks
Anansi, Spiderman of Africa!
Thursday, March 21
Springfield Branch
50 Hayes Street
973–733–7736
10:00am

Performed by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre
The Black Art Song
Wednesday, March 27
Centennial Hall
6:00 – 8:00pm

Concert featuring literary works of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and others, sung by
Kevin Maynor, bass, founder of Trilogy: An Opera Company. Accompanied by Eric Olson.

On March 27, parking will be available in the Rutgers Lot (#506) on Essex Street behind the Library at a discounted rate of $4.50.