The Schomburg Center's Spring/Summer 2016 Calendar Brochure

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG

Welcome to the

SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE

Where Every Month Is Black History Month

After five years of service at the Schomburg, Director Khalil Gibran Muhammad will begin a tenured position as Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and join the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study as the Suzanne Young Murray Professor. Join us for a special farewell program and reception on June 27.

SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG

SPRING/ SUMMER 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS PUBLIC PROGRAMS 4

FIRST FRIDAYS

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BEFORE FIVE

5

THEATER TALKS

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BETWEEN THE LINES

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FILMS AT THE SCHOMBURG

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VISUALLY SPEAKING

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NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERTS

10 THE LAPIDUS CENTER PRESENTS 11

TALKS AT THE SCHOMBURG

PLAN YOUR VISIT To register for our FREE events, please visit: schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com

EXHIBITIONS & RELATED PROGRAMS 12 DIGGING UP THE PAST

EDUCATION AT THE SCHOMBURG 14 CONVERSATIONS IN BLACK

FREEDOM STUDIES 15

BLACK HISTORY 360째

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Please note that the Schomburg Center is undergoing renovations until fall 2016. During this time, there will be no guided tours and the two main exhibition galleries will be closed.

16 CALENDAR

Subscribe to our e-newsletter:

SUPPORT 18 SPECIAL EVENTS

nypl.org/schomburgnews

19 MEMBERSHIP

CONNECT with the Schomburg:

Schomburg Center for research in black culture The New York Public Library

Take 2 or 3 train to 135th St 515 Malcolm X Boulevard New York, New York 10037-1801

For more information, ASK NYPL: 917.ASK.NYPL or nypl.org/asknypl

FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

WE’RE KEEPING THINGS HOT IN HARLEM THIS SUMMER AT OUR POPULAR MONTHLY PARTY WHERE WE CELEBRATE BLACK CULTURE WITH DANCING, GUEST DEEJAYS, AND THE COMMUNITY.

MAY 6 AT 6:00 PM

90S HIP-HOP EDITION JUNE 3 AT 6:00 PM

BLACK LBGTQ PRIDE EDITION AUGUST 5 AT 6:00 PM

HOUSE EDITION 4

FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 AT 2:00 PM

HARLEM CHAMBER PLAYERS

The Harlem Chamber Players is a diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing affordable and accessible live classical music to people in the Harlem community and beyond.

Not only do they bring live chamber music to underserved neighborhoods in Harlem, but they also create opportunities for classically trained minority musicians. Join us as they present arrangements of Beethoven Septet. Join us as they perform Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s Louisiana Blues Strut for solo violin, Movement for string trio and the Beethoven Septet.

Theater MONDAY, MAY 2 AT 6:30 PM

TURN ME LOOSE

Emmy award winner and Tony nominee Joe Morton (Scandal) stars in Turn Me Loose, a new dramedy about the extraordinary and explosive life and career of Dick Gregory, the first black comedian to expose white audiences to comedy confronting racial issues. The play reveals Gregory’s struggle between his newfound celebrity and his burgeoning yearning to join the activism of the Civil Rights Movement; how his commitment to equality nearly forced him to reject the greatest television opportunity of his career, and his inner struggles facing the demons of his philandering, absent father and the haunting echoes of his mentor, slain civil-rights activist Medgar Evers. Join Morton in a riveting conversation with director Jon Rubin and producer Ron Simons, moderated by Michaela angela Davis.

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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

TUESDAY, MAY 10 AT 6:30 PM

FARAI CHIDEYA

In The Episodic Career, award-winning author, researcher, journalist and analyst Farai Chideya offers a practical guide to navigating today’s volatile job market.

Maintaining that today’s careers are episodic and move through many phases, Chideya provides valuable advice on how to enhance an existing career, rebound from being out of work or move from a job that is no longer rewarding.

A book signing will follow.

TUESDAY, JUNE 16 AT 6:30 PM

MYCHAL DENZEL SMITH

Mychal Denzel Smith, freelance writer, social commentator, and blogger at TheNation.com, gives insight on how to be a black man in America in his new book Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching. Smith chronicles his own personal and political education during these tumultuous years, describing his efforts to come into his own in a world that denied his humanity. A book signing will follow.

THURSDAY, MAY 26 AT 6:30PM

SEMBENE!

Sembene! tells the story of the self-taught novelist and filmmaker Ousmane Sembène, who fought–against enormous odds–a 50-year battle to give Africans the power to tell their own stories. The film is told through the neverbefore-seen archival and verite footage of colleague and biographer Samba Gadjigo. It follows an ordinary man who transforms himself from a manual laborer into a fearless and often polarizing spokesman for the marginalized, becoming a hero to millions. Director Samba Gadjigo will join us for a post-screening discussion.

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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 AT 6:30 PM

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC REVERB IN A TIME OF INDIFFERENCE

Join documentary photographer Joseph Rodriguez and David Gonzalez, Editor for the New York Times Lens Blog, for this conversation that will explore the image as a document through Rodriguez’s award-winning photographs on his visual journey to find the empirical truths hidden in the visual diaspora.

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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 AT 7:00 PM

NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERTS: FATOUMATA DIAWARA

Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara combines traditional Wassoulou music and dance from her ancestral home in Mali with elements of pop, jazz, and funk. Also a celebrated actress, Diawara has collaborated with such luminaries as Herbie Hancock, Damon Albarn, and Cheikh Lô, and has impressed audiences around the world with her radiant voice, infectious Afro-pop sound, and original songs that range in theme from politics to empowerment and love.

THURSDAY, MAY 19 AT 6:30 PM

COMMEMORATING THE BIRTHDAY OF EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ

Our annual celebration in collaboration with the Malcolm X Museum that celebrates the legacy of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz.

SUNDAY, MAY 22 AT 6:30 PM

BETTY SHABAZZ SOCIAL JUSTICE LECTURE SERIES AND AWARD CEREMONY

Join the Schomburg Center and Women In Islam Inc. at our annual collaborative ceremony that honors leaders in the community.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 AT 6:30 PM

BLACK POWER 50

On June 16, 1966 Stokely Carmichael of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) introduced “Black Power” as a slogan. Like no other ideology before, the heterogeneous and ideologically diverse movement that gave the powerful rallying cry its strength and depth shaped black consciousness and built an immense legacy that continues to resonate in the contemporary American landscape. With Black Power 50, we will launch a yearlong examination of the movement leading up to an exhibition and a book in the fall and additional programs through June 2017.

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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

MONDAY, JUNE 27 AT 6:30 PM

BILL MOYERS INTERVIEWS KHALIL GIBRAN MUHAMMAD

Join us for an in-depth conversation as we reflect upon the work of the Schomburg Center and its future with legendary panelist Bill Moyers.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29 AT 6:30 PM

COMMEMORATION OF THE HARLEM RATTLERS - 369TH INFANTRY

Harlem’s Rattlers and the Great War by Jeffrey T. Sammons, Professor of History at New York University, and John H. Morrow Jr., History Professor, tells the remarkable true story of the African-American men in the 369th Regiment, who fought to convince America to live up to its democratic promise during the Great War. This program will feature a screening of the 1977 film, Men of Bronze, and a book signing will follow.

FRIDAY, JULY 8 AT 9:30 AM - 8 PM

AFRO-LATINO FESTIVAL NYC 2016 DAY 1

Join the Schomburg Center and the Afr@Latino Project in an enriching daylong event kicking off the 2016 Afro-Latino Festival, highlighted by the Afrolatin@Crowd Wikipedia Edit-a-thon and curated panels that include: Transnational Migration, Immigration, and Human Rights; What does a BlackLatinx Feminism Look Like?

Afrolatin@s, ¡Presente!; Afro-Colombian Participation in the Colombia Peace Process; and #BlackLivesMatter Beyond Borders: Race, Space & Consciousness in the International Decade of Afrodescendants. A keynote luncheon, awards presentation, an exclusive screening screening of Nana Dijo a cocktail reception, and musical performances will follow. A Q&A with the director, followed by a cocktail reception & musical performances will follow.

Photo Credits: Mario Ruben Carrion

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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

LAPIDUS CENTER PRESENTS All programs are brought to you by the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery.

TUESDAY, MAY 24 AT 6:30 PM

THOMAS JEFFERSON, SLAVERY, AND RACE

In this groundbreaking work, Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination, Annette Gordon-Reed teams up with America’s leading Jefferson scholar, Peter S. Onuf, to analyze Thomas Jefferson’s vision of himself, the American Revolution, Christianity, slavery, and race. Gordon-Reed is the author of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning The Hemingses of Monticello, the Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History at Harvard Law School, the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at Harvard University, and an Advisor to the Lapidus Center. Onuf is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia and the senior research historian at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies.

THURSDAY, JULY 14 AT 6:30 PM

THE BLACK IRIS PROJECT: MADIBA

Founded in 2016 by choreographer Jeremy McQueen, The Black Iris Project is a ballet collaborative and education vehicle which creates new, relevant classical ballet works that celebrate diversity and black history. Based in New York City, the project hosts a team of predominantly minority artists who deliver cross-discipline, original works. Championing individuality, the collaborative highlights the black community’s incentive to encourage and inspire youth of color to pursue art, movement and music as an expressive outlet and a means for collective healing.

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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

TUESDAY, JUNE 1 AT 6:30 PM

DERAY MCKESSON

Movements throughout history have sought to change systems of inequality and spurred leaders from within those movements to enter the political arena as candidates for elected office. Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, ran a formidable campaign for mayor of Oakland, California, in 1973. DeRay McKesson was led to activism following the death of Michael Brown and the subsequent protests in Ferguson, Missouri. McKesson, a Baltimore native, returned to his hometown in 2015 to run for mayor after becoming a voice in the efforts to confront systems and structures that lead to police killings of black and other minority populations. McKesson joins Schomburg Director Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad in conversation to discuss his own story of activism.

TUESDAY, JUNE 14 AT 6:30 PM

LEROY CAMPBELL

The work of artist LeRoy Campbell is a fusion of art and history that celebrates family and community culture through mixed media comprised of collages, pastels, charcoal, acrylic, text and texture. Largely influenced by his experiences growing up in the south, Campbell’s work takes a critical look at social, political and cultural issues in African-American life. In his most recent work, The Newspaper Series, Campbell uses a backdrop of historic newspaper prints with his original artwork, detailing the perseverance of AfricanAmerican people.

HISTORICAL BACKBONE, THE NEWSPAPER SERIES

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EXHIBITIONS & RELATED PROGRAMS FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

On View through May 2016

IMAGE CREDITS Exterior of 135th Street branch library, ca. 1930s; Interior of the Schomburg Collection reading room, Photograph by James Van Der Zee,1928; Arthur A. Schomburg’s passport, 1932; A contemporary cartoon of Schomburg’s discovery of a work by the black Spanish painter Juan de Pareja, The New York Liberator, Ben Davis Jr., Ed., July 5, 1930; Schomburg Director Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Community Member and Schomburg Junior 12 Scholars Instructor Tarik Bell, and First Lady Michelle Obama accepting the National Medal from the Institute and Museum and Library Services at the White House, 2015; Digital rendering of Schomburg Center renovation, Marble Fairbanks Architects, 2015; All images are courtesy of the Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.

FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Just before we blow out the last candle in our yearlong 90th anniversary celebration in May, we are thrilled to be able to present one last walk down memory lane with Digging Up the Past: A History of the Schomburg Center. This pop-up exhibition invites visitors to take a peek at the Library’s genesis and evolution.

The exhibition is organized into three sections: 1) The Founder - honoring the life and vision of Afro-Puerto Rican bibliophile, activist, and educator Arturo Schomburg, 2) The Inception exploring the early story of the Schomburg collection and the groundbreaking Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints at the New York Public Library’s 135th Street branch, and 3) The Evolution - chronicling the Center’s historic journey over nearly a century. The chronology is illustrated with 32 letters, photographs, documents, pamphlets, publications, flyers, material culture, and other objects—dating from 1874 to 2015. All of the items on display are gleaned from the Schomburg Center’s Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division; Photographs and Prints Division; Art and Artifacts Division; and Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division.

In 1986, the Schomburg Center took on the task of writing the history of the institution. This resulted in Remaking the Past to Make the Future, a commemorative publication celebrating the Library’s 60th anniversary and chronicling the history of the Center and its collections. Thirty years later, this exhibition brings pivotal moments in this timeline to life, and extends the project to the present day. Digging Up the Past serves as a primer that encourages the community to dig deeper not only into the history housed at the Schomburg Center, but also to learn about the origins and progression of the Center itself.

MONDAY, MAY 23 AT 6:30PM

DIGGING UP THE PAST: COMMEMORATING 90 YEARS OF THE SCHOMBURG

In 1926, the Carnegie Corporation awarded The New York Public Library a grant to acquire the invaluable personal collection of Arturo A. Schomburg. This effort was led by the National Urban League and many others, and become the cornerstone of the Schomburg Center. Join us for a special evening celebrating the birth of the Schomburg Center and honoring the groundbreaking scholarship of Dr. Elinor Des Verney Sinnette. A light reception will follow.

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EDUCATION AT THE SCHOMBURG

Join Schomburg Education for the sixth season of Conversations in Black Freedom Studies, a dynamic community education series that features a full lineup of provocative scholars and community members committed to engaging dialogue about black freedom studies.

Curated by professors Jeanne Theoharis (Brooklyn College) and Komozi Woodard (Sarah Lawrence College), the series can be followed live or through our archival website: BlackFreedomStudies.org.

Follow @SchomburgCBFS for more information and to watch past programs.

Reserve your seat for the live conversations at SCHOMBURGCENTER.EVENTBRITE.COM Conversations in Black Freedom Studies occurs on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM THURSDAY, MAY 5 AT 6:00 PM

EDUCATIONAL INJUSTICE AND ORGANIZING

THURSDAY, JUNE 2 AT 6:00 PM

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST RACISM AND REPRESSION

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EDUCATION AT THE SCHOMBURG

BLACK HISTORY 360°: THE SCHOMBURG’S SUMMER EDUCATION INSTITUTE 2016 JULY 18 THROUGH JULY 22 Join hundreds of educators (K-12 and College) and premier scholars from across the country for a spectacular “education vacation” at the Schomburg Center featuring lectures, interactive workshops, curriculum labs, curator talks and community walks that explore the history and cultures of African Americans and African peoples Registration Fees: throughout the Diaspora. Educators will gain valuable content knowledge and learn inquiry-based approaches to teaching General Admission: across the grades using the Schomburg’s rich primary resource $500/week or $125 per day collections on-site and online.

College Students & Seniors: $400/week or $100 per day

This year’s themes include Ancient African Civilizations; Rethinking the Black Freedom Movement with Dr. Yohuru Williams; Black Art and the “Racial Mountain;” Navigating Jim Crow: Lessons from The Negro Motorist/Traveller’s Green Books; Shirley Chisholm and the 1972 Race for the White House; The 50th Anniversary of Black Power!; Teaching Transatlantic Slavery; Self & Society in Young Adult Literature; Visual Poetry: Great African-American Photographers; Lyrically Speaking: Hip-Hop History and more!

Registration Forms: schomburgcenter.org/ blackhistory360

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:

SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG/BLACKHISTORY360 CONTACT:

SCHOMBURGED@NYPL.ORG OR CALL 212.491.2272 15

CALENDAR OF EVENTS MAY

THURSDAY, MAY 19 AT 6:30 PM

COMMEMORATING THE BIRTHDAY OF EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ

MONDAY, MAY 2 AT 6:30 PM THEATER TALKS

TURN ME LOOSE

SUNDAY, MAY 22 AT 6:30 PM

BETTY SHABAZZ SOCIAL JUSTICE LECTURE SERIES AND AWARD CEREMONY

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 AT 7:00 PM NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERTS

FATOUMATA DIAWARA

MONDAY, MAY 23 AT 6:30 PM

DIGGING UP THE PAST: COMMEMORATING 90 YEARS OF THE SCHOMBURG

TUESDAY, MAY 24 AT 6:30 PM LAPIDUS CENTER PRESENTS

THOMAS JEFFERSON, SLAVERY AND RACE

THURSDAY, MAY 5 AT 6:00 PM

CONVERSATIONS IN BLACK FREEDOM STUDIES

EDUCATIONAL INJUSTICE AND ORGANIZING

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 AT 2 PM BEFORE 5

HARLEM CHAMBER PLAYERS

FRIDAY, MAY 6 AT 6:00 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 26 AT 2 PM

FIRST FRIDAYS

FILMS AT THE SCHOMBURG

90S HIP-HOP EDITION

SEMBENE!

TUESDAY, MAY 10 AT 6:30 PM

JUNE

BETWEEN THE LINES

FARAI CHIDEYA

TUESDAY, JUNE 1 AT 6:30 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 AT 6:30 PM

TALKS AT THE SCHOMBURG

VISUALLY SPEAKING

DERAY MCKESSON

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC REVERB IN A TIME OF INDIFFERENCE

THURSDAY, JUNE 2 AT 6:00 PM

CONVERSATIONS IN BLACK FREEDOM STUDIES

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST RACISM AND REPRESSION FRIDAY, JUNE 3 AT 6:00 PM FIRST FRIDAYS

BLACK LBGTQ PRIDE EDITION 16

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

TUESDAY, JUNE 14 AT 6:30 PM

DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER:

TALKS AT THE SCHOMBURG

LEROY CAMPBELL

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 AT 6:30 PM

BLACK POWER 50

All public programs are FREE unless noted otherwise.

TUESDAY, JUNE 16 AT 6:30 PM BETWEEN THE LINES

MYCHAL DENZEL SMITH

Registration is required: schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 AT 6:30 PM

CONVERSATION ON COMMUNITY ADVOCACY TO ADDRESS CRIMINAL JUSTICE

All registered seats are released

MONDAY, JUNE 27 AT 6:30 PM

30 minutes before start time, so we recommend that you arrive early.

BILL MOYERS INTERVIEWS DR. KHALIL GIBRAN MUHAMMAD

First Come, First Seated.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29 AT 6:30 PM

COMMEMORATION OF THE HARLEM RATTLERS - 369TH INFANTRY

JULY FRIDAY, JULY 8 AT 9:30 AM -8:00 PM

AFRO-LATINO FESTIVAL NYC 2016 DAY 1

THURSDAY, JULY 14 AT 6:30 PM

Visitors: Please pardon our appearance as we continue to renovate the Schomburg Center to provide an even better experience for you.

THE BLACK IRIS PROJECT: MADIBA

AUGUST FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 AT 6:00 PM FIRST FRIDAYS

HOUSE EDITION 17

SHOWS, AND FROM FILM SHOOTS TO LECTURES—WE CAN DO IT ALL. SUPPORT THE SCHOMBURG

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The Schomburg Center offers four magnificent spaces, catering to intimate gatherings as well ARE YOU LOOKING as lavish extravaganzas.

While you and your guests are enjoying the fabulous setting, you will know PERFECT VENUE HOST that you are helping to support the collections, YOUR NEXT services, and programs of theEVENT? Schomburg Center.

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The Schomburg Center offers four magnificent spaces that can house anywhere from 75 to 321 guests. Whether it’s an intimate gathering or a lavish extravaganza, we have a space to meet your needs. While you and your guests are enjoying the fabulous and historic setting, you will know that you are helping support the collections, services, and programs of the Schomburg Center.

For more information about hosting your special event at the Schomburg, please contact schomburgcenterevents@nypl.org.

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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

SUPPORT THE SCHOMBURG

SCHOMBURG SOCIETY BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! Membership in the Schomburg Society benefits the Schomburg Center—and you! By joining, you stand with thousands of members to help sustain the Schomburg’s rich and unique collections, free public programs, exhibitions, educational outreach, and so much more.

JOIN TODAY AND ENJOY EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS Your gift of $35 or more will include: • A personalized membership card • A 20% discount at The Schomburg Shop • A year-long subscription to our newsletter Africana Heritage • And more!

To join us, please visit schomburgcenter.org/support or call (212) 491-2252 or email schomburgsociety@nypl.org. If you are already a Schomburg Society member, then thank you—and please share this with a friend!

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Schomburg Center for research in black culture The New York Public Library

515 MALCOLM X BOULEVARD | NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10037-1801

SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG

DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER: All public programs are FREE unless noted otherwise.

Registration is required: schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com All registered seats are released 30 minutes before start time, so we recommend that you arrive early. First come, first seated.

For school programs, please email schomburgEd@nypl.org.