WINTER/SPRING 2017
WELCOME TO THE
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
WHERE EVERY MONTH IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, located in Harlem, New York, is a research unit of The New York Public Library system. It is recognized as one of the leading institutions focusing exclusively on African-American, African Diaspora, and African experiences. Starting with the collection of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg more than 90 years ago, the Schomburg collects, preserves, and provides access to materials documenting black life locally, nationally and internationally. It also promotes the study and interpretation of the history and cultures of peoples of African descent. Today, the Schomburg serves the community not just as a center and a library, but also as a place that encourages lifelong learning and inspires exploration.
Schomburg Center for research in black culture The New York Public Library
SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG
WINTER/SPRING 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS PUBLIC PROGRAMS 4
FIRST FRIDAYS
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TALKS AT THE SCHOMBURG
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LIVE FROM THE ARCHIVE
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BETWEEN THE LINES
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THEATER TALKS
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EVERYDAY ARCHIVES
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VISUALLY SPEAKING
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FILMS AT THE SCHOMBURG
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THE LAPIDUS CENTER PRESENTS
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LAPIDUS TALKS @ NOON
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BLACK COMIC BOOK FESTIVAL
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WOMEN IN JAZZ FESTIVAL
EDUCATION AT THE SCHOMBURG 14
CONVERSATIONS IN BLACK
FREEDOM STUDIES
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FOR TEENS & SCHOOL GROUPS
EXHIBITIONS & RELATED PROGRAMS 16
BLACK POWER 50
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BLACK POWER RELATED PROGRAMS
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
PLAN YOUR VISIT To register for our FREE events, please visit: schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com
Please note that the Schomburg Center is undergoing renovations until Winter 2017. During this time, there will be no guided tours and the two main exhibition galleries will be closed.
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SPECIAL EVENTS
23 MEMBERSHIP
The calendar listings featured in this brochure are highlights from our full program schedule. For the most complete and up-to-date program information, please visit schomburgcenter.org/calendar.
Subscribe to our e-newsletter: nypl.org/schomburgnews CONNECT with the Schomburg:
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
The Schomburg Center is heating things up this winter with another fun season of our most popular social gathering! Join us on the dance floor where there’ll be live music, networking opportunities, and community fellowship.
JANUARY 6 AT 6:00 PM
2016 & Beyond Edition FEBRUARY 3 AT 6:00 PM
Black Power Poetry/ Open Mic Edition MARCH 3 AT 6:00 PM
Little Havana/ Afro-Cuban Edition APRIL 7 AT 6:00 PM
Quiet Storm Edition
MONDAY, JANUARY 23 AT 7:00 PM
Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert: Michael Olatuja and Lagos Pepper Soup Nigerian bassist Michael Olatuja and his new group, Lagos Pepper Soup, perform a funky mix of jazz, R&B, gospel, and soul. Olatuja’s music is inspired by the musical and spiritual journeys that have taken him from Nigeria to New York. Listeners will get a taste of Lagos Pepper Soup when the group releases its eponymous album later this year.
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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 AT 6:30 PM
Women’s and Girls’ Lives Matter Join us for a close look at the roles, needs, and contributions of black women and girls in the context of the Black Lives Matter Movement moment. Nicole Hannah-Jones moderates a conversation with Monique W. Morris, author of Pushout, Monifa Bandele, VP and Chief Partnership & Diversity Officer at MomsRising, and Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, renowned author, civil rights advocate, and founding scholar of Critical Race Theory. A book signing will follow. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 AT 6:30 PM
Model Behavior with Pat Cleveland and Bethann Hardison
Inspired by Pat Cleveland’s memoir, Walking with The Muses, this program celebrates the audacity of fashion trailblazers Cleveland and Bethann Hardison, while exploring paths taken by black models, designers, and industry insiders to render visible diverse aesthetics found in communities of color around the world. They paved the way for a new generation of black slayage on and off the runway. Presented in partnership with the Fashion Institute of Technology and their latest exhibition, “Black Fashion Designers.”
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 AT 6:30 PM
Archives From the Black Atlantic
As part of our debut series, featuring conversations between scholars, artists, community activists, and staff members of our Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, Brent Edwards, Columbia University professor of English and Comparative Literature, Melanie Chambliss, Yale University Ph.D. candidate, and Schomburg archivist Alexsandra M. Mitchell, explore the past, present, and future of archives in the Black Atlantic. 5 SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG
FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 AT 6:30 PM
Brittney C. Cooper, Susana M. Morris, and Robin M. Boylorn Highlighting a collection of popular and relevant writings from the Crunk Feminist Collective’s hugely popular website, editors of The Crunk Feminist Collection, scholars Brittney C. Cooper, Susana M. Morris, and Robin M. Boylorn, will engage in a spirited conversation, where pop culture and politics intersect with race and gender. A book signing will follow. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 AT 6:30 PM
Veronica Chambers, Damon Young, and Rebecca Carroll
When history is written, First Lady Michelle Obama will loom large as one of the single most positive influences on legacy, of the Obama Presidency. Prescient editor and writer Veronica Chambers invited a range of people to give voice to the cultural meaning of Michelle Obama in The Meaning of Michelle: 16 Writers on the Iconic First Lady and How Her Journey Inspires Our Own. Chambers, along with contributors Damon Young, editor-in-chief of VerySmartBrothas.com and Rebecca Carroll, producer of special projects on race at WNYC, will share and discuss their essays on the eve of the next presidential inauguration. Award-winning journalist Caroline Clarke will moderate the discussion. A book signing will follow. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 6:30 PM
Adrian Miller
Join us for a conversation featuring Adrian Miller, author of The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families from the Washingtons to the Obamas, a delightful, fascinating, and entertaining work uncovering anecdotes, recipes, and littleknown insights about the lives of both black presidential chefs and the presidents they served. A book signing will follow the discussion. 6
FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Theater MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 AT 6:30 PM
August Wilson Effect
Amidst a moment of vibrant reimaginings of August Wilson’s work, both on stage and screen, this conversation will contemplate the meaning of his work and legacy, explore the practice of contemporary practitioners of stage and screen craft, and imagine the future of the trajectory of black storytelling. Producer Kamilah Forbes, playwright Chisa Hutchinson, and writer, actor, and recording artist Carl Hancock Rux participate in a conversation moderated by Professor and Director of the August Wilson Society, Dr. Sandra G. Shannon.
EVERYDAY
ARCH VEs SATURDAY, APRIL 1 AT 2:00 PM
Caribbean Edition
Three women from Guadeloupe,� Photographer: Augustus F. Sherman, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Do you have archival materials related to and/or from the Caribbean in your personal collection? Bring them into the Schomburg for this fun-filled workshop with The Caribbean Memory Project! Dawn Cumberbatch and Kevin A. Browne will be with us for a day filled of storytelling, document scanning, and archival collection organizing! SATURDAY, MARCH 4 AT 2:00 PM
Black Power!
Join us for our second installment of Everyday Archives, a series of workshops where Schomburg community members can process their personal and family papers, documents, manuscripts, photographs. Do you have materials related to the Black Power experience? Bring them in and get practical tips for organizing your documents from Schomburg Center archivists! SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG
FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
MONDAY, JANUARY 30 AT 6:30 PM
Adger Cowans and C. Danny Dawson Adger Cowans will debut Personal Vision, a monograph of original photography spanning over 40 years. Arts educator and photographer C. Danny Dawson will journey with Cowans through his career as a veteran movie still photographer, renowned fine arts photographer, and a painter whose works have been shown by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, International Museum of Photography, Museum of Modern Art, and The Studio Museum of Harlem. Curated by Terrence Jennings. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 AT 6:30 PM
Lina Viktor and Amy Sall
Guest curator and moderator Ja’nell Ajani introduces artist Lina Viktor, whose practice is described as a “merging of photography, performance, and abstract painting,” in conversation with Amy Sall, writer and lecturer in the Culture and Media Studies department at The New School University. Visually Speaking by Founding Curator Terrence Jennings, spotlights recognized and unrecognized photographers of our time and explore the photography’s influence on art, culture, and the urban landscape.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 7:00 PM
DEAR PRESIDENT: What You Need to Know About Race in America General Admission: $10 | Members: Free
“Dear President: What You Need To Know About Race” is WNYC’s post-election series of first-person radio essays by leading black thinkers, writers and activists exploring a broad range of personal truths about being black in America to help set a new agenda for racial equality. Join us for an evening of micro-conversations and a performance.
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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 AT 6:30 PM
The Watermelon Woman
The Watermelon Woman made its debut 30 years ago. Written and directed by Cheryl Dunye, it became the first feature film by a queer African-American woman. The lead character, played by Dunye, finds parallels between herself and 1930s actress Fae Richards, popularly known as “The Watermelon Woman,” a domestic servant stereotype or “Mammy” played by many black women in her time. The film explores the historical exclusion of black queer women working in Hollywood. Dunye will appear in conversation following the screening. Join us as we explore race, sexuality, history, and finding one’s identity in archival sources. MONDAY, APRIL 17 THROUGH THURSDAY, APRIL 20 AT 6:30PM
Rewind: Best of Film Series
Join the Schomburg and our partners from the BlackStar Film Festival, African Film Festival, Inc., and UrbanWorld Film Festival, as we spotlight a selection of narratives that express diverse global black experiences by emerging and established independent filmmakers.
THURSDAY, APRIL 27 AT 6:30 PM
Harlem Premier: A Hug for Harlem
General Admission: $30 | Members: $25 The Harlem Chamber Players bring Jeff Scott’s momentous piece, A Hug for Harlem, to the Schomburg Center for its Harlem premiere. Scott, who writes what he calls “urban classical music, will draw from his experience composing musical “hugs” to honor personalities or locales. The heartrending A Hug for Harlem fuses strings, winds, percussion and spoken word and is inspired by prolific Harlem Renaissance writers, including Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, and Wallace Thurman. Grammy-nominated pianist Joseph Joubert will join us as a special guest artist, and Terrance McKnight of WQXRFM will be the host and orator. 9 SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG
PROGRAM Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Grass for Solo Piano, Strings and Percussion Jeff Scott A Hug for Harlem for Orator and Orchestra FEATURING John McLaughlin Williams, Conductor Joseph Joubert, Solo Pianist Terrance McKnight, Host and Orator, Members of The Harlem Chamber Players
LAPIDUS CENTER PRESENTS
the
FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
All programs are brought to you by the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery.
TUESDAY, MARCH 7 AT 6:30 PM
Enslaved Women and the Ethical Practice of History In the 18th century, Bridgetown, Barbados was heavily populated by both enslaved and free women. Marisa J. Fuentes, author of Dispossessed Lives: Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Archive, takes us through the streets of Bridgetown with a runaway; inside a brothel run by a freed woman of color; to the gallows where enslaved people were executed; and within violent scenes of women’s punishments. In the process, she interrogates the archive to expose the ongoing effects of white colonial power that constrain what can be known about these women. Fuentes, Associate Professor of Women’s & Gender Studies and History at Rutgers University, will be in conversation with Jennifer L. Morgan, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis and History at New York University. THURSDAY, MARCH 30 AT 6:30 PM
Slavery and Globalization in Arabia Matthew S. Hopper’s Slaves of One Master: Globalization and Slavery in Arabia in the Age of Empire, a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Prize, explores the history of the African diaspora in Arabia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The book links the personal stories of Africans to the impersonal global commodity chains their labor enabled, demonstrating how the growing demand for workers created by a global demand—including from the United States—for Persian Gulf products led to the enslavement of Africans in eastern Arabia. Hopper, Professor of History at California Polytechnic State University, will be in conversation with Eve M. Troutt Powell, C. Brown Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Tell This in My Memory: Stories of Enslavement from Egypt, Sudan and the Ottoman Empire. MONDAY, APRIL 24 AT 6:30 PM
Black Colonists: The African History of the Pre-Sugar Spanish Caribbean In Atlantic Africa and the Spanish Caribbean, 1570–1640, David Wheat, Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University, depicts the early Spanish Caribbean as an extension of events and patterns established in western Africa and the Atlantic Islands. This new approach illustrates how African forced migrants became de facto colonists in the Spanish Caribbean’s major port cities and their hinterlands. Wheat will be in conversation with historian Herman Bennett, Professor at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, whose forthcoming study is entitled Soiled Gods: 10 Africans and Sovereign Power in the Early Atlantic.
FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Enjoy exciting talks on works in progress on the slave trade, slavery, and anti-slavery in the Atlantic World.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 12:00 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 9 AT 12:00 PM
Speaker: Philip Misevich, PhD, Assistant Professor of History at St. John’s University, Lapidus Center Fellow African Muslims were present in almost every region of the Americas during the 19th century. The names of Africans rescued from slave ships provide us with valuable clues to their migration patterns across the Atlantic. These data suggest that, at the time while most West Africans came from the bights of Benin and Biafra, the majority of Muslims left from Upper Guinea.
Speaker: Lewis Eliot, PhD Candidate, University of South Carolina Abolition in the British Caribbean has been celebrated as a vital cornerstone in the ending of slavery in the Atlantic basin. The realities of life for the now free Afro-Caribbean people, however, remained dangerous, given the consistent threat of re-enslavement from slavers from Latin America, Caribbean pirates, and nefarious people traffickers. This talk will examine the ramifications of this trade for the imperial governments involved, the smugglers capturing and selling their prohibited cargoes, and most importantly for the newly re-enslaved.
The Transatlantic Muslim Diaspora to Latin America in the 19th Century
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 12:00 PM
Afro-Iberians as Black European Sailors, Soldiers, Travelers, and Traders in the Spanish Empire During the 1500s and 1600s
Speaker: Leo Garofalo, Associate Professor of History, Connecticut College From 1471 to 1700, enslaved and free Africa- and Europe-born African people made up perhaps 20% of southern Iberia’s urban populations. As sailors, soldiers, traders, artisans, and servants, they became part of Spanish expansion into the Americas and Asia, and raiding and trading in Africa. Archival documents from the 1530s to 1680s reveal struggles for survival by individuals and families in a branch of the African Diaspora rooted in Europe. Through their movement and resettlements, they helped shape Iberian, IberoAmerican, and Philippine societies.
Illegal Trade in Human Flesh: Illicit Slave Trading in the Atlantic World, 1833-1867
THURSDAY, APRIL 6 AT 12:00 PM
Atlantic Slaveries: Native American and African Slavery in New England and the Caribbean Speaker: Linford Fisher, Assistant Professor of History at Brown University Although African slavery has received the majority of scholarly attention in the early modern Atlantic, recently scholars have began recovering the history of the enslavement of Native Americans. All across the Americas, in every colonial context, Natives were captured, enslaved, and sent to other regions to work in houses, on farms, and on plantations. But the histories of Native and African slaveries were not separate. In fact, they were intertwined and intermingled. This presentation considers how Native American and African slaveries intersected in the English Atlantic world in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, using New England, Barbados, Jamaica, and Bermuda as the primary comparative lens of analysis.
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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
TUESDAY, APRIL 11 AT 6:00 PM
Schomburg Center Open House: Revival of SOUL Soul has been used to describe cities, rhythms, collective power, and the ultimate place of change. Visit the Schomburg Center for an institution-wide escapade through the many facets of soul embodied in black experiences archived at the Schomburg over the last 91 years. With performances, conversations, and special exhibits from our five research divisions, we will highlight the sacred, rebellious, and lyrical ways soul has and continues to be displayed through African-American, African Diaspora, and African experiences. The Schomburg Center’s annual Open House is an opportunity for the public to meet our librarians, archivists and curators. Enjoy light refreshments, visit each division and current exhibitions, and attend programs in the Langston Hughes Auditorium. 6 - 7 pm Program I Reading and Writing Soul hosted by Kevin Young, Director of the Schomburg Center 7:15 - 8 pm Program II Sacred (Performance) by Rashida Bumbray 8:15 - 9 pm Program III Resistance, A Conversation with John DeSantis and Dr. Natasha Lightfoot Top: “Young as I was then, the iron entered into my soul,” 1879; Josiah Henson; Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT 6:30 PM
After Death, A Psychological Coup Commemorating the Assassination of El-Hajj Malik El Shabazz/ Malcolm X Malcolm X wrote that Fidel Castro “achieved a psychological coup over the U.S. State Department when it confined him to Manhattan, never dreaming that he’d stay uptown in Harlem and make such an impression among the Negroes.” In collaboration with the Malcolm X Museum, this program will explore the impact of Malcolm X’s invitation to Fidel Castro on liberation movements in the African diaspora, and in today’s social climate in the wake of Castro’s death.
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EDUCATION AT THE SCHOMBURG
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 - 10:00 AM-7:00 PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 - 10:00 AM-7:00 PM
5th Annual Black Comic Book Festival Free Admission The Schomburg Center’s 5th Annual Black Comic Book Festival celebrates the rich tradition of black comix in a two day event featuring panel discussions, film screenings, cosplay, and exhibit tables with premiere black comic creators from across the country. This annual extravaganza connects comic readers, creators, bloggers, nerds, independent publishers, and collectors of all ages and is presented by festival co-founders Deirdre Hollman (Schomburg Education & The Junior Scholars Program), Jerry Craft (Mama’s Boyz), and John Jennings (Black Kirby/UC Riverside). To register and for more information on the schedule of events, visit www.schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com Exhibitors are by invitation only. Please contact schomburged@nypl.org for more information. OkayAfrica is an official media partner of the 2017 Black Comic Book Festival.
Facebook & Instagram: @schomburgblackcomics Twitter: @SchomburgCenter • #blackcomicbookfestnyc
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EDUCATION AT THE SCHOMBURG
Join Schomburg Education for the seventh season of Conversations in Black Freedom Studies, featuring a dynamic lineup of experts and scholars that will address several burning issues in the community: decades of movements to stop killer cops and police brutality; the legacy of Black Power and women in the Black Panther Party 50 years later; and how the historic achievements of black men and women in sports contributed to the freedom struggle.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 AT 6:00PM
Black Power at 50
THURSDAY, MARCH 2 AT 6:00PM
Curated by professors Jeanne Theoharis (Brooklyn College) and Komozi Woodard (Sarah Lawrence College), the series can also be followed live via our @SchomburgCBFS Twitter platform, or through our archival website, www.blackfreedomstudies.org.
Intersectional Black Panther History Project THURSDAY, APRIL 6 AT 6:00PM
Black Athletes and the Freedom Struggle
RESERVE YOUR SEAT FOR THE LIVE CONVERSATIONS AT WWW.SCHOMBURGCENTER.EVENTBRITE.COM
A T E S !FOR TEACHERS - SAVE THE DATES D E H T SAVE MONDAY-SATURDAY, JULY 17-22, 2017 BLACK HISTORY 360°: The Schomburg’s Summer Education Institute 2017 Join educators 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 people throughout the Diaspora. This professional development institute is open to K-12 teachers, community educators, college faculty, and college students. Fees apply. Ticket registration will open closer to the date of this education institue. Visit schomburgcenter.org for updates and more information. 14
FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
FOR TEENS & SCHOOL GROUPS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 AT 10:00AM
Black Lives Matter Teen Conference presented by the Schomburg Junior Scholars
The Schomburg Junior Scholars invite youth (grades 5-12) from across the city to join them for a day long teen conference exploring the impact of the Black Lives Matter Movement on the youth of today. The day will include activist teach-ins, youth-led panel discussions, teen performances, and interactive arts and media workshops. This event is presented in collaboration with Schomburg Education’s Conversations in Black Freedom Studies Series and the Junior Scholars Program. SATURDAY, MARCH 11 AT 1:00PM
Citizen: An American Lyric Teen Talk presented by Schomburg Junior Scholars and Urban Word NYC The Schomburg Junior Scholars Program and Urban Word NYC join forces to produce this teen-centered creative examination of Claudia Rankin’s award-winning poetic masterpiece Citizen: An American Lyric. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 AT 10:30AM
Youth Dance Performance: Dancing Through Barriers® with Dance Theatre of Harlem The Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Dancing Through Barriers® lecture demonstration and performance is an informal presentation on the art and science of dance. Through engaging commentary and dancing, the viewer learns the rudiments of classical ballet as well as the building-block training process that allows dancers to achieve excellence in this exacting art form. FRIDAY, APRIL 21 AT 6:00PM
Teen Night
Attn all teen poets, vocalists, comics, artists, and storytellers! Share your talents at the Schomburg’s Teen Night. Works inspired by the message and legacy of the Black Power movement are encouraged as the event will feature exclusive tours of our current exhibition, Black Power at 50! Teen Nights are always lit with a live DJ and special guests.
PRIORITY SEATING FOR ALL YOUTH 15
BLACK FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
POWER 50 #BLACKPOWER50 The year 2016 marked the 50th anniversary of the Black Power movement. Black Power 50, the Schomburg Center’s year-long exploration of this movement, began last June and will continue with the launch of the two onsite exhibitions, Black Power 50! Coming this season
Black Power! Black Power! examines the concept of Black Power that was introduced by Stokely Carmichael and fellow Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) worker, Willie Ricks, in June 1966. Between 1966 and 1976, like no other ideology before, the multiform and ideologically diverse movement shaped black consciousness and identity, and left an immense legacy that continues to inform the contemporary American landscape. Following in the footsteps of Black Power, women, AmericanIndian, Asian-American, Latino, and LGBT groups challenged the status quo, and the politics of group identity entered mainstream academia and society at large. Cultural, political, social, and economic programs were developed by a variety of formations. Together, they galvanized millions of people in the broadest movement in African-American history. Reaching beyond the United States’ borders, Black Power captured the imaginations of anti-colonial and freedom fighters around the world. From Great Britain to Israel, from India to Polynesia, marginalized populations rallied around slogans fashioned after “Black Power,” and organizations modeled and named themselves after the Black Panther Party. Similarly, the movement’s aesthetics of natural hair and the concept that black was beautiful resonated throughout the United States and beyond. One of the longest lasting legacies of the Black Power Movement has been the enduring strength of the Black Arts Movement. The cultural transformations it brought forth have left indelible marks on black aesthetics and visual arts, as well as on hip-hop, spoken word, poetry, literature, and black artistic expression across a variety of disciplines.
Black Power!, curated by Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf, will present hundreds of photographs, documents, and ephemera, as well as video and audio material that will explore, contextualize, and interpret the movement through the lens of nine key themes: organizations, coalitions, political prisoners, aesthetics, education, international dimensions, popular culture, publications, and the Black Arts Movement. Image Credits: [Black Power!] Angela Davis © Stephen Shames, 1972 [Power in Print]Break the Chains © Mary Patten, 1968, Mary Patten and Madame Binh Graphics Collective, Art and Artifacts Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations
EXHIBITIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS
Power in Print: Posters of the Black Power Movement Power in Print explores the art of the Black Power movement poster, showcasing a variety of aesthetics, styles, and messaging strategies. This collection-based exhibition pulls together dozens of posters from the Schomburg Center’s Art and Artifacts Division. In addition to presenting original posters, the display includes a selection of iconic poster imagery by artist, designer, and former Minister of Culture of the Black Panther Party, Emory Douglas. Both at the time and in our historical memory, Douglas’ designs came to visually communicate the ideals of Black Power and the political stances of the Black Panther Party. Posters were the social media and digital design of the 1960s and 1970s— a way to mass-produce messaging through images and text and share information widely. Some posters were created by savvy graphic designers like Douglas, with keen attention to font, color, aesthetics, and layout. Others were made strictly to communicate vital news. While all of the collection items are originals, none are unique pieces of art or material culture. Multiple copies of each poster were produced at the time, but since they were primarily utilitarian objects, the majority were disposed of soon after. The Black Power movement, along with adjacent and intersecting efforts to stop the war in Vietnamand secure rights for workers, women, and other oppressed people-marked a significant moment in the history of graphic design in the United States. These movements utilized the form to express issues of urgency and transform consciousness into action.
Power in Print contains three types of posters: materials promoting arts and cultural events, notices of rallies and political organizing, and visually striking statements asserting Black Power. Together, they highlight the many strategies of the movement: cultural pride, the arts as an organizing tool, gender roles, the black family, and schools and universities as sites for developing black consciousness. Posters were also used to galvanize the masses to support actions to free political prisoners, gain political and social representation, and align with freedom fighters internationally. Other posters focused on key figures including Malcolm X, Angela Davis, and Marcus Garvey. The majority of the collection items were produced in New York City, with some from the wider Northeast, Washington D.C., and abroad. Power in Print also includes a selection of posters from after the movement that speak to the legacy of Black Power that rippled through the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Power in Print is cocurated by Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf and Isissa Komada-John. The book, Black Power 50, co-edited by Sylviane Diouf and Dr. Komozi Woodard, was published by The New Press. Diouf’s two accompanying digital exhibitions, Black Power! The Movement, The Legacy and Ready for the Revolution: Education, Arts, and Aesthetics of the Black Power Movement, can be viewed at nypl.org/schomburg-online-exhibitions.
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FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
BLACK POWER 50 RELATED PROGRAMS Stay connected with the Schomburg Center for a special member preview of our two Black Power 50 exhibitions this winter, and check out the following: THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 AT 6:30 PM
Black Power 50 Talks: Public Television and the Black Arts Movement
In the wake of the Black Power movement, Amiri Baraka along with other poets, writers, dramatists, and musicians, formed The Black Arts Movement (BAM). Those artists and many entertainers found their culture and politics featured prominently on Soul!, the groundbreaking one-hour series produced by Ellis Haizlip for PBS stations (1968-73) in the New York area. Leading cultural critic and musician Greg Tate will examine the relationship between Soul! and the Black Arts Movement–with renowned poets Nikki Giovanni, Askia M. Touré, and Gayle Wald, author of It’s Been Beautiful: Soul! and Black Power Television. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25 AT 6:30 PM
Black Power 50 Talks: Yohuru Williams and Bryan Shih Photojournalist Bryan Shih and historian Yohuru Williams explore the history of the Black Panther Party (BPP), alongside portraits of former Panther members as they are today, in the stunning book, The Black Panthers: Portraits from an Unfinished Revolution. Shih and Williams will share their experiences unearthing less often told stories of rank-and-file BPP members and reflect on the history of the organization. A book signing will follow.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 AT 7:30 PM
Salute to Black History Month: 100th Anniversary of the Life of Sylvia Olden Lee 6:00 PM Reception and Concert: $40 | 7:30 PM Concert Only: $25 Purchase tickets at www.harlemoperatheater.org The Harlem Opera Theater will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Sylvia Olden Lee (June 29, 1917 to April 10, 2004), a renowned vocal coach and accompanist, and the first African-American to be employed by the Metropolitan Opera. Lee was a master of all aspects of classical music as well as the Negro Spiritual. She was also the vocal coach to Marian Anderson, Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman. 18
MARCH 6, 13, 20, AND 27 AT 7:00 PM
Ella, Ella: A Centennial Celebration of Mama Jazz General Admission: $30 | Members: $25
This annual tradition in honor of Women’s History Month features some of best known and unsung female performers in jazz today. Our 2017 festival will celebration Ella Fitzgerald’s centennial birthday and continued influence on the evolution of jazz. Ella, Ella: A Centennial Celebration of Mama Jazz! is slated for four consecutive Mondays–March 6, 13, 20, and 27. Each night will explore the multi-dimensional music, life, and legacy of this jazz legend. The festival’s guest curators are critically acclaimed harpist Brandee Younger and ethnomusicologist Aja Burrell Wood, and The Afro-Latino Festival. WBGO Jazz 88.3FM/WBGO.org is a media partner of the 2017 Women’s Jazz Festival.
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CALENDAR LISTINGS
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 AT 6:00 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 AT 6:00PM
First Fridays: 2016 & Beyond Edition
Conversations in Black Freedom Studies: Black Power at 50
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 AT 6:30 PM
Between the Lines: Brittney C. Cooper, Susana M. Morris, and Robin M. Boylorn
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 AT 6:00 PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 AT 6:30 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 AT 6:30 PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 AND SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 FROM 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 AT 7:30 PM
First Fridays: Black Power Poetry/Open Mic Edition
Black Power 50 Talks: Public Television and the Black Arts Movement
Talks at the Schomburg: Women and Girls Lives Matter Salute to Black History Month: 100th Anniversary of the Life of Sylvia Olden Lee
Education at the Schomburg: 5th Annual Black Comic Book Festival
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 AT 10:00 AM
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 AT 6:30 PM
Black Lives Matter Teen Conference presented by the Schomburg Junior Scholars
Live From the Archive: Archives From the Black Atlantic
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 AT 6:30 PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 AT 6:30 PM
Theater Talks: August Wilson Effect
Between the Lines: Veronica Chambers, Damon Young, and Rebecca Carroll
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT 6:30 PM
After Death, A Psychological Coup
MONDAY, JANUARY 23 AT 7:00 PM
Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert: Michael Olatuja and Lagos Pepper Soup
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 12:00 PM
Lapidus Center Talks @ Noon: Afro-Iberians as Black European Sailors, Soldiers, Travelers, and Traders in the Spanish Empire During the 1500s and 1600s
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25 AT 6:30 PM
Black Power 50 Talks: Yohuru Williams and Bryan Shih
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 6:30 PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 12:00 PM
Between the Lines: Adrian MIller
Lapidus Center Talks @ Noon: The Transatlantic Muslim Diaspora to Latin America in the 19th Century
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 AT 6:30 PM
Talks at the Schomburg: Model Behavior with Pat Cleveland and Bethann Hardison
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 7:00 PM
Dear Mr. President: What You Need to Know about Race in America
THURSDAY, MARCH 2 AT 6:00PM
Conversations in Black Freedom Studies: Intersectional Black Panther History Project
MONDAY, JANUARY 30 AT 6:30 PM
Visually Speaking: Adger Cowans and C. Danny Dawson
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CALENDAR LISTINGS
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 AT 6:00 PM
First Fridays: Little Havana/Afro-Cuban Edition SATURDAY, MARCH 4 AT 2:00 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 30 AT 6:30 PM
Lapidus Center Presents: Slavery and Globalization in Arabia
Everyday Archives: Black Power!
SATURDAY, APRIL 1 AT 2:00 PM
MARCH 6, MARCH 13, MARCH 20, AND MARCH 27 AT 7:00 PM
THURSDAY, APRIL 6 AT 12:00 PM
March Women’s Jazz Festival: Ella, Ella: A Centennial Celebration of Mama Jazz TUESDAY, MARCH 7 AT 6:30 PM
Lapidus Center Presents: Enslaved Women and the Ethical Practice of History THURSDAY, MARCH 9 AT 12:00 PM
Lapidus Center Talks @ Noon: Illegal Trade in Human Flesh: Illicit Slave Trading in the Atlantic World, 1833-1867
Everyday Archives: Caribbean Edition Lapidus Center Presents: Atlantic Slaveries: Native American and African Slavery in New England and the Caribbean THURSDAY, APRIL 6 AT 12:00PM
Conversations in Black Freedom Studies: Black Athletes and the Freedom Struggle APRIL 7 AT 6:00 PM
First Fridays: Quiet Storm Edition TUESDAY, APRIL 11 AT 6:30 PM
SATURDAY, MARCH 11 AT 1:00PM
Citizen: An American Lyric Teen Talk presented by Schomburg Junior Scholars and Urban Word NYC
Schomburg Center Open House: Revival of SOUL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 AT 6:30 PM
MONDAY, APRIL 17 THROUGH THURSDAY, APRIL 20 AT 6:30PM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 AT 10:30AM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19 AT 5:00PM
Films at the Schomburg: The Watermelon Woman Youth Dance Performance: Dancing Through Barriers® with Dance Theatre of Harlem THURSDAY, MARCH 23 AT 6:00PM
Ed Talk: Education for Liberation and the Legacy of Black Power! WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 AT 6:30 PM
Visually Speaking: Lina Viktor and Amy Sall
Films at the Schomburg: Best of Film Series Educator’s Workshop: Black Power in the Classroom FRIDAY, APRIL 21 AT 6:00PM
Teen Night
MONDAY, APRIL 24 AT 6:30 PM
Lapidus Center Presents: Black Colonists: The African History of the Pre-Sugar Spanish Caribbean THURSDAY, APRIL 27 AT 6:30 PM
Harlem Premier: A Hug for Harlem
SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG
EVENTS AT THE SCHOMBURG
ARE YOU LOOKING for the PERFECT VENUE to HOST YOUR NEXT EVENT?
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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SUPPORT THE SCHOMBURG
SUPPORT THE SCHOMBURG Become a Schomburg Society Member Today! Support the Schomburg while enjoying exclusive memeber benefits: • Invitations to private events • Member Newsletter • 20% discount at the Schomburg Shop • ...AND MUCH MORE FOR MORE INFORMATION: VISIT SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG/JOINTODAY OR CALL 212.491.2252
Volunteer at The Schomburg! PLEASE CALL:
212.491.2265 OR EMAIL:
SCHOMBURGVOLUNTEERS@NYPL.ORG
SCHOMBURGCENTER.ORG
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.