23

Victor Hernandez Cruz & Ntozake Shange

Series: THE SCHOMBURG READING ROOM: WRITERS ON THE CUTTING EDGE

CANCELLEDSinging through the Evocative Language of Poetry: Victor Hernandez Cruz & Ntozake Shange
Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:00 PM
Authors Victor Hernandez Cruz and Ntozake Shange will read from their works with a moderated conversation between the two guests. Moderated by Patricia Spears Jones.

Tickets: members, $16; nonmembers, $20. For ticket charge, call The Schomburg Shop (212) 491-2206.Or buy tickets through Telecharge

29

PANEL DISCUSSION

LGBTQ Africans Speak Out
Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 6:00 PM
None on Record: Stories of Queer Africa is a sound documentary project that collects the stories of queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered Africans from the Continent and the Diaspora. Several participants of the oral history project discuss how their experiences have shaped them emotionally, politically, socially, and culturally.

This event is sponsored by the Astraea Foundation, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and None on Record: Stories of Queer Africa.

May

9

YOUTH SUMMIT

WE THE PEOPLE
Saturday, May 9, 2009, 10:00 AM
The Schomburg Center Junior Scholars presents the 8th Annual Youth Summit WE THE PEOPLE featuring original theater, dance, spoken word, Internet radio, video, media, research and visual art presentations on WE THE PEOPLE in which embodies a full spectrum of ideas, emotions, and critique born from both historical and contemporary analyses of issues facing young Americans of African descent. Admission is free. Priority seating for youth. To register, or to get more information, contact dhollman@nypl.org.

9

FILM SERIES
Saturday, May 9, 2009, 4:00 PM
Black Dju

From the sea and sun of the Cape Verde Island, it's a very big step to rainy, gloomy, land-locked Luxembourg, but that's the journey 20-year-old Dju Dele Dibonga must take to track down his dad, whose yearly visits and monthly guest worker checks have stopped. But it's not just the weather that's not welcoming, Dju also has to face overzealous immigration cops intent on filling deportation quotas. 80 mins.

Otomo

A powerful film portraying institutionalized racism and police brutality, Otomo provides a convincing look at the everyday world of refugees, who are continuously surrounded by tension and insecurity. In the summer of 1989, a Stuttgart newspaper reported the true story of a West African asylum seeker who physically assaulted an intolerant subway ticket-taker; fled, and became the target of a city-wide manhunt. 84 mins.

16

FILM SERIES
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 4:00 PM
Waalo Fendo: Where the Earth Freezes

Milan, like Paris or Stuttgart, and like many other European cities, is the theater of the drama of immigration. Demba reconstructs his story and that of his brother Yaro, both Senegalese immigrants in Italy, in a long and fragmentary flashback that begins with Yaro’s murder and recounts their departure from the village, arrival in Europe, the work they find selling lighters and picking tomatoes in the south of Italy: the stages every “non-EEC citizen” goes through in Italy. 63 mins.

Names Live Nowhere

In this film, whose title is a Senegalese proverb, a griot traveling from Dakar to Brussels weaves a tale about African expatriates and offers a candid look at the life of African immigrants in Belgium. With Sotigui Kouyate - a real life griot - as the story teller. 76 mins.

17

FILML FESTIVAL

6th Annual Sheba Film Festival
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 2:00 PM
Vasermil 2 p.m.

Director: Mushon Salmona. Israel,2007, 90 mins, Hebrew,Amharic, Swahili, Russian w/ English subtitles.

A no-holds barred film about three teenagers, living in a tough neighborhood of Be’er Sheva, Israel, who pin their hopes on soccer as a way out. Recruited by the coach of the local soccer team, they will have to play as a team, overcome their differences, and get over their sense of inferiority and prejudice.

Zrubavel

Director: Shmuel Beru. Israel, 70 mins, Amharic and Hebrew w/ English subtitles.

The first film to be made by and about Ethiopian Israelis, Zrubavel tells the story of Itzhak, a 13 year old boy who dreams of becoming a film director - the future Spike Lee of Israel. Going around filming everyone and everything, his neighborhood and family stories are revealed on the screen. A surprising chain of events ignites a clash of generations - the Ethiopian customs cherished by Yitzhak’s grandparents and the younger generation’s desire to assimilate with Israeli culture.

Tickets: $10 per film. For tickets go to wwww.binacf.org or call 212-284- 9642/212-203-2424.

19

FORUM

Malcolm X & Fatherhood: Lost, Stolen and Found
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
His Impact on Rebuilding Black Fatherhood Today What would move the Black community to the next level? A modern day Malcolm X, President Barack Obama, or fathers who are committed to nurturing and supporting their families. Join the Malcolm X Museum as it commemorates the 84th anniversary of Malcolm’s birth by talking with fathers and their children and reflecting on Hajj Malik El Shabazz’s role as a father, son, and leader. Free gifts for fathers who attend with their children! For more information, please contact The Malcolm X Museum at 212-340- 9502. This event is free and open to the public.

20

STAGED READING
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7:00 PM
The Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center and the Classical Theatre of Harlem presents a staged reading series. For more information, visit www. fdcac.org or call (212) 864-3375.

21

Christina Garcia & Walter Mosley

Series: THE SCHOMBURG READING ROOM: WRITERS ON THE CUTTING EDGE

CANCELLEDTwo Novelists who Sizzle with Mystery: Christina Garcia & Walter Mosley
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 7:00 PM
Authors Christina Garcia and Walter Mosley will read from their works with a moderated conversation between the two guests. Moderated by Patricia Spears Jones.

Tickets: members, $16; nonmembers, $20. For ticket charge, call The Schomburg Shop (212) 491-2206.Or buy tickets through Telecharge

22

CONCERT

Carnegie Neighborhood Concert:an Evening of Spirituals
Friday, May 22, 2009, 7:00 PM
This award-winning choir of young men and women, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, from Nashville, Tennessee preserves the distinctly American tradition of singing “slave songs,” known today as Spirituals.

Free Admission. RSVP required at 212.491.2040.

Neighborhood Concert Series is a program of the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts are supported, in part, by The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation.

23

SING-A-LONG

Carnegie Community Sing:an interactive event for all ages
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 3:00 PM
Experience this special opportunity to learn songs and exchange stories with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. (No singing experience necessary!) The original Jubilee Singers introduced “slave songs” to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this American musical tradition known today as Negro Spirituals. They broke racial barriers in the US and abroad in the late 19th century, and entertained kings and queens in Europe. Today the Fisk Jubilee Singers—young students of Fisk University—continue their legacy by singing and traveling extensively, sharing this distinctAmerican art form and experience with audiences worldwide. This event is hosted by Vy Higginsen, co-writer, producer, and director of “Mama, I Want to Sing!”

Free Admission. RSVP required at 212.491.2040.



Neighborhood Concert Series is a program of the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts are supported, in part, by The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation.

30

FILM SERIES
Saturday, May 30, 2009, 4:00 PM
The Glass Ceiling

Europe's racial make-up is quickly changing. French-Algerian filmmaker Yamina Benguigui is hoping to start a conversation about affirmative action - a policy that does not exist in France today. Benguigui's Le Plafond de Verre (Glass Ceiling) presents a series of sometimes very emotional first-hand accounts of discrimination against mostly black and North African Arab who are trying to find jobs. 90 mins.

Boma-Tervuren, The Voyage

The extraordinary and tragic saga of 267 Congolese, brought to Brussels for the 1897 World's Fair. After some four months of travel towards Belgium, they are exhibited before a million visitors. Subjected to the crushing gaze of the "Whites" and the cold climate, many fell prey to disease and even some lost their lives. One hundred years later, Congolese compatriots return to the scene of these events and question the "Whites" of today on the incredible story of that "human zoo". 54

June

6

FILM SERIES
Saturday, June 6, 2009, 4:00 PM
The Language You Cry In tells an amazing scholarly detective story that searches for -and finds- meaningful links between African Americans and their ancestral past. Through a song, it bridges hundreds of years and thousands of miles from the Gullah people of present-day Georgia back to 18th century Sierra Leone. It recounts the even more remarkable saga of how African Americans have retained links with their African past through the horrors of the middle passage, slavery and segregation. 52 mins

Sons of Benkos An entertaining documentary that explores the African culture of Colombia through music. The film presents the music of the Sons of Benkos, one of the most important Black leaders in the fight for freedom during the times of slavery in Colombia. The film also shows the evolution of Afro-Colombian music over time through the fusion of Cuban and contemporary African rhythms with traditional Afro-Colombian music. 52 mins

13

FILM SERIES
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 4:00 PM
Saturday Night, Sunday Morning explores the links and tensions between the sacred and the secular in African American music through the remarkable odyssey of A.D. "Gatemouth" Moore from popular blues singer to gospel preacher. 70mins

17

STAGED READING
Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 7:00 PM
The Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center and the Classical Theatre of Harlem presents a staged reading series. For more information, visit www.fdac.org or call (212) 864-3375.

20

FILM SERIES
Saturday, June 20, 2009, 4:00 PM
On Tip Toe: Gentle Steps to Freedom tells the inspiring story of the group that introduced South African music to the world - Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Nominated for an Academy Award, this film recounts how a music affirming its deeply traditional roots has been passed down and popularized under the most hostile circumstances not only for South Africans but also for people everywhere. 56 mins

Many Steps The origin and evolution of African American collegiate stepping is explored in this energetic and informative documentary. Stepping is a popular communal art form in which teams of young dancers compete, using improvisation, call and response, complex meters, propulsive rhythms and a percussive attack. 28mins

27

FILM SERIES
Saturday, June 27, 2009, 4:00 PM
Strange Fruit is the first documentary exploring the history and legacy of the Billie Holiday classic. The song's evolution tells a dramatic story of America's radical past using one of the most influential protest songs ever written as its epicenter. 57 mins, 2002

Wild Women Don't Have the Blues shows how the blues were born out of the economic and social transformation of African American life early in this century. It recaptures the lives and times of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters and the other legendary women who made the blues a vital part of American culture. The film brings together for the first time dozens of rare, classic renditions of the early blues. 58 mins

28

Dr. Betty Shabazz

LECTURE & AWARD CEREMONY

Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial Lecture & Award Ceremony: Honoring Women Who Dedicate Their Lives to Helping Others
Sunday, June 28, 2009, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
In keeping with Dr. Betty Shabazz’s expression, "find the good and praise it," Women In Islam, Inc. welcomes you to the 8th Annual Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial Lecture and Award Ceremony. This is an opportunity to honor Dr. Shabazz and other powerful women leaders of all backgrounds and faiths. This year we will honor Progress Theatre, a women-led, international touring ensemble of multi disciplined performers committed to using art to encourage social consciousness, cross-community dialogue and cultural awareness. Accepting the Award are Cristal Chanelle Truscott, Founder, Artistic Director & Playwright, Progress Theatre; Maiesha McQueen, Music Composer and Actor; Dana Bowles, Actor. (www.progresstheatre.com)/www.myspace.com/progresstheatre). Two Compass Awards are also given to women who forge a clear direction for communities in New York City. This year’s honorees are Blanche Foster, Darfur Rehabilitation Project (www.darfurrehab.org) and Jacqueline Moturi Ogega, Women's Program, World Conference of Religions for Peace (www.wcrp.org.

Reception, Lecture and Special Performance by Progress Theatre: $50. Elegant Attire! Please make check payable to Women In Islam, Inc. and mail to P.O. Box 814 Lincolnton Station, New York, NY 10037-0814 by June 20, 2009. You may also pay online at: womeninislam.org. For more information, call (212) 576-8875 or email womeninislaminc.rsvp@gmail.com.