2016 CALENDAR AND CULTURAL GUIDE

Transcription

2016 CALENDAR AND CULTURAL GUIDE
PRESENTED BY THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
2016
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Eric Garcetti
LOS ANGELES
CITY COUNCIL
CULTURAL AFFAIRS
COMMISSION
Mayor
Herb J. Wesson, Jr.
Eric Paquette
Mike Feuer
District 10
President
President
Gilbert Cedillo
Vice President
Los Angeles City Attorney
Ron Galperin
Los Angeles City Controller
District 1
Paul Krekorian
Charmaine Jefferson
Maria Bell
District 2
Jill Cohen
Bob Blumenfield
Mari Edelman
District 3
Josefina Lopez
David Ryu
Sonia Molina
District 4
Paul Koretz
District 6
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
DEPARTMENT OF
CULTURAL AFFAIRS
Felipe Fuentes
Danielle Brazell
District 7
General Manager
Marqueece Harris-Dawson
Daniel Tarica
District 8
Assistant General Manager
Curren D. Price, Jr.
Will Caperton y Montoya
District 9
Director of Marketing and
Development
District 5
Nury Martinez
Mike Bonin
District 11
Mitchell Englander
District 12
CALENDAR PRODUCTION
Mitch O’Farrell
Editor and Art Director
District 13
Martica Caraballo Stork
Jose Huizar
Assistant Editor
District 14
Joe Buscaino
District 15
CALENDAR DESIGN
Terese Harris
PMAC
VIEW ONLINE AT: CULTURELA.ORG
Front Cover: Benita Elliott, detail from Rebirth, Photograph on rag, 5.5” x 12”, 2015
2016 AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
CELEBRATION
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
ERIC GARCETTI
MAYOR
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Dear Friends,
It is my sincere pleasure to lead our city in celebrating African American Heritage
Month. The contributions of our African American residents in the arts, academia,
business, government, and the nonprofit sectors are immense and well worth
recognizing year-round.
Throughout our great city, we welcome the celebration of African American Heritage
Month, and I encourage you to experience L.A.’s rich African American culture by
participating in its traditions and customs.
I hope you will use this Calendar and Cultural Guide created by our Department of
Cultural Affairs (DCA) to learn about the many activities happening all over L.A. in
celebration of African American Heritage Month. Please join us in this celebration
and enjoy all our neighborhood arts and cultural centers have to offer.
I also encourage you to enjoy the work of Los Angeles’ emerging and established African
American artists showcased by DCA throughout this publication. These artists keep
heritage alive and vibrant in innovative and contemporary ways, providing us with
visual treasurers to admire.
Sincerely,
ERIC GARCETTI
Mayor
City of Los Angeles
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Bryan Tilford, Poets Voice, Acrylic on canvas board, 11” x 14”
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CELEBRATION
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
HERB J. WESSON, JR.
PRESIDENT
LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL
Dear Friends,
On behalf of the Los Angeles City Council, it is my privilege to invite you to celebrate
African American Heritage Month in our great City! People from around the world have
made Los Angeles their home, and each culture contributes to the rich diversity that
makes it among the foremost cities in the world.
This month we continue to honor the achievements of our City’s African Americans,
and acknowledge their contributions to this great culture. With this calendar, our
Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) highlights the work of our artists who keep our
shared African American traditions alive and thriving in our communities. DCA offers a
wide array of arts and cultural events for your enjoyment. Please refer to this calendar
to find the numerous festivals, musical events, theatrical performances, films, poetry
readings, and cultural activities in your neighborhood.
I encourage you to take part in the special events listed throughout these pages, and
welcome you into our Neighborhood Arts and Cultural Centers to celebrate African
American Heritage Month in the City of Angels.
It is sure to be a memorable celebration!
Sincerely,
HERB J. WESSON, JR.
President
Los Angeles City Council
Council Member, District 10
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Beverly Collins, Blackness, Acrylic on canvas paper, 2016
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CELEBRATION
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
DANIELLE BR AZELL
GENER AL MANAGER
DEPARTMENT OF CULTUR AL AFFAIRS
Dear Friends,
The Department of Cultural Affairs is pleased to present this calendar of events
celebrating the vibrant African American cultural traditions that continue to shape the
unique heritage of our great City. These events honor the extraordinary range of African
American experiences, from ancient traditions, to the contemporary voices of our artists
and storytellers.
We are pleased to showcase engaging art produced by our Los Angeles artists in this
publication. Their vision pays homage to steps taken in the past, but looks towards the
future with a contemporary edge. Combined with the work of other artists of African
descent around the City, they truly represent the heart and soul of this year’s African
American Heritage Month Celebration.
As part of the Mayor’s “Back to Basics” priorities, the Department is helping to create
a more livable and sustainable City by providing services, like this calendar and cultural
guide, to enrich the quality of life for our residents and visitors. Since our City knows
few boundaries, we are collaborating with our colleagues in neighboring cities to include
calendar events around the Los Angeles area.
We engaged our partners and community leaders to support these events, and want to
acknowledge our appreciation for their ongoing generosity. We also extend our thanks to
the members of Our Authors Study Club, the Mayor’s staff, the Council President’s staff,
and the many nonprofit organizations, community groups, and arts organizations whose
efforts helped us create this impressive listing of fun, educational, and exciting events.
What better place to see fantastic art, experience a taste of African American culture,
and celebrate a City’s great heritage than Los Angeles? We hope you will join in the
festivities and enjoy!
DANIELLE BRAZELL
General Manager
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
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Beverly Collins, Blackness, Artwork
Miles Regis, Chronicles of a Love Explosion, Acrylic and wallpaper on canvas, 33” x 19”, 2015
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CITY OF LOS ANGELES
2016
2016 AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH COMMITTEE
Mike Davis
2016 African American Heritage Month Committee Chair
Board of Public Works
MEMBERS
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
OUR AUTHORS STUDY CLUB, INC.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Danielle Brazell
Mary C. Cotton
Ayuko Babu
Department of Cultural Affairs
Martica Caraballo Stork
Theresa Curtis
Lura Daniels-Ball
Paqueta Davis
Pan African Film Festival
Marilyn Cole
Chef Marilyn Express
Lena Cole Dennis
Lena Cole Dennis
Arc Mid-Cities
Tonya Durrell
Laura Falwell
Larry Earl
Public Affairs Office
Hector Graciano
Los Angeles Police Department
Carmen Hawkins
Office of the City Attorney
Jacquelynn Hawthorne
Commission on Community and
Family Services
Gabrielle Horton
Ernestine Janet Gordon
Mayme A. Clayton Library &
Museum
Mildred M. Gordon
Lena Echols
Clifton Johnson Maude Johnson
Mordena M. Moore
Mary Louise Reeves
Dr. Genevieve A. Shepherd
J.U.G.S. Inc. Los Angeles Ron Hasson
NAACP
Janeshia Robinson
Los Angeles Association of
Black Personnel
Alvetia Smith
Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti
United States Postal Service
Dora Nuñez
Kenneth Wyrick
Office of the City Controller
Baldwin Hills Neighborhood Council
Pierre Riotoc
Department of General Services
Special Events
Eric Robles
Department of General Services
Special Events
Rosa Russell
Board of Human Relations
Commission
Miriam Schneider
Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti
Jimmy Tokeshi
Public Affairs Office
Justin Wesson
Council District 10
Office of Council President
Herb Wesson, Jr.
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Buena Johnson, at left: Raindrop Carnivalé, Photograph, 2014, at right: Rainy Day on Stocker Street, Photograph, 2014
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CITY OF LOS ANGELES CELEBRATION
2016
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AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH AWARDS
OUR AUTHORS STUDY CLUB
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
70 years and the legacy lives on …
Our Authors Study Club, Inc. (OASC) is one of 53 branches of the Association for the Study of
African American Life and History (ASALH) founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The club’s
mission is to research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information about African American
life, history, and culture in America, in general, and in Southern California, in particular.
In 1950, when Mayor Fletcher Bowron issued the first Proclamation for Negro History Week
inviting all citizens to join in celebration to honor the accomplishments of African Americans,
Our Authors Study Club was acknowledged as the official co-sponsor of the week, beginning a
long history of partnership with the City of Los Angeles in producing the celebration each year.
In 1976, Mayor Thomas Bradley changed the length of the celebration from a week to a month,
and it has continued ever since with every Los Angeles Mayor — and continues today with
Mayor Eric Garcetti. OASC has received recognition for the club’s good works from officials over
the years including Governors Goodwin Knight, Edmund P. Brown, and Ronald Reagan, and has
been recognized by numerous State, County, and City officials.
In 2015, the national Association for the Study of African American Life and History celebrated
its 100 year anniversary. Locally, the City of Los Angeles and Our Authors Study Club held the
first annual Roundtable Symposium and Evening with the Authors, moderated by Dr. Daryl
M. Scott, President of ASALH and a Professor of History at Howard University, to honor the
accomplishments of ASALH over the past century.
As OASC continues its original mission, it organizes an annual tour of historical Los Angeles
sites, produces an oratorical contest for high school students, provides scholarships
for college students, and hosts a reading program for elementary students. In addition,
outstanding achievers and role models are recognized and honored for their contributions and
accomplishments during each celebration in partnership with the City of Los Angeles.
Today, the organization achieves their goal of enlightening people about the profound impact
and contributions African Americans have made nationally and globally in music, art, literature,
science, education, commerce, and medicine.
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2016
HALL OF FAME AWARD WINNER
LAW
JUSTICE AUDREY B. COLLINS
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE
SECOND DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Justice Collins was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California Court of Appeal in 2014.
She received an “exceptionally well qualified” rating from the Commission on Judicial Nominees
Evaluation and was unanimously confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Justice
Collins was appointed by President Clinton as a United States District Court Judge for the Central
District of California in 1994. She served as Chief Judge of the Central District from 2009 through
September 2012.
Justice Collins was born and raised near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her family had a strong
tradition of public service, which inspired her to seek a career in the law. Justice Collins graduated
from Howard University, where she was named Woman of the Year and elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
She subsequently received a Masters of Arts in Government and Public Administration from
American University in 1979.
After moving to Los Angeles, Justice Collins worked for two years as the Director of the Norman
Topping Student Aid Fund at the University of Southern California. She then attended U.C.L.A.
Law School, where she was a member of the U.C.L.A. Law Review and Order of the Coif. During
her second summer in law school, Justice Collins clerked for the Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office. After serving as a staff attorney for the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation, she
joined the District Attorney’s Office in 1978. Justice Collins was the first African-American woman
to become a Head Deputy, Assistant Bureau Director, and Assistant District Attorney in that
office. She was elected President of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys in 1984.
Justice Collins received the U.C.L.A. Alumni Association’s Professional Achievement Award in
1997 and was awarded the Ernestine Stahlhut Award from the Women Lawyers Association of
Los Angeles (WLALA) in 1999. She received the Outstanding Jurist Award from the Los Angeles
County Bar Association (LACBA) and the Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award from
California Women Lawyers, both in 2012, and was a recipient of Loyola Law School Fidler Institute
Award Judge of the Year in 2013. Justice Collins has also received both the Loren Miller Lawyer
of the Year and the Bernard Jefferson Justice of the Year awards from the John M. Langston Bar
Association.
In 1992, Justice Collins served as a Deputy General Counsel on the Webster-Williams Commission,
appointed to investigate the LAPD’s response to the April 1992 civil disorder in Los Angeles.
She chaired the LACBA Task Force on the State Criminal Justice System, which recommended
improvements within the criminal justice system in the aftermath of the LAPD Rampart
investigation, from 2002 through 2003.
Justice Collins is married to Timothy Collins, a native of Los Angeles. They have two adult children.
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AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH AWARDS
EDUCATION
DR. WILLIE J. HAGAN
PRESIDENT
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY
DOMINGUEZ HILLS
Dr. Willie J. Hagan is the 10th president of California State University, Dominguez Hills, a
comprehensive urban university located in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. Established
in 1960, CSU Dominguez Hills enrolls close to 15,000 students and awards more than 3,000
undergraduate and graduate degrees each year. The university is a leader in developing
outstanding programs that foster a college-focused culture in the communities it serves, with a
goal of becoming a national model for student success grounded in academic excellence.
A results-oriented administrator with a collaborative work style and a proven ability to motivate
and lead, Dr. Hagan became interim president of CSU Dominguez Hills in June 2012. On May 2,
2014, the entire CSUDH community celebrated the inauguration of Dr. Hagan as the university’s
10th president. As president, Dr. Hagan successfully has refocused and reinvigorated campuswide efforts on improving student academic success and dramatically improving graduation
rates and time to degree. Additionally, Dr. Hagan identified and reallocated university resources
to support strategic university priorities, including faculty and staff hiring, technology and
academic equipment, and student support services.
Dr. Hagan previously served as the interim president at CSU Fullerton, effectively moving
the campus forward during a time of significant transition. He joined CSU Fullerton in 1996,
serving initially as vice president for administration and later as interim vice president for
university advancement and subsequently as vice president for administration and finance
and chief financial officer prior to serving as interim president. As CSU Fullerton’s vice
president for administration and finance and chief financial officer, he was responsible for all
administrative, business, and financial operations of CSU Fullerton’s $380-million enterprise.
His many accomplishments at CSU Fullerton include developing and executing a plan to
purchase a 200,000-square-foot building adjacent to the campus that has proven critical in
accommodating unprecedented enrollment and academic growth and significantly enhancing
business and administrative services and operations.
Before joining CSU Fullerton, Dr. Hagan served as associate vice president for administration
at the University of Connecticut, and as a lobbyist for the University of Connecticut and the
Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education at the state and federal level. He has
led U.S. political delegations to London and Taiwan as a member of the American Council of
Young Political Leaders, a bipartisan, nonprofit educational exchange organization dedicated
to fostering relations between the next generation of political leaders in the United States and
their international counterparts. Dr. Hagan holds a doctorate in psychology from the University
of Connecticut and a Master of Fine Arts from UCLA.
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2016
GOVERNMENT
JEROME E. HORTON
CHAIRMAN
CALIFORNIA BOARD OF EQUALIZATION
Jerome E. Horton was appointed to the Board of Equalization (BOE) by Governor
Schwarzenegger and confirmed by the legislature in 2009. He was overwhelmingly
reelected in 2010 and 2014.
With over 27 years of Board of Equalization experience in tax administration, property
taxes, and tax policy, Horton is the first African American to serve on the Board since its
inception in 1879.
Prior to joining the BOE, he served with distinction as a member of the California State
Assembly, California Medical Commission, Workforce Investment Board, California Endowment
Board, and Inglewood City Council/ Redevelopment Agency. In addition, he was the Co-founder
of Children’s Rights 2000 and President of Strategic Government Advocates.
Under Horton’s administration, his BOE initiatives have helped millions of California taxpayers
start, grow, and maintain their business in California. He initiated the BOE’s Tax Recovery
and Criminal Enforcement unit that protects taxpayers by investigating, arresting, and
prosecuting criminals operating in the black market as human traffickers, counterfeiters,
smugglers, and illegal business operators who exploit workers and rob California of our
tax dollars.
Horton’s Campaign against Poverty led him to establish state internship, mentoring,
employment, and contracting opportunities for women and minorities. His professional
development and career advancement programs have resulted in the employment and
promotion of more women and minorities to high-ranking positions within the BOE and
Franchise Tax Board.
Nationally recognized for his Free Income Tax Preparation and Family Resource Fairs,
Businesses Resource Seminars, International Trade Conferences, and Connecting Women
To Power Business conferences, Horton has helped working families capture millions in tax
refunds and credits, prepared businesses to succeed domestically and internationally, and
provided the tools for women to break through the glass ceiling.
Horton’s progressive protection of his community throughout the Greater Los Angeles area
dates back 35 years and continues to this day.
Horton graduated from El Camino College with an Associate’s degree in business administration
and California State University, Dominguez Hills with a degree in finance and accounting. A
native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Horton is married to the Honorable Yvonne Horton, City Clerk of
the City of Inglewood. They share two children, Myeshia and Matthew, and one granddaughter.
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Kathie Foley-Meyer, Brown People, Glass House, Glass panels, neon tubing, 2011
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Elliott Pinkney, Peace Brother Peace, Screen-print on watercolor paper, 1985
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2016
OPENING EVENTS
2016 AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH PRESENTATION IN CITY HALL
COUNCIL CHAMBERS OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY AND RECEPTION
Join Mayor Eric Garcetti; Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr. and the Los Angeles
City Council; Board of Public Works Commissioner Mike Davis; the Department of Cultural
Affairs (DCA); Our Authors Study Club, Inc.; and the 2016 African American Heritage Month
Committee to officially commemorate and celebrate the opening of African American
Heritage Month in the City of Los Angeles.
At this presentation in City Hall’s Council Chamber, DCA’s 2016 African American Heritage
Month Calendar and Cultural Guide will be officially unveiled, and Los Angeles elected officials
will recognize Our Authors Study Club, Inc. as the African American Heritage Month Lifetime
Achievement Award Winner as well as three Hall of Fame leaders from the community.
WHEN:
February 3, 2016, 10:00 a.m.
SITE:
Los Angeles City Hall, Council Chamber
Followed by Program, Entertainment, and Reception with Catering by
Chef Marilyn at 11:00 a.m.
200 North Spring Street (Public entrance on Main Street), Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSORS: Office of the Mayor, Los Angeles City Council, Department of Cultural Affairs,
Board of Public Works, Los Angeles Association of Black Personnel, Our Authors
Study Club, Inc., and the 2016 African American Heritage Month Committee
INFO:
213.978.0254
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2016
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH OPENING EVENTS
“HALLOWED GROUNDS: SITES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MEMORIES”
PANEL DISCUSSION
Mayor Eric Garcetti and Our Authors Study Club cordially invite you to the City of Los Angeles
African American Heritage Month Panel Discussion on “Hollowed Grounds: Sites of African
American Memories.” The conversation will feature L.A. county scholars of African American
Studies including: Dr. Jody David Amour from USC; Dr. David Horne from CSUN; Dr. Maulana
Karenga from CSULB; Dr. Tyrone Howard from UCLA; and Dr. Alexis McCurn from CSUDH. The
Moderator will be Ethnic Studies Scholar, Dr. Toni-Mokjaetji Humber. Reception to follow after
the program in the City Hall Rotunda.
WHEN:
February 4, 2016, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
SITE:
Los Angeles City Hall, Public Works Chambers with Reception following in
the City Hall Rotunda
200 North Spring Street (Public entrance on Main Street), Los Angeles
COST: Free
SPONSORS: City of Los Angeles, Office of Mayor Garcetti
INFO:
RSVP at 213.403.0143
2016 AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH WORSHIP SERVICE
Rev. J. Edgar Boyd, Senior Pastor, First African Methodist Episcopal Church and Mayor Eric
Garcetti cordially invite you to the 2016 African American Heritage Month Worship Service
featuring music by the First A.M.E. Church Cathedral Choir and Special Guest Artists and
Grammy Award Winning American Gospel Duo, Mary Mary. With a salute to members of the
California State Senate, Senator Holly Mitchell, 30th District, and Senator Isadore Hall, 35th
District.
WHEN:
February 7, 2016, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
SITE:
First African Methodist Episcopal Church,
2270 South Harvard Boulevard, Los Angeles
COST: Free
SPONSOR: First African Methodist Episcopal Church
INFO:
RSVP at 213.978.0254
AN EVENING WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS
Prominent Los Angeles African American authors will discuss their latest books, reveal
messages about their works, and share experiences about how they gained recognition
as authors.
WHEN:
February 23, 2016, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
SITE:
Los Angeles City Hall, Edward R. Roybal Board of Public Works Session Room
200 North Spring Street, Room 350 (Public Entrance on Main Street), Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: City of Los Angeles, Office of Mayor Garcetti
INFO:
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213.403.0143
Aise Born, The Ascending, White charcoal, spray enamel, markers and stickers, 18” x 24”
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Dolores Johnson, Lisa, Oil on board, 9” x 12”
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2016
LOS ANGELES BRANCH OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY, INC.
HALLOWED GROUNDS
SITES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MEMORIES
2016 NATIONAL BLACK HISTORY THEME
2016 OFFICERS
MEMBERS
Ernestine Janet Gordon
Jacqueline Arkord
President
Caroline Culpepper
Laura Farwell
Toni Humber
Ernestine Huff
Vice President
Parliamentarian
Theresa Curtis
Albertine Brown
Vice President
Chaplin
Maude Johnson
Mordena M. Moore
Vice President
Executive Director
Mildred L. Midkiff
M. Stephene Johnson
Dr. Genevieve A. Shepherd
Treasurer
President Emeriti
Christine Nelson
Keta Davis
Recording Secretary
Mildred M. Gordon
Charmaine Jefferson
Beatrice Jones
Mary Louise Reeves
Lovella Singer
Sarah Singer
Helen Steward
Brenda Tyson
Kenneth Wyrick
Our Authors Study Club, Inc.
LA Branch of ASALH
Post Office Box 882025
Los Angeles, CA 90009-3019
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2016 GENERAL CHAIR
TRACY UNDERWOOD
NATIONAL MANAGER, SOCIAL IMPACT
SOCIAL INNOVATION DIVISION
TOYOTA
As national manager of Toyota’s social impact group, Tracy Underwood is responsible for the
administration of many of Toyota’s local and national philanthropic efforts as well as corporate
volunteer activities.
Toyota’s Social Innovation Division works to develop practical solutions to challenges
communities face today and tomorrow. We do this by sharing our know-how and engaging
the talents of our diverse employees to inspire new ideas that move us forward.
Underwood manages the evaluation and distribution of philanthropic grants for Toyota as well
as oversees the execution of the company’s national social impact programming including
projects focusing on areas such as education, environment, and safety.
Most recently, Underwood helped to lead Toyota’s partnership with the Special Olympics World
Games which took place in Los Angeles in 2015, the largest sporting event to take place in the
city since the 1984 Olympic Games. Toyota served as the official automotive partner providing
400 vehicles which were used throughout the competition as well as pace vehicles for the
“Flame of Hope” cross-country torch relay. The company also commissioned three permanent
murals in the city celebrating the spirit of the games and coordinated the participation of
nearly 600 Team Toyota volunteers.
Underwood is also has been responsible for the coordination of efforts such as the company’s
signature defensive driving education series for educators, teens, and their parents, Teen
Drive 365 and Toyota’s first-ever philanthropic social media campaign entitled Toyota 100
Cars for Good. The Toyota 100 Cars for Good program donated 300 vehicles to 300 non-profit
organizations across the country based on votes from the public via Toyota’s Facebook page.
Underwood has held a number of positions during her tenure with Toyota including
management of Toyota’s award-winning, multi-million dollar Video Production Center which
serves as a communications hub for internal and external corporate messaging, team member
and dealer training, video news releases, and internet broadcasting/webcasting. Other
positions include media relations manager, community relations manager, Lexus public relations
administrator, community relations administrator and supervisor, and human resources analyst.
Underwood graduated from California State University, Northridge with a bachelor of science
degree in business management. She serves a member of the Switzer Learning Center’s Board
of Trustees, and is a member of the board of directors for the Torrance Area Chamber of
Commerce, Pediatric Therapy Network, the ACCP (Association of Corporate Contributions
Professionals), and MADD Los Angeles.
She lives in the South Bay in Southern Calif., with her husband and two daughters.
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2016
HALLOWED GROUNDS
2015 HONORARY CHAIR
Tracy Underwood
National Manager, Social Impact
Social Innovation Division
Toyota
2016 HONORARY COMMITTEE
J. L. Armstrong
Laponza Butler
Clifton L. Johnson
National Manager
Corporate Affairs
Toyota Motor Sales
President
SEIU United Long Term
Care Workers
Vice President (ret.)
Union Bank
Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.
Judge Mablean Ephriam
Executive Publisher / CEO
Los Angeles Sentinel
Television Personality
Carl A. Ballton
Sandra Evers-Manly
Randy Rice
Executive Director
Education Programs
Farmers Insurance Group
Northrup Grumman Foundation
Francille Rusan-Wilson, PhD
President
Union Bank Foundation
Belinda Fontenot-Jamerson
Professor
University of Southern California
Charisse Bremond Weaver
Board President
Museum of African American Art
President / CEO
Brotherhood Crusade
Wendy Gladney
President / CEO
Personnel Services Plus
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George Evans, Wanda, Watercolor, 8.32” x 11.277”
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
ERNESTINE JANET GORDON
HALLOWED GROUNDS
It’s important to remember our rich history of struggles, challenges, and chievements.
Knowing the paths taken encourages us to move forward and inspires us to make a
positive difference for today and for generations to come.
The history of African Americans unfolds across the canvas of America, beginning
before the arrival of the Mayflower and continuing to the present. From port cities
where Africans disembarked from slave ships to the battle fields where their
descendants fought for freedom, from the colleges and universities where they
pursued education to places where they created communities during centuries of
migration, the imprint of Americans of African descent is deeply embedded in the
narrative of the American past. These sites prompt us to remember and over time
became hallowed grounds. One cannot tell the story of America without preserving
and reflecting on the places where African Americans have made history. The Kingsley
Plantation, DuSable’s home site, the numerous stops along the Underground Railroad,
Seneca Village, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, and Frederick Douglass’ home — to
name just a few — are sites that keep alive the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
in our consciousness. They retain and refresh the memories of our forbears’ struggles
for freedom and justice, and their belief in God’s grace and mercy. Similarly, the
hallowed grounds of Mary McLeod Bethune’s home in Washington, D.C., 125th Street
in Harlem, Beale Street in Memphis, and Sweet Auburn Avenue in Atlanta tell the
story of our struggle for equal citizenship during the American century.
Our Authors Study Club of Los Angeles is a branch of The Association for the Study
of African American Life & History founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, “the Father of
Black History” and his contemporaries.
Our mission is to research, study, and to disseminate black history to our community
We ask that you pass on our rich history to your family, friends, and neighbors.
We are stronger because of our history.
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2016
On September 9, 1915, Dr. Carter G. Woodson held a meeting in Chicago, Illinois with Alexander
L. Jackson, Executive Secretary of the new Negro YMCA branch. In addition to Woodson and
Jackson, three other men were present: George Cleveland Hall, W. B. Hartgrove, and J. E.
Stamps. At this meeting they formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History
(ASNLH) and appointed Dr. Woodson, Executive Director, a post he held until his death on April
3, 1950. Today, this organization is known as the Association for the Study of African American
Life and History, Inc. (ASALH). Its headquarters is currently on campus at Howard University
in Washington, DC.
In Los Angeles, a group of Terminal Annex postal workers brought their proposal to read the
works of African American authors and learn the true history of Africans in the Americas to
Mrs. Vassie Davis Wright and Our Authors Study Club (OASC) was formed on February 14, 1945.
Mrs. Wright recommended that the group affiliate with Dr. Woodson’s organization and Dr.
Carter G. Woodson, himself, chartered Our Authors Study Club as the Los Angeles Branch of
ASNLH in June 1945. OASC was incorporated as a California non-profit organization in 1946.
Our Authors Study Club, Inc. (OASC) began citywide celebrations for what was Negro History
Week in 1947. In 1950, Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron issued the first proclamation
acknowledging Our Authors Study Club, Inc. as the primary sponsor of Negro History Week
and invited citizens of Los Angeles to join the celebration. In 1959, while serving as General
Chairperson for Negro History Week, the late Gilbert Lindsay, moved the Opening Ceremony
to City Hall steps where the celebration now takes place every year, weather permitting.
In the year of the nation’s Bicentennial, 1976, the celebration was expanded to the entire
month of February and is now known as African American Heritage Month.
OASC continues its original mission and now offers programs that include a Reading Program
for elementary school students; an Oratorical Contest for high school students; scholarships
for deserving college students seeking a Bachelor’s Degree; and a fellowship for Ph.D.
candidates researching African American history, literature, and/or culture. Additional activities
include an annual Tour of African American Landmarks in Los Angeles and the Dr. Carter G.
Woodson Scholarship and Awards Luncheon where the accomplishments of extraordinary
African Americans are recognized.
Our Authors Study Club, Inc. also supports the restoration of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s home
in Washington, DC, now declared a National Historic Site, and partners with community
organizations including the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) and the
Sigma Sigma Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
For more information about the Association for the Study of African American Life and History,
visit their website at asalh.org.
Our Authors Study Club, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization. For more information, write
Our Authors Study Club, Inc. at Post Office Box 882025, Los Angeles, California 90009-3019.
26
Edward Ewell, Kenneth Hahn Park, Photograph, 2014
27
ASALH
ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY, INC.
DR. CARTER GODWIN WOODSON
FATHER OF BLACK HISTORY
FOUNDER OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF
Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson was born on December 19, 1875 in New Canton, Buckingham County,
Virginia. His parents were former slaves Anne Eliza (Riddle) and James Henry Woodson. He died
suddenly on April 3, 1950. He was the second African American to receive a Ph.D. degree from
Harvard University (Dr. W.E.B. DuBois was the first). Dr. Woodson and four supporters organized the
Association for the Study of Negro Life and History on Thursday, September 9, 1915 in the Wabash
Avenue YMCA office located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois.
His dream for ASALH was to archive sociological and historical data, publish books, promote the study
of African American life and history, and encourage racial harmony through the organization and work
of clubs and schools. In 1916, ASALH published the first issue of the “Journal of Negro History,” a highly
respected and scholarly digest that was followed in 1937 by the “Negro History Bulletin,” a widely
circulated historically oriented magazine. In 1920, Dr. Woodson founded the Associated Publishers,
the for-profit arm of the Association. The Associated Publishers is responsible for the publication and
circulation of ASALH’s renowned African American History Month Kits. Additionally, the Associated
Publishers sells books and other literature authored by Dr. Woodson and other prominent scholars in
the field of African American history.
In February 1926, Dr. Woodson announced the institution of Negro History Week, which coincided
with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, the observance was expanded
to “National African American History Month,” in honor of the nation’s bicentennial. Beginning in
1975, U.S. Presidents have paid tribute to the mission of the Association and urged all Americans to
celebrate African American History Month. Since 1926, ASALH has established the national theme for
the month-long celebration of African American History Month. The Association maintains the Carter
G. Woodson Home in Washington, D.C., where Woodson operated ASALH from 1923 until his death in
1950. The Woodson Home is a National Historic Landmark.
The work of the organization has historically been to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and
disseminate information about African American life, history, and culture to the global community.
ASALH
28
asalh.org
[email protected]
OASC
MRS. VASSIE D. WRIGHT
FOUNDER OF OUR AUTHORS STUDY CLUB, INC.
LOS ANGELES BRANCH OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE
STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY, INC.
Mrs. Wright and a group of Terminal Annex Postal Employees founded Our Authors Study Club, Inc.
on February 14, 1945 for the purpose of studying the Biographies of African American authors, reading
and reviewing their books, and learning the true history of African American people in the Diaspora.
In June of 1945, Dr. Carter G. Woodson chartered the group to become members of his Association
for the Study of African Life and History, Inc. Mrs. Wright also helped to establish lending libraries in
the YMCA, YWCA, and at the Second Baptist Church’s Henderson Community Center. Other notable
achievements included the first citywide celebration of negro History Week in Los Angeles and
initiating a Black History curriculum in the Los Angeles Unified School District Adult Schools.
Her education was in the public schools of Denver, Colorado. She graduated from Western University
in Kansas City, Kansas and did her graduate work in Teaching at the University of Kansas. After
moving to California, she attended the University of Southern California Extension and completed
courses in Sociology and Business Administration. Mrs. Wright became well known for her abilities as
an organizer, socialite, and civic worker.
Mrs. Wright was a real estate broker, community activist, a Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. member,
and a very active member of Second Baptist Church. In addition, she was and organizing member of
many community groups.
Mrs. Vassie D. Wright was born in Paola, Kansas on December 6, 1899, the daughter of Samuel Davis
and Lula Ann (Pertilla) Davis. She died on March 20, 1983, in Los Angeles, California.
On June 5, 1985, the Los Angeles Jefferson Branch Library was renamed the “Jefferson-Vassie D.
Wright Memorial Library.” The library is located at 2211 W. Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles,
California, 90018.
29
Lamonte McLemore, Untitled, Photograph, 1989
30
2016
EVENTS
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH OPENING CEREMONY
WITH OUR AUTHORS STUDY CLUB, INC.
Join Mayor Eric Garcetti and Our Authors Study Club, Inc. to acknowledge the outstanding
contributions of African Americans in our community
WHEN:
February 3, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
SITE:
Los Angeles City Hall (South Lawn)
City Hall, 200 North Main Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSORS: City of Los Angeles, Office of Mayor Garcetti, Our Authors Study Club, Inc.,
Time Warner Cable, ABC7, The Walt Disney Company, Wells Fargo,
Media Image P.R., Fox Audience Strategy
INFO:
Ms. Mordena M. Moore, 310-745-8773
ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY BUS TOUR OF LOS ANGELES
The tour follows the progress of the African American community in Los Angeles. It includes
the Biddy Mason Wall, Sugar Hill, the Island, Central Avenue, Leimert Park, and other locations
throughout the City.
WHEN:
February 7, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
Leaving from Consolidated Realty Board of Southern California.
Consolidated Realty Board of Southern California,
3725 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
INFO:
Dr. Genevieve A. Shepherd, 323-292-5027 or
Ms. Maude Johnson, 323-292-2361
31
OUR AUTHORS STUDY CLUB EVENTS
Irene Fertik, Rosa Parks, Ethel and Tom Bradley at Urban League Affair, Photograph
DR. CARTER G. WOODSON SCHOLARSHIP AND AWARDS BRUNCH
Scholarships are awarded to deserving students attending college. The event will also recognize
African Americans in the communities of the City of Los Angeles.
WHEN:
February 20, 11: 00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
SITE:
Marina del Rey Marriott Hotel, Bay view Room, 4100 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey
COST:
Call for information
INFO:
Ms. Mordena M. Moore, 310-745-8773
SIGMA GAMMA RHO SORORITY, INC. / OUR AUTHORS STUDY CLUB, INC.
ORATORICAL CONTEST
This contest showcases students in grades 10 through 12 attending Los Angeles County High
Schools. These students will compete for Scholarship prizes by reciting their speeches based on
the 2016 African American History Month theme: “ Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American
Memories.”
WHEN:
March 19, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
SITE:
Trinity Baptist Church, 2040 W. Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSORS: Our Author Study Club and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Sigma Sigma Chapter
INFO:
32
[email protected]
Valena Dismukes, Chocolate Women Series #1, Photograph
33
Lance Vantille Whitfield, Louie + Ella, 2015
34
35
Delfin Finley, Maybe When it Snows in Summer, Oil on polyester, 32” x 40”
36
2016
201 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1400
Los Angeles, California 90012
TEL
213.202.5500
FAX 213.202.5513
WEB culturela.org
COMMUNITY EVENTS
FEBRUARY
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN JOURNEY WEST: PERMANENT COLLECTION
The exhibition features art and artifacts that allow us to trace the African American
experience from the western shores of Africa to the rural fields of the southern United
States and on the continent’s western frontier.
WHEN:
Ongoing exhibition, Tuesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.,
Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
California African American Museum, 600 State Drive,
Exposition Park, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: California African American Museum
INFO:
213-744-7432, caamuseum.org
37
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Adah Glenn, Purple Mandala Study, Acrylic on canvas, 2015
35TH ANNUAL BLACK DOLL SHOW: TRENCH ART RETROSPECTIVE: THE WAR
AGAINST HIV/AIDS – WOMEN OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN THE TRENCHES
For a milestone anniversary year, the 35th Annual Black Doll Show at The William Grant Still
Arts Center will welcome guest curator and avid doll collector Dr. Cynthia Davis, MPH who
has dedicated her 35-year career in public health to working as an advocate and educator
to individuals and communities affected by HIV/AIDS. This year’s Black Doll Show will display
approximately 200 artist dolls, sculptures, a sampling of community-created handmade
dolls from Dolls of Hope Project, artist-designed altars, and quilts, including a section of
the NAMES Project Foundation’s AIDS Memorial Quilt on loan from Atlanta, Georgia.
WHEN:
Through February 13, Tuesdays through Saturdays 12:00 noon – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
William Grant Still Arts Center, 2520 S. West View Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSORS: City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, William Grant Still Arts Center
INFO:
38
323-734-1165, wgsac.wordpress.com
CITY OF LOS ANGELES CELEBR ATION
Elliott Pinkney, Save the Child, Screen-print on watercolor paper, 1983
50 YEARS AND I STILL CAN’T BREATHE: REMEMBERING THE
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1965 WATTS REBELLION AND NOW
Thirty-two multicultural artists comment on the signs of the times then and now. During six
days of rebellion the week of August 11, 1965, 34 lives were lost, more than 1,000 were injured,
over 3,000 were arrested and there was upwards of 40 million dollars in property damage. The
title comes from the reality of today. “Eric Garner was a human being with a family, with feelings
and with hopes and aspirations for the future, whose murder should never be forgotten.” He
died saying, “I can’t Breathe.”
WHEN:
Through February 28, Wednesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.,
Sundays 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
Noah Purifoy and Charles Mingus Galleries, Watts Towers Arts Center Campus,
1727 East 107th Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Watts Towers Arts Center
INFO:
213-847-4646, wattstowers.org
39
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
COLORING INDEPENDENTLY: 1940S AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM STILLS FROM
THE COLLECTION OF THE CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM
The exhibition will feature more than 80 films stills and photographs from the museum’s
unique collection of African American films from the 1940s. The rare collection of films,
referred to as “race films” consisted of all black casts, directors, producers, and writers,
intended for an all-black audience. Black directors and producers presented their films in
theaters designated for blacks only. Approximately 500 race films were created and now
only a few hundred remain. As a result of race films being made outside of Hollywood,
mainstream film historians disregarded them.
WHEN:
Through February 28, Tuesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.,
Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH DISPLAY
During the month of February, the Robertson Branch will feature a display in celebration of
African American Heritage Month.
WHEN:
Through February 29,
SITE:
Robertson Branch Library, 1719 S. Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Robertson Branch Library
INFO:
310-840-2147, lapl.org/branches/Robertson
THE AFRICAN LEGACY IN CENTRAL AMERICA:
TONY GLEATON’S PHOTOGRAPHS FROM CAAM’S COLLECTION
This exhibition displays 20 black and white photographs from the California African American
Museum’s permanent collection. The images examine aspects of the African Diaspora in several
countries in Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama, contributing
to a much needed dialogue on the historical and sociological development of racial identity among
its populations of African descent. For over 15 years, African American photographer Tony Gleaton
(1948 – 2015) journeyed these lands to document the daily lives of peoples African descent,
capturing images filled with empowerment, ultimate dignity, and unsurpassed beauty.
WHEN:
Through March 20, Tuesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.,
Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
40
Bryan Tilford, Pac, Mixed media on wood panel, 17” x 24”
41
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Teresa Tolliver, at left: Untitled, Ceramics, 32” x 24”, 2006, at right: detail from Untitled
METAPHORS – CHARLES DICKSON
The exhibition will include five site-specific mix media wall installations from one of Los Angeles’
most prolific African American artists, Charles Dickson. In addition to his studio works, Dickson
is an accomplished public artist and his outdoor metal sculpture “Wishing on a Star” has been
an iconic and celebrated visual marker on CAAM’s footprint since 2009.
WHEN:
Through April 10, Tuesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.,
Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
HARD EDGED: GEOMETRICAL ABSTRACTION AND BEYOND
Hard Edged explores the evolving practice of geometrical abstraction in contemporary art,
illustrating the rich interplay of tradition, innovation, and individual talent among 46 visual
artists of African descent.
WHEN:
Through April 24, Tuesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.,
Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
42
Kohshin Finley, Maybe One Day, Oil and mixed media on canvas, 15” x 22.5”
THURSDAY AFTERNOON @ THE MOVIES: I AM ALI
This 2014 documentary delves into the life of the celebrated champion boxer. Muhammad
Ali was a galvanizing social figure who refused to enter the military when drafted during
the Vietnam war. That decision cost him his heavy-weight title. Boxing experts explain the
importance of Ali to the sport. PG-13. (106 minutes)
WHEN:
February 4, 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
Echo Park Branch Library, 1410 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Echo Park Branch Library
INFO:
213-250-7809, lapl.org/branches/echo-park
43
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
ROMARE BEARDEN COLLAGE CRAFT
Celebrate African American Heritage Month by exploring the work of renowned artist Romare
Bearden. Kids will learn about Bearden’s life and influences and create original collages inspired
by his distinctive style. Best for K-5 students.
WHEN:
February 4, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
Silver Lake Branch Library, 2411 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Silver Lake Branch Library
INFO:
323-913-7455, lapl.org/silverlake
BLACK HISTORY THROUGH MUSIC – GUITAR EXPLORATION
Guitarist Rich Thompson will explore the contributions of African American musicians through
performances on the guitar.
WHEN:
February 4, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
SITE:
Eagle Rock Branch Library, 5027 Caspar Avenue, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Eagle Rock Branch Library
INFO:
323-258-8078, lapl.org/branches/eagle-rock
PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL
America’s largest black film festival showcasing over 150 new films from Africa, the United
States, Europe, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, South America, and Canada. This event also
features 100 black fine artists and craftspeople, poetry, fashion shows, free forums, and panels.
WHEN:
February 4 - 15, Check times on website
SITES:
RAVE Cinemas 15, 4020 Marlton Avenue, and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza,
3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Los Angeles
COST:
Varies by event
SPONSOR: Pan African Film & Arts Festival
INFO:
310-337-4737, PAFF.org
FLY
In honor of Black History Month, the Pasadena Playhouse announces their upcoming
production Fly, which tells the story of the first African American Army Air Corp fighters
known as the Tuskegee Airmen who flew over the skies of Europe and North Africa during
World War II.
WHEN:
February 4 through February 21, 8:00 p.m.
SITE:
Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. Molino Avenue, Pasadena
COST:
$25 - $125
SPONSOR: Pasadena Playhouse
INFO:
44
626-356-7529, pasadenaplayhouse.org
Miles Regis, Chakra, Oil and latex on canvas, 2011
45
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Valena Dismukes, Chocolate Women #2, Photograph
FRIDAYS AT THE MOVIES: DREAMGIRLS
The time is the 1960s, and singers Effie, Lorrell, and Deena are about to find out just what it is
like to have their wildest dreams come true. Discovered at a local talent show by an ambitious
manager Curtis Taylor Jr. the trio become “the Dreamettes.”
WHEN:
February 5, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
Lincoln Heights Library, 2530 Workman Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Lincoln Heights Library
INFO:
323-226-1692, lapl.org/branches/lincoln-heights
PROP-MAKING WORKSHOP
Lynn Rossi and Nichelle Evans, whose works are currently on view in the CAAM exhibition
Evolution of the Revolution, will help attendees create a prop of the North Star. All materials
will be provided. RSVP at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
February 6, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
46
Lisa C. Soto, NGC 1003 and NGC 0913, Wire, 2015
THE WIZ – A SCREENING
The classic retelling of The Wizard of Oz starring Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell,
and Ted Ross, directed by Sidney Lumet.
WHEN:
SITE:
Los Feliz Branch Library, 1874 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Los Feliz Branch Library
INFO:
323-913-4710, lapl.org
A CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY: A JOURNEY IN FOUR PARTS
(A TRIBUTE TO HISTORY)
Jazz Archivist Mark Cantor will present and narrate an evening of Dance on Film, featuring the
Nicholas Brothers, Charles Honi Coles, and more.
WHEN:
SITE:
The Nate Holden Performing Arts Center,
4718 W. Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Ebony Repertory Theater
INFO:
323-964-9766, ebonyrep.org
47
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
ART WORKSHOP FAMILY TIME IN CAAM’S COURTYARD
Come with your family and participate in a free, relaxing art activity. Materials provided;
suitable for ages six and above. RSVP at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
February 6 & 20, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
CARTER G. WOODSON AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY SERIES, 2016:
AFRICAN AMERICANS POLITICIANS DURING RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction (1863-1875) yielded the active participation of African Americans (including
thousands of former slaves) in the political, economic, and social life in the South. Some 2,000
African Americans held public office from the local level all the way up to the U.S. Senate. Learn
more about the pioneering African American Reconstruction politicians. RSVP at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
February 7, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
TEEN CRAFTS – MUD CLOTH
Make a quick 15-minute simplified Malian mud cloth (bogolanfini) print.
WHEN:
SITE:
Teen’Scape, 630 W 5th Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Teen’Scape
INFO:
213-228-6290, lapl.org
TOCHI TALES
Tochi Tales is a special storytelling performance full of music, culture, laughs, puppets,
language, and more. Loads of learning and fun, a must see for the little ones!
WHEN:
February 10, 10:30 a.m.
SITE:
Little Tokyo Library, 203 S. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Little Tokyo Library
INFO:
48
213-612-3215, lapl.org/branches/little-tokyo
Teresa Tolliver, Seating Lady, Ceramic, 30” x 18”, 2007
TALKING DRUMS
Sing, laugh, and celebrate African American Heritage Month with the interactive storytelling
of Emmy-award winning actress and professional storyteller, Ina Buckner-Barnette, The
Sunshine Storyteller.
WHEN:
February 10, 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
SITE:
Angeles Mesa Branch Library, 2700 W. 52nd Street., Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Library Foundation of Los Angeles
INFO:
323-292-4328, lapl.org/branches/angeles-mesa
49
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
Buena Johnson, Mama’s Covering, Acrylic and mixed media, 2012
50
Zeal Harris, Un Hijo Por Otro (Panel 1 Study)
PAPER STRIP KENTE WEAVING
Colorful African kente cloth will serve as the inspiration for this woven paper craft. Look at
examples and fashion your own pattern using traditional colors and symbols.
WHEN:
SITE:
Panorama City Branch Library, 14345 Roscoe Boulevard, Panorama City
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Panorama City Branch Library
INFO:
818-894-4071, lapl.org/branches/panorama-city
THURSDAY AFTERNOON @ THE MOVIES: STOMP THE YARD
DJ Williams is a 19-year old growing up in Los Angeles. He finds that the moves he learned on
the street may help him in his new traditionally all-Black Atlanta College. The fraternities notice
him and want DJ to join them in the campus steppin’ competition. PG-13. (116 minutes)
WHEN:
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
51
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Kevin Tidmore, Rubie #1, Color digital image, 30” x 20”
AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY CONTEST
Come to the library and read poems by African American poets. You may win a prize! For ages
from 11 to 19.
WHEN:
SITE:
Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, 7771 Foothill Boulevard, Tujunga
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library
INFO:
818-352-4481, lapl.org/branches/sunland-tujunga
WHEN WE WERE KINGS – A SCREENING
The library will screen the Academy Award winning documentary featuring Muhammad Ali and
George Forman in Zaire, Africa, for their 1974 heavyweight championship boxing match.
WHEN:
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
52
323-913-4710, lapl.org/branches/los-feliz
FRIDAYS AT THE MOVIES: SELMA
Selma chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The
epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
WHEN:
February 12, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
PRESENTATION ON BRONZEVILLE BY ROBEY THEATRE COMPANY
Bronzeville is a community which came into being in Little Tokyo when the Japanese were
forced to move to internment camps. Many African Americans rented out the abandoned
houses and transformed the area into a jazz culture during the war. This largely forgotten
history deserves to be remembered in the tapestry of Los Angeles history. The Robey Theatre
Company will perform.
WHEN:
February 13, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
SITE:
Little Tokyo Library, 203 S. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSORS: Robey Theatre Company, Little Tokyo Historical Society
INFO:
213-612-3215, lapl.org
CREATED EQUAL: THE LOVING STORY FAMILY ACTIVITY DAY
AND FILM SCREENING
The Baldwin Hills Library is celebrating the African American Heritage Month and Valentine’s
Day with an afternoon of all age activities centered on the documentary The Loving Story. The
event includes crafts and storytime for children, the film viewing, discussion, and refreshments.
WHEN:
February 13, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
Baldwin Hills Library, 2906 S. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Baldwin Hills Library
INFO:
323-733-1196, lapl.org/branches/Baldwin-hills
53
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Valerie Ayres Wallick, Love is in the Air, Digital photograph
35TH ANNUAL BLACK DOLL SHOW: TRENCH ART RETROSPECTIVE: THE WAR
AGAINST HIV/AIDS – WOMEN OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN THE TRENCHES
This is the closing reception of the 35th Annual Black Doll Show. The event features the
panel “Creating Sanctuary; Eliminating HIV/AIDS-related Stigma and Shame.” Confirmed
speakers include Reverend Kelvin Sauls (Holman United Methodist Church), and Reverend
Alfreda “Freda” Lanoix of Unity Fellowship.
WHEN:
February 13, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MOVIE: THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
Our program will feature Disney’s film screening of The Princess and the Frog. The movie
centers on a waitress, desperate to fulfill her dreams as a restaurant owner, who finds herself
on a journey to turn a frog prince back into a human being. However, she finds herself facing
the same problem after she kisses him. Featuring the first African American Disney princess,
The Princess and the Frog will be sure to keep children and their families captivated.
WHEN:
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
54
Kohshin Finley, Camouflage for the Modern Man, Oil and mixed media on canvas, 30” x 40”
(A TRIBUTE TO LOVE)
“Here and Now: The Legacy of Luther Vandross,” brings to life the soul-stirring sounds of
Luther Vandross’ legendary performances and honors the music of one of R&B’s most beloved
singers. Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, Terry Steele brings to life the soul-stirring
sounds of Vandross.
WHEN:
SITE:
COST:
$25 - $50
INFO:
55
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
STORYTIME & CRAFTS
Children will listen to the West African trickster tale Zomo the Rabbit by Gerald McDermott.
After the story there will be an African mask workshop based upon the characters in the book.
WHEN:
February 16, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
THURSDAY AFTERNOON @ THE MOVIES: GOOD HAIR
An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, this film visits beauty
salons, hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories, and Indian temples to explore the way
hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the
black community. PG-13. (95 minutes)
WHEN:
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
FRIDAYS AT THE MOVIES: THE HELP
The Help is an inspirational, courageous, and empowering story about very different,
extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret
writing project — one that breaks society’s rules and puts them all at risk.
WHEN:
February 19, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
FAMILY ART & BOOKS
Participants will work on an art project celebrating the African American experience.
WHEN:
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
56
323-913-4710, lapl.org/branches/los-feliz
Adah Glenn, Pastel Octagons
57
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Marcella Swett, Biologically Equal, Culturally Separated, Acrylic on wood, 24” x 48”
(A TRIBUTE TO MEN)
A three-day symposium where actors and scholars will examine the historical and
contemporary theater landscape focusing on Dr. Henry Millers book, “Theorizing Black Theater:
Art vs. Protest in Critical Writings, 1889 - 1965.”
WHEN:
February 19 - 21, 8:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
$10, $25 for 3-Day Pass
INFO:
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE CELEBRATION
This afternoon celebration includes poetry, storytelling, live gospel, jazz, and blues. African
artifacts for sale such as kente cloth, mud cloth, soapstone, handmade masks, and tribal
earrings add an authentic flavor to the event.
WHEN:
SITE:
Angelus Plaza, 4th floor Auditorium, 255 S. Hill Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free, Donations Accepted
SPONSOR: Angelus Plaza
INFO:
58
213-623-4352 x317
Buena Johnson, Sparks Men at Work, Photograph, 2015
UNITED STATES PRESIDENTS WHO OWNED SLAVES
Eight U.S. Presidents owned slaves during the course of their Presidencies. George Washington
owned at least 300 slaves; Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson owned 200. Learn more
about the details of this contradictory predicament they faced as Presidents while the country
grappled with the moral questions surrounding slavery and its economic impact on the Nation.
RSVP at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
February 20, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
59
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
(A TRIBUTE TO LOVE)
Dorian and Nayanna Holley perform ”Revolution Songs,” a concert woven with the musical
tapestry of the Civil Rights Movement.
WHEN:
SITE:
COST:
$20
INFO:
CREATE YOUR OWN JUJU BAG
Teen participants will learn about African juju bags (medicine bags) and create their own
African-inspired juju bag. Thanks to the California African American Museum Education
Department for the use of their program guide.
WHEN:
SITE:
Felipe de Neve Branch Library, 2820 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Felipe de Neve Branch Library
INFO:
213-384-7676, lapl.org/branches/felipe-de-neve
SUNSHINE DRUM CIRCLE STORIES
The event features Ina Buckner-Barnette, The Sunshine Storyteller and Chazz, The Great
Percussionist. Sing, drum, and flap your wings as we travel on a global storytelling adventure.
WHEN:
SITE:
Vermont Square Branch, 1201 W. 48th Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Vermont Square Branch
INFO:
60
323-290-7405, lapl.org/branches/Vermont-square
Doug Pearsall, Eye Entered The Room Yelling, Paper and adhesives, 2016
61
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Valerie Ayres Wallick, Untitled, Digital photograph
A BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION WITH THE FERNANDO PULLUM
COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER BAND AND SPECIAL GUESTS
The EXPO Community Concert Series presents the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center
band and special guest for the black history month celebration. Enjoy an evening of poetry,
history, culture, and jazz.
WHEN:
February 24, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
SITE:
3980 Bill Robertson Lane, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSORS: Expo Center City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks,
Friends of EXPO Center
INFO:
62
213-763-0114 x205, laparks.org/expo
Kram Neves, “Lost” Tribal
THURSDAY AFTERNOON @ THE MOVIES: RADIO
Set in a small South Carolina town during the ‘60s, the film stars Ed Harris as Harold Jones,
a high school football coach who barely has time to spend with his family. When Coach Jones
meets the mentally challenged student who goes by the name of Radio (Cuba Gooding Jr.), he
allows him to help out with his football team. But not all the locals like this arrangement.
WHEN:
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
A BLACK HISTORY JAZZ CONCERT AT THE LIBRARY
The Friends of the Angeles Mesa Branch Library present a free jazz concert performed by the
Jacques Lesure Trio.
WHEN:
February 25, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
SITE:
Angeles Mesa Branch Library, 2700 W. 52nd Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSORS: Angeles Mesa Branch Library and Friends of the Angeles Mesa Branch Library
INFO:
323-292-4328, lapl.org/branches/angeles-mesa
63
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
FRIDAYS AT THE MOVIES: THE BUTLER
The Butler tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over
three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this
time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected
this man’s life and family.
WHEN:
February 26, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
323-226-1692, lapl.org
BONES AND BLUES
Bones and Blues is a monthly concert series featuring live blues and jazz music, domino
tournaments, and a hearty barbecue dinner.
WHEN:
SITE:
The Center, 10950 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles
COST:
$25 Door, $15 Pre-sale
SPONSOR: Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC)
INFO:
323-563-5639
(A TRIBUTE TO WOMEN)
“Garth Fagan Dance,” a brilliant modern dance company under the direction of Tony award
winning choreographer Garth Fagan, will perform “Life Fete…Bacchanal,” a tribute to
Geoffrey Holder.
WHEN:
February 26 - 28, Friday 8:00 p.m., Saturday 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.,
Sunday 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
$25 - $60
INFO:
64
Zeal Harris, Afrocuban Art Altar, Havana, Photograph
65
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Marcella Swett, Arterial, Mixed media on wood, 12” x 48”
THE COMMUNITY WRITERS GROUP WORKSHOP
The mission of the Community Writers Group is to preserve the histories of the peoples of the
African Diaspora through the writing of personal narratives.
WHEN:
February 27, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
AFRICAN DRUMMING
Children will enjoy learning about the ancient rhythms and power of African drumming in this
interactive workshop.
WHEN:
February 27, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
66
AFRICAN AMERICAN FESTIVAL
Join the Aquarium of the Pacific during its 14th annual African American Festival, celebrating
African American and African cultures. The event features hip hop and break dancers, tap
dancing, Mardi Gras second line dancers, jazz, interactive drum circles, West African dancers,
ethnic food, arts and crafts, and storytellers.
WHEN:
February 27 & 28, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach
COST:
$28.95 Adults, $25.95 Seniors, $14.95 Children (3 -11),
Free children under 3 and Aquarium members
SPONSOR: Aquarium of the Pacific
INFO:
562-590-3100, aquariumofpacific.org
BLACK TALKIES ON PARADE
Enjoy cinematic history as it plays on screen showcasing African American talent from the
1930s, 40s, and 50s. Included in the lineup are movies by Oscar Micheaux, Gordon Parks, and
more. These cinematic wonders showcase stars such as Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte,
Sidney Portier, Herb Jeffries, Ethel Waters, and Josephine Baker. Each event ranges from
60 to 90 minutes and may include shorts, reels, mini-documentaries, and feature length
presentations.
WHEN:
February 27 through March 26, 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum, 4130 Overland Avenue, Culver City
COST:
Free / Donation Suggested
SPONSORS: The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum, Shall Be Productions
INFO:
310-202-1647, claytonmuseum.org
67
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Zeal Harris, Eric Garner
LEIMERT PARK ARTWALK
Leimert Park Village has a long history of being the center of African American arts and culture
in Los Angeles. The Village is inviting the public the last Sunday of each month to share a day of
art exhibitions, music, fashion, food, drumming, spoken word, and local shopping. Throughout
the day, cultural spaces, artist studios, and storefronts will also have offerings ranging from
free computer seminars, and specialty vendors to film screenings, youth theater performances,
and live bands.
WHEN:
February 28, 12:00 noon – 8:00 p.m.
SITE:
Leimert Park Village, 43rd Place, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Leimert Park Artwalk
INFO:
68
facebook.com/leimertparkartwalk/
Teresa Tolliver, Spirit of My Ancestors, Mixed media, 30” x 16”, 2008
FOUR BLACK GOVERNORS
After Reconstruction it took more than 80 years before an African American would become a
U.S. Governor. This presentation offers a closer look into the lives, gubernatorial campaigns,
and service of the four Black men elected or served as governors during the 19th, 20th, and
21st centuries. RSVP at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
February 28, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
69
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
MARCH EVENTS
Veta Rice, Memories of Muddy, Gouache, 12” x 12”, 1990
CELEBRATING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH –
AMERICA’S SISTERS TRIVIA GAME
Have fun and learn about the important contributions made by some of America’s outstanding
African American women in the spheres of politics, civil rights, education, literature, and
journalism. Come ready to play. Biographies are available for study and prizes will be offered.
WHEN:
March 5 & 13, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
70
Yrneh Brown, Tea at Sunset, Mixed media, 12” x 6” x 6”
CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN S.T.E.M.
Accomplished women in science, technology, engineering, and math will discuss their careers in
these male-dominated fields and how to succeed in these professions.
WHEN:
March 5 & 13, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
ART WORKSHOPS FAMILY TIME IN CAAM COURTYARD
Come with your family and participate in a free, relaxing art activity. Materials provided;
suitable for ages six and above. RSVP preferred at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
March 5 & 19, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
71
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
MARCH EVENTS
MEET LA’S OWN, NBC4 NEWS REPORTER, BEVERLY WHITE
Beverly White is a distinguished and award-winning former news anchor and current NBC4
General Assignment Reporter. The California African American Museum is honored to recognize
her thirty year career in an intimate conversation. RSVP preferred at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
March 6, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
14TH ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE
Technology has changed the face of genealogy research - come and learn what is new. The
classes/workshops for both the newcomer to genealogy and experienced family historian will
introduce and re-enforce user friendly research resources and techniques to find and connect
with ancestors and lost family.
WHEN:
March 12, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
SITE:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Historic Chapel,
1209 S. Manhattan Place, Los Angeles
COST:
$30 Before February 18, $40 after February 18 and at the door
SPONSORS: LDS Church, California African American Genealogical Society,
San Diego African American Genealogy Research Group
INFO:
discoveryourroots.org
A JAZZY STROLL DOWN HISTORY LANE
The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum presents Jazzy Rita Shelby in this event featuring
iconic jazz music, as well as originals from the Shelby/Daniels songbook. It’s a melodious night
of history, humor, and love. The venue will be lined with rare photos, displays, and artifacts from
the famed Clayton collection.
WHEN:
March 12, 7:00 p.m.
SITE:
The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum, 4130 Overland Avenue, Culver City
COST:
$20
SPONSORS: The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum, Shall Be Productions
INFO:
72
310-202-1647, claytonmuseum.org
Charles Dickson, Sky’s the Limit, Mixed media assemblage, Ultra Cal30, plastic and acrylic, 2016
73
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
MARCH EVENTS
Caron Bowman, The Cry, 36” x 28”, 2015
SO WHAT! THE ARTISTRY OF MILES DAVIS
The 8th annual African American Composer Series celebrates the life and work of an AfricanAmerican composer annually. The event includes panels, concerts, exhibits, workshops, and
other programs.
WHEN:
March 12 through June 4, Opening Reception March 12, 3:00 p.m.,
Gallery hours, Tuesdays through Saturdays 12:00 noon – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
74
William Roper, West Adams-Onigiri, Mixed media digital image, 8.5” x 11”, 2015
TARGET SUNDAYS AT CAAM – DOCUMENTARY SCREENING,
DISCUSSION, AND BASIC BALLET
Screening of A Ballerina’s Tale: The Incredible Rise of Misty Copeland. The film examines the
issues of race and body image in the classical ballet world. Following the screening, there will be
a Q&A session and beginner’s level ballet barre taught by Robyn Gardenhire, who is featured in
the documentary and is the founding director of City Ballet of LA. Suitable for all ages.
WHEN:
March 13, 12:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Target
INFO:
75
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
MARCH EVENTS
Delfin Finley, Renegade, Oil on polyester
ARTIS LANE: MOTHERDUST
Artis Lane is an African Canadian sculptor and painter, raised in a community of descendants of
enslaved Black People who came to Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. Through her
nurturing hands, we experience the wonders of the human spirit and the commonality of
people of the world.
WHEN:
March 13 through August 7, Wednesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.,
Sundays 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
Noah Purifoy and Charles Mingus Galleries, Watts Towers Arts Center Campus,
1727 East 107th Street, Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Watts Towers Arts Center
INFO:
213-847-4646, wattstowers.org
AFRICAN AMERICAN COMPOSER SERIES EDUCATION PROGRAM
The African American Composer Series is a free music education program for kids
ages 3 to 18. Students will learn about the music of Miles Davis. Pre-registration
from February 29 to March 4.
WHEN:
March 15 through May 7, Tuesdays through Saturdays 12:00 noon – 5:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
76
SURREAL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Apply your artistry and imagination to create a photographic portrait of yourself or a family
member guided by Surreal Box Cinema artists. We will decorate a fantastic studio and set up
lighting and props. Bring your own professional camera or cell phone and additional items and/
or costumes! RSVP at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
March 19, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
ARTIST WALK-THROUGH WITH OVERTON LOYD
Walk-through of the exhibition Rhythm of Vision: The Artistry of Overton Loyd with the artist
Vida L. Brown, CAAM’s Visual Arts Curator. RSVP at 213.744.2084.
WHEN:
March 19, 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
ART WORKSHOP FAMILY TIME IN CAAM’S COURTYARD
Come with your family to participate in a free, relaxing art activity. Materials provided.
WHEN:
March 19, 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
RUTH CARTER COSTUME DESIGNER AND HOLLYWOOD ICON
Ruth Carter is a costume designer whose work has been seen in School Daze, Malcolm X, The
Five Heartbeats, Amistad, and Selma, among others. The panel will be moderated by television,
film, and stage writer/producer Kathleen McGhee Anderson. RSVP at 213.744.2024.
WHEN:
March 20, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
77
COMMUNITY EVENTS
2016
MARCH EVENTS
Yrneh Brown, Jamaican Guy #1
BEYOND THE NOSE: ONE-ON-ONE WITH OVERTON LOYD:
A LOOK INTO MY CREATIVE ECCENTRIC LIFE
Overton Loyd’s life experiences range from the ordinary to the outlandish. Loyd will share his
creative journey from drawing caricatures at the Michigan State Fair to becoming a visual and
multimedia artist, designer, and creative director for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.
RSVP at 213.744.2084.
WHEN:
March 20, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
BONES AND BLUES
Bones and Blues is a monthly concert series featuring live blues and jazz music, domino
tournaments, and a hearty barbecue dinner.
WHEN:
March 25, 8:00 p.m.
SITE:
The Center, 10950 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles
COST:
$25 Door, $15 Pre-sale
SPONSOR: Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC)
INFO:
78
323-563-5639
Caron Bowman, Continuum, 48” x 24”, 2015
THE COMMUNITY WRITERS GROUP WORKSHOP
The mission of the Community Writers Group (CWG) is to preserve the histories of the peoples
of the African Diaspora through the writing of personal narratives.
WHEN:
March 26, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
SITE:
COST:
Free
INFO:
LEIMERT PARK ARTWALK
Leimert Park Village has a long history of being the center of African American arts and culture
in Los Angeles. The village is inviting the public the last Sunday of each month to share a day of
art exhibitions, music, fashion, food, drumming, spoken word, and local shopping. Throughout
the day, cultural spaces, artist studios, and storefronts will also have offerings ranging from
free computer seminars, and specialty vendors to film screenings, youth theater performances,
and live bands.
WHEN:
March 27, 12:00 noon – 8:00 p.m.
SITE:
Leimert Park Village, 43rd Pl., Los Angeles
COST:
Free
SPONSOR: Leimert Park Artwalk
INFO:
facebook.com/leimertparkartwalk/
79
April Bey, Picky Head, Hair relaxer on laser prints, 2014
80
81
Adah Glenn, AfroKokeshi Wooden Doll 1, Acrylic on wood, 2015
82
2016
2016 BIBLIOGR APHY
RECOMMENDED READING
In celebration of African American Heritage Month, we present
the following reading selections for elementary, middle, and high
school readers.
Bibliography compiled by: Gabriel Cifarelli
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR // EARLY READERS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DR. KING!
Written by Kathryn Jones
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
After getting in trouble at school for fighting with another boy because he wanted to sit in
the back of the bus, fourth-grader Jamal gets in trouble again at home when his Grandpa Joe
learns about the scuffle. Grandpa Joe explains the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery
bus boycott to help Jamal understand the history associated with sitting in the back of the bus.
Jamal is so impressed with the story that he leads his class in a skit about the historic incident,
which they stage in celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday.
MY DREAM OF MARTIN LUTHER KING
Written and illustrated by Faith Ringgold|
Publisher: Crown
The author tells the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the perspective of her own childhood
dream. As her dream opens, she sees a world of people carrying bags full of prejudice, hate,
ignorance, violence, and fear, and exchanges them for bags of hope, freedom, peace, awareness,
and love. Her dreams reflect real and imagined glimpses of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. to
tell the story of his vision and civil rights leadership. By visualizing the story as the author tells
it, young readers will be able to understand Dr. King’s mission.
83
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
SANOizm, Maya Angelou, Spray paint on canvas, 27” x 27”, 2015
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR / MIDDLE READERS
JUST LIKE MARTIN
Written by Eleanora E. Tate
Publisher: Just Us
Young Stone is a member of his church’s youth group and a devoted follower of the nonviolent
philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When a racist’s bomb explodes in his Sunday school
classroom, killing two of his friends, Stone demonstrates his commitment by organizing his
peers for a controversial nonviolent children’s march. Stone must defy his father, who is much
more militant, in this moving story set in the racially charged 1960s.
MARTIN LUTHER KING
Written by Rosemary L. Bray
Illustrated by Malcah Zeldis
Publisher: William Morrow
The life and works of Martin Luther King, Jr. are captured in over-sized pages of text and
bright folk art in this exceptional book. The text begins by covering Martin’s early life, when
his childhood experiences began to shape his sensibilities. The major events of Martin’s life
are touched upon, including the day he became aware of and embraced Gandhi’s philosophy
of nonviolent protest, and his marriage to Coretta Scott. Every significant civil rights event
during Martin’s adult life is detailed, framing a young reader’s understanding of the era and
of King’s leadership role.
84
2016 BIBLIOGR APHY
Surreal Box Cinema, Amistad, 2015
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR // HIGH SCHOOL READERS
A TESTAMENT OF HOPE: THE ESSENTIAL WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Written by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Edited by James Melvin Washington
Publisher: Harper San Francisco
An exhaustive collection of the speeches, writings, and interviews with the Nobel Prize-winning
activist, this book contains Martin Luther King, Jr.’s essential thoughts on nonviolence, social
policy, integration, black nationalism, the ethics of love, hope, and more.
85
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
CIVIL RIGHTS + SLAVERY // EARLY READERS
A BAND OF ANGELS: A STORY INSPIRED BY THE JUBILEE SINGERS
Written by Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrated by Raúl Colón
Publisher: Atheneum, Simon & Schuster
This is the inspirational story of nine young people who in 1871 brought the Fisk School (later to
become Fisk University) back from the brink of financial failure. Ella Sheppard, born into slavery
in 1851, travels to Nashville after the emancipation to pursue her dream of attending Fisk. While
there, she joins the choir. The group takes their show on the road, singing white songs to white
audiences to try to earn money for the struggling school. Just when it seems that the school
is going to fail, Ella decides to change the program leading her peers in rousing black spirituals
from their slave heritage. The audiences are so moved by the soulful sounds that word spreads
and the group, who become known as the Jubilee Singers, becomes an international sensation,
saving the school from bankruptcy.
GRANDDADDY’S GIFT
Written by Margaree King Mitchell
Illustrated by Larry Johnson
Publisher: Bridge Water
Little Joe lives through a life-changing experience when she witnesses her granddaddy’s stand
against racial discrimination. Granddaddy is the first black to register to vote in their rural
Mississippi town, and he and the family endure humiliation and threats from the townspeople
as a result of his action. Little Joe’s love and respect for her granddaddy deepen as a result of
the experience, but more importantly, Little Joe begins to appreciate the value of education
and standing up for what is right.
IF A BUS COULD TALK: THE STORY OF ROSA PARKS
Written and Illustrated by Faith Ringgold
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
In an imaginative biographical story, young Marcie boards a bus and experiences an eerie event.
The bus has no driver, but it is full of riders who are celebrating Rosa Park’s birthday. The
riders tell Marcie the story of Rosa’s life from childhood through the events that followed her
courageous refusal to give up her seat on this very same bus. Marcie’s enlightening bus ride
climaxes when she actually meets Mrs. Parks, leaving her with a full understanding of
why Rosa Parks is known as the mother of the civil rights movement.
TO BE A DRUM
Written by Evelyn Coleman
Illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
Publisher: Albert Whitman
Young Matt and Martha’s daddy tells them about their African ancestors who were so in tune
with the earth that they captured its beat and translated it through their bodies onto their
drums. When they were torn from their land and brought into slavery, their drums were taken
away. But the people never lost their beat. Richly textured mixed-media paintings embellish the
thought-provoking message.
86
Caron Bowman, Wishing Star, 22” x 36”, 2015
87
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
Dolores Johnson, Gele Woman, Acrylic, 6” x 8.5”
CIVIL RIGHTS + SLAVERY // MIDDLE READERS
THE CAPTIVE
Written by Joyce Hansen
Publisher: Scholastic
Kofi, a West African prince, is betrayed by a fellow countryman and stolen away from his family,
friends, and Sierra Leone homeland by a slave trader in 1788. Young readers travel with him
from the time of his terrifying bondage and voyage over the Atlantic in a slave ship to his
landing in America, where he is sold.
LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING
Written by James Weldon Johnson
Illustrated by Elizabeth Catlett
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Written by civil rights leader and poet James Weldon Johnson in 1899, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and
Sing” is sung in schools and churches throughout America. The popular, timeless song is
recognized as a testimonial to the struggle and achievements of African American people past, present, and future.
88
2016 BIBLIOGR APHY
Edward Ewell, Blossoms of Hope, Photograph, 2014
MANY THOUSANDS GONE: AFRICAN AMERICANS FROM
SLAVERY TO FREEDOM
Written by Virginia Hamilton
Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
Publisher: Knopf, Random House
Thirty-four brief, true stories about slavery are powerfully told. Each story relates a small piece
of the historical truth about slavery. This book would make a fine classroom text or can be
shared with your child to raise his or her awareness of what has gone before.
NEXT STOP FREEDOM: THE STORY OF A SLAVE GIRL
Written by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler and Carey-Greenberg Associates
Illustrated by Cheryl Hanna
Publisher: Silver Burdett, Simon & Schuster
Young Emily, a slave, dreams of freedom as she learns to read and write. Emily has heard
about the Moses who led slaves to freedom. One night, Moses does come to escort her and
others to freedom on the Underground Railroad. After a long and suspenseful trip, with slave
catchers on their heels, the group is hidden by a Quaker family and then sent on to freedom
in Pennsylvania.
89
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
Valerie Ayres Wallick, at left, and at right, Untitled, Digital photograph
OH, FREEDOM!: KIDS TALK ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
WITH THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT HAPPEN
Written by Casey King and Linda Barrett Osborne
Illustrated by Joe Brooks
Publisher: Knopf, Random House
Kids conduct thirty-one interviews with adult friends, family members, and civil rights activists
to learn firsthand about the days of the 1960s civil rights movement. Informative chapters
thoroughly explore the Jim Crow era, non-violence, black power, and segregation. Three essays,
and an important foreword by Rosa Parks, provide background information on various aspects
of the era to help add perspective to the interviews.
THE YEAR THEY WALKED: ROSA PARKS AND
THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT
Written by Beatrice Siegel
Publisher: Four Winds, Simon & Schuster
Rosa Parks’ heroic act of nonviolent resistance, when she refused to give up her seat to a white
rider on a bus, sparked the most widely watched civil rights demonstration in the history of
the United States. A highly accessible, non-fiction account of the Montgomery bus boycott,
this book describes in complete detail the call from black civic leaders to the African American
community to unite for the boycott, and the strategies that the community used to hold their
position for over a year, until they prevailed.
90
Delfin Finley, Sweatshirt, Oil on polyester, 10” x 10”
91
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
CIVIL RIGHTS + SLAVERY // HIGH SCHOOL READERS
THE BONDWOMAN’S NARRATIVE
Written by Hannah Crafts; Edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Publisher: Warner Books
This novel was discovered some years ago, by distinguished Harvard professor Henry Louis
Gates, Jr. in an auction catalog. Gates realized that the novel, if genuine, would be the first
novel known to have been written by a black woman in America, as well as the only one
by a fugitive slave. He bought the manuscript (there was no competing bid) and began the
exhilarating task of confirming the racial identity of the author and the approximate date
of composition (circa 1855-59). Gates describes this detective work in the introduction to
The Bondwoman’s Narrative. He also proposes a couple of candidates for authorship,
assuming that Hannah Crafts was the real or assumed name of the author, and not solely
a pen name. If Gates is right (his introduction and appendix should convince just about
everyone), The Bondwoman’s Narrative is a tremendous discovery, and is well worth reading
on literary and historical grounds. As Gates argues, these pages provide our first “unedited,
unaffected, unglossed, unaided” glimpse into the mind of a fugitive slave.
INVISIBLE MAN
Written by Ralph Ellison
Publisher: Random House
Invisible Man is a nightmarish novel of a man trying to comprehend the confusion of myth,
experience, and inner reactions that control his life. The nameless narrator describes
growing up in a black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is
expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of
“the Brotherhood,” and retreating amid violence and confusion to the basement lair of the
Invisible Man he imagines himself.
NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS,
AN AMERICAN SLAVE: WRITTEN BY HIMSELF
Written by Frederick Douglass
Publisher: Yale University Press
Frederick Douglass was born a slave on a Maryland plantation, but learned to read. Mistreated
because he knew too much, he finally escaped from slavery and gained fame as an orator.
Published in 1845, just seven years after his escape from slavery, this book provides students
with an accessible introduction to the work of Frederick Douglass, as well a vivid first-hand
account of life as a slave. Students interested in pursuing the subject are encouraged to read
his later autobiography, The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, published in 1881.
92
2016 BIBLIOGR APHY
Edward Ewell, The Quilter, Photograph, 2013
NATIVE SON
Written by Richard Wright
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Native Son deals with the problems an African American has attaining manhood in a
society that conspires against him. The story begins by showing the difficulty of achieving
normal human relations in the squalor of a Chicago slum. Bigger Thomas has what appears
to be amazing luck when he gets a job as a chauffeur with a wealthy family. However, in
fear and confusion, he accidentally kills the daughter. He tries to escape, but is caught
and tried for murder. The events seem to be a long nightmare over which Bigger himself
has little or no control.
UP FROM SLAVERY
Written by Booker T. Washington
Publisher: Doubleday
Born in 1856, this autobiography describes Washington’s struggles, after the emancipation,
to gain an education and found Tuskegee Institute. This addition also includes selections
from other slave narratives.
93
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
Lance Vantille Whitfield, Esperanza, 2015
LIFE + CULTURE / EARLY READERS
THE BAT BOY AND HIS VIOLIN
Written by Gavin Curtis
Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Young Reginald is a consummate musician who would rather play his violin than do anything
else, much to his father’s chagrin. His father, who manages the Dukes, a losing team in the
Negro National Baseball League, decides to recruit Reginald as a bat boy for the team. Reginald
is a disaster as a bat boy, but the team finds his violin music inspirational. As Reginald plays
the music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach in the dugout during the games, the team begins
to perform to new heights. Finally, the Dukes are in the position to win a pennant against the
hottest team in the league. Win or lose, Reginald has made a difference, earning the respect
of the team and the gratitude of his father.
EXPLORE BLACK HISTORY WITH WEE PALS
Written and Illustrated by Morrie Turner
Publisher: Just Us
The Wee Pals, comic-strip characters who first appeared in Ebony and Black World magazines in
1964, are the vehicle for delivering a dose of African American history to young readers.
The accomplishments of over seventy prominent African Americans from all walks of life,
including Angela Davis, Jesse Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, and James Farmer, are discussed
by the Wee Pals in a series of short comic strips. The format and brevity of each vignette are
sure to attract young readers.
94
2016 BIBLIOGR APHY
Valena Dismukes, Indian Color Festival, Photograph
I LOVE MY HAIR!
Written by Natashia Anastasia Tarpley
Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Publisher: Little, Brown
Young Keyana is totally satisfied with her head of thick, soft hair. Even as she endures the
sometimes painful combing and brushing process, she understands that her hair is special.
It can be woven, braided, or beaded into beautiful styles that she loves, which fills her
with pride.
READ FOR ME, MAMA
Written by Vashanti Rahaman
Illustrated by Lori McElrath-Eslick
Publisher: Boyds Mills
This sensitive story about a hard-working single mother and her loving son will touch young
readers. Joseph loves to read and checks two books out of the library – one that can read
by himself and another, more difficult one for his Mama to read to him. But every day Mama
has a reason to avoid reading. On Mondays there was grocery shopping to do; on Tuesday,
housecleaning; on Wednesday...
95
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
Zeal Harris, Artisan, Photograph
SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
Written by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet
Publisher: Doubleday
A young girl searches for something beautiful in her inner-city neighborhood, surrounded by
graffiti, homelessness, broken glass, and trash. Through her neighbors she begins to recognize
the small things in life that are beautiful such as good meals, friends, a small neighborhood
garden, and the special love of her mother. Her mother has no trouble seeing the beauty in
her own child, whose beaming face is seen on the book’s cover.
SOMEWHERE IN AFRICA
Written by Ingrid Mennen and Niki Daly
Illustrated by Nicolaas Maritz
Publisher: Puffin Unicorn, Puffin
A young boy named Ashraf lives in Africa, but not the Africa that might come to mind when
young readers think about that continent. Ashraf’s home is a big city teeming with skyscrapers,
bustling with cars, and alive with the energy of any large metropolitan area. Ashraf’s only view
of the wilder side of Africa comes from books, whose pictures of lions, zebras, and crocodiles
fascinate him. A young reader’s vision of Africa will broaden with the new knowledge that Africa
has more than jungles and wild animals.
96
Adah Glenn, AfroKokeshis in Bloom: FlashTag Exhibition Mural, 2015
97
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
Rocking the Nation Crew (Cre 8, Design 9, SANOizm, Gaknew, Aiseborn), Supreme Kings, Acrylic spray paint, 20’ x 9’, 2015
LIFE + CULTURE // MIDDLE READERS
COMING TOGETHER: CELEBRATIONS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES
Written by Harriette Cole
Illustrated by John Pinderhughes
Publisher: Jump At The Sun
African American families are dynamic and powerful. Celebrations play an important part in
the fabric of the family. Coming Together is devoted to several of the very special occasions
that many African American families honor. Filled with creative ideas for involving the entire
family – from young children to grandparents and great-grandparents – this rich book provides
everything you need to transform time together into compelling and memorable occasions.
Coming Together is brimming with sample menus, easy-to-follow recipes, crafts, activities,
and unique ideas to bring the value of these celebrations to life.
THE EDUCATION OF MARY: A LITTLE MISS OF COLOR, 1832
Written by Ann Rinaldi
Publisher: Jump At The Sun
In 1832, Prudence Crandall, a Quaker educator in Connecticut, closed her Canterbury Female
Seminary and reopened it as a school for young black women. This novel revolves around the
formation of that school and the storm of controversy it created in town. Many historical forces
come into play here: the abolitionist movement, endemic prejudice against free blacks, and the
brutality of the early factory system.
98
2016 BIBLIOGR APHY
HER STORIES: AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKTALES,
FAIRY TALES, AND TRUE TALES
Written by Virginia Hamilton
Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
Publisher: Scholastic
Nineteen stories are expertly told about black female folk and fairy characters. This enticing
work is dedicated to mothers, grandmothers, and aunts, who have often been the bearers
of such stories from generation to generation. Each story is exquisitely illustrated and
is punctuated with a short commentary that adds insight into the nature and origin of
the tale. Mature children, especially your daughters, will love this immediate classic.
(Nonstandard English)
THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE: A STORY OF SOUTH AFRICA
Written By Shiela Gordon
Publisher: Orchard, Grolier
Young Rebecca, who lives in a black township in South Africa, is afraid of being forced out
of her home. The government wants to relocate her family and neighbors to a less developed
area in order to accommodate expansion for white suburbanites. The villagers protest
the attempts to move them, and Rebecca’s father is arrested after a community-wide
demonstration. The evils of apartheid come through strongly in this novel of a family’s
determination to stay together.
99
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
Dolores Johnson, Bearded Man, Acrylic, 9” x 12”
100
2016 BIBLIOGR APHY
Valena Dismukes, Kite Flying, Photograph
REFLECTIONS OF A BLACK COWBOY: THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS
Written by Robert Miller
Illustrated by Richard Leonard
Publisher: Silver Burdett, Simon & Schuster
The stories of the African American Buffalo Soldiers, who served in the Ninth and Tenth
Cavalries in the nineteenth century, are colorfully told in this entertaining book narrated by
Old Cowboy. The Buffalo Soldiers played an important role in opening up the western frontier,
yet their stories are not well known. In this book of five short stories, several of these brave
soldiers are acknowledged for their historic achievements and battles. The Reflections of a
Black Cowboy series also includes a volume on pioneers, as well as one on cowboys and one
on mountain men.
STORYTELLER’S BEADS
Written by Jane Kurts
Publisher: Gulliver, Harcourt Brace
Two girls, Sahay and Rachel, are bonded together during their brave journey from their
Ethiopian homeland to the Sudan, where they hope to find peace and food. The story takes
place during the Ethiopian famine of the 1980s, a time when millions were dying of starvation
and internal warfare. The two girls – one Jewish, one Christian – ultimately find that they have
more in common than not, once they overlook their different ethnic upbringings and customs,
superstitions, and traditions of two distinctly different Ethiopian groups. This book will appeal
to young readers of historical fiction.
101
RECOMMENDED READING
2016
LIFE + CULTURE // HIGH SCHOOL READERS
THE COLOR PURPLE
Written by Alice Walker
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age
14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from
the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to “Mister,” a brutal man who
terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister’s
letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence
provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and
loving self.
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD
Written by Zora Neale Hurston
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Fair and long-legged, independent and articulate, Janie Crawford sets out to be her own person
– no mean feat for a black woman in the ‘30s. Janie’s quest for identity takes her through three
marriages and into a journey back to her roots.
SONG OF SOLOMON
Written by Toni Morrison
Publisher: Knopf
Song of Solomon explores the quest for cultural identity through an African American folktale
about enslaved Africans who escape slavery by fleeing back to Africa. The novel tells the story
of Macon “Milkman” Dead, a young man alienated from himself and estranged from his family,
his community, and his historical and cultural roots. Author Toni Morrison, long renowned for
her detailed imagery, visual language, and “righting” of black history, guides the protagonist
along a 30-year journey that enables him to reconnect with his past and realize his self-worth.
YELLOW BACK RADIO BROKE-DOWN
Written by Ishmael Reed
Publisher: Avon
Ishmael Reed has put together a collage of American pop culture, ancient Egyptian mythology,
and voodoo ideals which becomes, in the reader’s mind, either an incomprehensible mess or
hilarious satire. Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down is a novel about a black, voodoo cowboy, Loop
Garoo, and his exciting adventures. It is a satire on the Western, and the American values that
made the Western popular.
102
2016 BIBLIOGR APHY
Buena Johnson, Lotus Blossom, Photograph, 2014
SOURCES
Amazon.com
Bloom, Harold, Ed. Major Black American Writers Through the Harlem Renaissance.
New York: Chelsea House, 1995
Bloom, Harold, Ed. Major Modern Black American Writers. New York: Chelsea House, 1995
Rand, Donna and Toni Trent Parker, and Sheila Foster, Eds. Black Books Galore! Guide to
Great African American Children’s Books. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 1998
Rand, Donna and Trent Parker. Black Books Galore! More Great African American
Children’s Books. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2001
Stanford, Barbara Dodds and Karima Amin, Eds. Illinois: National Council of
Teachers of English, 1978
103
Bryan Tilford, Basquiat, Mixed media on wood panel, 21” x 30”
104
2016
ARTISTS AND POETS
2016 LITERARY SELECTIONS
The Department of Cultural Affairs is pleased to present the works of three
fine writers in the 2016 African American Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural
Guide. We are honored to showcase the work of Los Angeles poets Valena
Broussard Dismuke, Earline M. Gentry, Mama Iya Oshun, LaRita Shelby, and
Valerie Ayres Wallick.
105
EXQUISITE HOME
VALENA BROUSSARD DISMUKES
It is the perfect tree house,
Exquisite, well formed, secure
And built in a day.
Mother hummingbird sits patiently,
Tiny beak up in the air,
In a somewhat snobbish manner.
Her hips crowd the nest with
Hardly room for the two tiny eggs
As she fulfills her motherly duties
Today, workman on my rooftop
Replaced wooden shingles
With loud bangs, thumps, and whams.
The startled mother flew away,
No longer to be seen,
The small eggs still in the boughs.
There’ll be no sitting on the nest,
No chicks to be hatched,
No rapidly whirling wings.
From my office window,
How could I have reassured
106
TO BE BLACK
EARLINE M. GENTRY
To be proud, of who you are
To Be Black
Wasn’t heard of in slavery time
Like a young bird stolen from its nest
They conditioned our minds left our
Never to feel secure, to suffer pain and strife
families behind
No human rights, yet we must
continue to fight!
To Be Black
Was to be less than the rest
Still we strive to do our best
Listening at the words they spoke
As they hurled their jokes
On human life they placed a price
Destined to rise comes as no surprise
To Be Black
God made us this way
So when people say what is it to be black?
Its’ knowing who we are.
Our contributions to the world are
many by far
Laughing at the color of our skin
As though it was a sin
Leaving an indelible scar,
Do they know who we are?
To Be Black
Is our gift to society
Just imagine how it would be
Without you and me
To Be Black
Was to be treated like an animal
To Be Black
No place to call home
Black a symbol of negativity
Robbed of its dignity
Snatched from our familiarity
The motherland is where we
longed to be
107
YES… IT MATTERS
MAMA IYA OSHUN
I.
IV.
Substance of ground under foot
day dreaming
if it don’t matter, then why ? powerful places
Sun’s conversation at risin’… whispers secrets
at sunset
grandma’s cliché safe & sound, keeps you
on your way
Sacred silence in moon’s phases ring déjà vu
in lucid visions
it matters. It does. It just does.
Ocean comforts hearts bowing-
V.
sacred begging and hopeful
holy gratitude at ebb & flow
Summer wind gives lift to love that cannot find
its voice or vehicle
What frames your reference-
where love
It matters
comes naturally
II.
& hate is acquired
Yes… it matters
face to face
spews hate
Your arms give life to cyber love
It matters
Find myself inside bend of your prayer
You matter, I matter.
Tactile… yes, it matters… take my hand & give
me yours
Eyes speak what we won’t dare
VI.
Just need to know-
The way you walk… your rhythm & gait…
I know, I know you
That my breath matters…
Your face talks to me in ethereal free-verse
That…
Quiver in your song when it matters… when
you try to say what you mean to say…
I matter to you
everybody needs
Velocity of celebration quickens audible
spirit-lit sky…
like tossing fireworks to heaven
But- what if nothing nobody nowhere
nohow… mattered
III.
Ohhh… Lawd~
filling
where would I be… where would we be ?
(in deep south, guttural, moanin bluesman’s,
been through some stuff, tones)
Ummmmm…mmm.mmmmmm…mmmm
108
elicits joy… or
somebodyto know
to witness with joy
That, they’re here~
A DIFFERENT KIND OF BLACK MAN
LARITA SHELBY
Though you are shown on TV screens
A different kind of black man
Hand cuffed, chained and disgraced,
Reached out and grabbed my hand;
Though your failures are exploited
When I was I was yearning for direction
And constantly thrown in your face,
Greens, Smiths and Taylors
I’ve known a different kind of black man.
Helped me to understand.
Though your enemies would like you to think
Hendersons, Washingtons,
That you are all worthless and no good;
Hines and Leakes
Plastic capped, gold chain wearing hoodlums
Helped my delicate heart
Hanging ‘round the hood.
Reach its peak;
Browns, Mials and Underwoods
Though the movies that young black boys see,
Have all reassured me
Show mostly dipping and swaying
That the black man still has much good.
And “No officer it wasn’t me.”
I’ve knows the man who puts God first
And travels with a mission;
Though the daily news shows an overload
I’ve knows the man who prays each night
Of brothers pulling triggers on their own,
To help the earth’s condition.
I’ve knows the man who is careful
And though some sisters share a
For he carries the seed
common bond
Of unborn generations
Cause some old dog did somebody wrong,
Waiting to be born in me.
I’ve known the man called friends and lovers,
Though some have left their families never
Fathers, uncles,
to return
Sons and brothers;
And some have cast their future
Challenging the system, reworking the plan,
Down the glass pipe to burn,
A different kind of black man has touched
my soul
And embraced me with love and concern.
Hailes, Johnsons, Brooks and Dorseys
Have all helped me to learn.
from the book DICTATION: Plays, Poems & Monologues, 1989
109
JOURNAL
VALERIE AYRES WALLICK
110
we skype
“God, help them, they are homeless,
since she relocated
watch over them God, keep the safe ...”
to the beautiful country burbs
I say, Amen, she wonders,
in Jacksonville
can I get closer next time
she left me and urban living
she wants them to hear her voice ...
downtown Los Angeles
I smile without showing fear
skyline, lighting rooftop pools like stars
how do I tell my six year old GRAND
food network star-chefs’ joints
who see God’s beauty in everything
on every other corner
and the pureness in life’s life,
whatever you need or desire
that some don’t want prayer or help ...
outside your door
some just want or need a fix ...
melting pot richness, a roux of all classes
some need to be in a hospital ...
square blocks carrying dreams
how???!!!
beyond pillow talk whispers
we skype
into smoggy air ...
she wants to see the books, art,
vapors cutting through homelessness
her chair at the table .... her baby book
fraying seams
I give her the tour ...
mental illness, drugs, hopelessness ...
she wants to see the pool ...
fibers wearily stiched
can she see the tacos poppop made
dirty ... into a tattered blanket bed
can she see her baby picture ...
we skype
can she see if the man moved
she ask to see the homeless
is he still on the sidewalk
I put my phone outside the window
did God help him yet .....
nine stories up facing down
I change my view of the sidewalk
across the way
so she can’t see that he’s still there ...
on the corner is a man
God is awesome, huh mommom ...
he needs prayer
yes, He is JJ
she ask if I can get closer
we skype
I say, not tonight ...
so my JadaMae can pray
she starts her prayer,
for my neighbors, me and poppop
Delfin Finley, Every Day, Oil on panel, 18” x 24”
111
Surreal Box Cinema, Lynn Rossi and Nichelle Evans, The Underground Railroad, Digital print, 2015
112
113
Charla Puryear, Lunar Sunshine, Glass and wire, 2015
114
ABOUT THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES
The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) generates and supports high quality arts and
cultural experiences for Los Angeles’ 4 million residents and 45 million annual visitors.
DCA advances the social and economic impact of the arts and ensures access to diverse
and enriching cultural activities through: grantmaking, marketing, development, public
art, community arts programming, arts education, and building partnerships with artists
and arts and cultural organizations in neighborhoods throughout the City of Los Angeles.
DCA’s operating budget and managed portfolio totaled over $36 million in fiscal year
2014/15. It consisted of: $12.3 million from the Private Arts Development Fee Program
(ADF); $9.8 million in Transient Occupancy Tax funds; $6.76 million in City related and
indirect cost allocations; $3.7 million in one-time City funding; and $3.5 million in funds
from the Public Works Improvements Arts Program (PWIAP) in addition to private and
public funds raised from foundation, corporate, government, and individual donors.
DCA significantly supports artists and cultural projects through its Public Art Division by
administering a portfolio that totaled $15.8 million in PWIAP and ADF funds in FY14/15. Of
this amount, typically 15% to 20%, or between $2.4 and $3.2 million, was attributable to
artists’ fees.
DCA’s Marketing and Development Division has raised $35 million over the last 14 fiscal
years to re-grant to LA-based artists and arts and cultural organizations, and to support
DCA’s special programming and facilities. DCA also invests in LA’s creative community
by granting approximately $2.3 million annually to 295 artists and nonprofit arts and
cultural organizations through its long-established Grants Administration Division.
DCA provides arts and cultural programming through its Community Arts Division,
managing numerous neighborhood arts and cultural centers, theaters, historic sites,
and educational initiatives. DCA’s Marketing and Development Division also markets
the City’s arts and cultural events through development and collaboration with
strategic partners, design and production of creative catalogs, publications, and
promotional materials, and management of the culturela.org website visited by over
3 million people annually.
TEL
213.202.5500
FAX
213.202.5513
WEB
culturela.org
115
Zeal Harris, Yemaya and Oshun Goddess Dolls, Photograph
DCA NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTERS
DCA MANAGED ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTERS (10)
DCA’s Neighborhood Arts and Cultural Centers
BARNSDALL ARTS CENTER AND
BARNSDALL JUNIOR ARTS CENTER
Barnsdall Park
4800 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323.644.6295 - Barnsdall Arts Center
323.644.6275 - Barnsdall Junior Arts Center
offer high-quality instruction for young people
and adults in the performing, visual, and new
media arts. The Centers offer after-school and
summer arts programs, produce solo and group
art exhibitions, create outreach programs for
under-served populations, and produce a variety
of festivals during the year that celebrate the
cultural diversity of the community.
CANOGA PARK YOUTH ARTS CENTER
7222 Remmet Avenue
Canoga Park, CA 91303
818.346.7099
LINCOLN HEIGHTS YOUTH ARTS CENTER
2911 Altura Street
323.224.0928
MANCHESTER YOUTH ARTS CENTER
(AT THE VISION THEATRE)
3341 West 43rd Place
213.202.5508
116
2016 AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION
Buena Johnson, I AM, Soup for the Soul, Colored pencil, 2015
PERFORMING ARTS FIREHOUSE
438 North Mesa
San Pedro, CA 90731
SUN VALLEY YOUTH ARTS CENTER
(THE STONE HOUSE)
8642 Sunland Boulevard
Sun Valley, CA 91352
818.252.4619
WATTS TOWERS ARTS CENTER AND
CHARLES MINGUS YOUTH ARTS CENTER
1727 East 107th Street
213.847.4646 - Watts Towers Arts Center
323.566.1410 - Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center
WILLIAM GR ANT STILL ARTS CENTER
2520 South West View Street
323.734.1165
117
Holly Tempo, Heat Wave This is for Real, Acrylic, spray paint and aluminum leaf on canvas, 2012
DCA MANAGED THEATERS (4)
Through its professional theater facilities,
DCA serves the performing and media arts
community by offering below-market theater
rentals. In turn, the arts community presents
year-round dance, music, theater, literary, and
multi-disciplinary performances; supports the
development of emerging and established Los
Angeles-based performing and media artists;
and offers workshops for playwrights and
writers of all ages.
BARNSDALL GALLERY THEATRE
Barnsdall Park
323.644.6272
MADRID THEATRE
21622 Sherman Way
Canoga Park, CA 91303
818.347.9938
VISION THEATRE
3341 West 43rd Place
213.202.5508
WARNER GR AND THEATRE
478 West 6th Street
San Pedro, CA 90731
310.548.7672
118
Kevin Tidmore, Rubie #2, Color digital image, 30” x 20”
119
William Dawson, Cousins, Digital photography
DCA MANAGED HISTORIC SITES (2)
DCA provides conservation services and
educational programming and tours for two of
LA’s most treasured historic sites, Hollyhock
House and the Watts Towers. Conservation
efforts are coordinated through DCA’s Historic
Site Preservation Office. DCA’s Museum
Education and Tours Program coordinates tours
and interpretive programs for both young people
and adults.
The Watts Towers, built over 34 years by
Simon Rodia, are a Los Angeles icon. Built
from found objects, including broken glass,
sea shells, pottery, and tile, the Towers stand
Hollyhock House is Frank Lloyd Wright’s first
as a monument to the human spirit and the
Los Angeles project. Built between 1919 and 1921,
persistence of a singular vision. The Watts
it represents his earliest efforts to develop a
Towers, listed on the National Register of Historic
regionally appropriate style of architecture for
Places, are a National Historic Landmark, a State
Southern California. Barnsdall Park, including
of California Historic Park, and Historic-Cultural
Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Hollyhock House, was
Monument No. 15 as previously designated
awarded landmark status in 2007 and listed on
by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage
the National Register of Historic Places. As the
Commission.
nation’s highest historic landmark designation,
the site has been formally recognized for its role
in interpreting the heritage and history of the
United States.
120
HOLLYHOCK HOUSE
Barnsdall Park
323.913.4031
WATTS TOWERS
1765 East 107th Street
213.847.4646
William Roper, New-Opened Eyes - 1965, Mixed media digital image, 8.5” x 11”, 2015
121
Caron Bowman, Lost, 36” x 28”, 2015
DCA MANAGED GALLERIES (6)
DCA’s Galleries serve to promote the visual
arts and artists of the culturally diverse
Los Angeles region.
The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG)
at Barnsdall Park is the City’s primary exhibition
LOS ANGELES MUNICIPAL ART GALLERY
Barnsdall Park
323.644.6269
venue and is devoted to showcasing the work
The Barnsdall Junior Arts Center Gallery
of local emerging, mid-career, and established
supports smaller exhibitions, many displaying
artists in group and individual presentation
works created in classes at Barnsdall Park.
formats.
BARNSDALL JUNIOR ARTS CENTER
GALLERY
Barnsdall Park
323.644.6275
122
Valena Dismukes, I Am Who I Am, Photo illustration
DCA’s Bridge Gallery at City Hall showcases
the work of young people, adults, and seniors
enrolled in City art programs, as well as themed
exhibitions celebrating the City’s Heritage Month
Celebrations.
DCA’S BRIDGE GALLERY AT CITY HALL
200 North Spring Street
The galleries at the Watts Towers Campus include
the Noah Purifoy Gallery, the Charles Mingus
Gallery, and the Dr. Joseph and Bootsie Howard
Gallery.
123
Miles Regis, The Journey, Oil, acrylic and wallpaper on canvas, 64” x 62”,2015
DCA PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ARTS
FACILITIES: ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTERS (8)
ART IN THE PARK
5568 Via Marisol
323.259.0861
BANNINGS LANDING COMMUNITY
ARTS CENTER
100 East Water Street
Wilmington, CA 90744
310.522.2015
CROATIAN CULTUR AL CENTER OF
GREATER LA
510 West 7th Street
San Pedro, CA 90731
310.548.7630
EAGLE ROCK COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER /
CENTER FOR THE ARTS EAGLE ROCK
2225 Colorado Boulevard
323.561.3044
ENCINO ART AND CULTUR AL CENTER
(PREVIOUSLY THE CENTER FOR FOLK MUSIC)
16953 Ventura Boulevard
Encino, CA 91316
LANKERSHIM ARTS CENTER
5108 Lankershim Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91602
818.752.7568
MCGROARTY ARTS CENTER
7570 McGroarty Terrace
Tujunga, CA 91042
818.352.5285
WILLIAM REAGH - LA PHOTOGR APHY CENTER
2332 West Fourth Street
213.382.8133
124
Marcella Swett, Persimmon Glow, Mixed media, 12” x 16”
FACILITIES: THEATERS (2)
FACILITIES: GALLERIES (2)
LOS ANGELES THEATRE CENTER
514 South Spring Street, 2nd Floor
213.489.0994
Through an agreement with Los Angeles
NATE HOLDEN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
4718 West Washington Boulevard
323.964.9768
and vibrant destination to over 40 million
World Airports, DCA also administers curated
exhibitions at both LAX and Ontario World
Airports, and promotes Los Angeles as a creative
national and international visitors annually.
LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORT (LAX)
1 World Way
ONTARIO WORLD AIRPORT – INLAND EMPIRE
2500 Terminal Way
Ontario, CA 91761
125
Teresa Tolliver, 21st Century and Before, Mixed media, 2.3” x 3.4”, 2014
DCA PROP K FACILITIES IN DEVELOPMENT (3)
For more information, please visit or contact:
DOWNTOWN YOUTH ARTS CENTER
(FIRE STATION # 23)
225 East 5th Street
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
DEPARTMENT OF CULTUR AL AFFAIRS
TEL 213.202.5500
FAX 213.202.5513
WEB culturela.org
HIGHLAND PARK YOUTH ARTS CENTER
111 North Bridewell Street
OAKWOOD JUNIOR YOUTH ARTS CENTER
(VER A DAVIS MCLENDON YOUTH
ARTS CENTER)
610 California Avenue
Venice, CA 90291
126
Irene Fertik, Cliff Hall, Photograph, 1997
127
Kohshin Finley, Only Way to Make the News at 25, Oil and mixed media on canvas, 24” x 36”
128
2016
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
CALENDAR AND CULTURAL GUIDE ARTISTS
The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs gives special thanks to our calendar artists for
generously allowing us to use their work in this publication.
Courtesy of
Aise Born
[email protected]
Zeal Harris
zealsart.com
Caron Bowman
karonbowman.webs.com
Buena Johnson
buenavisionart.com
Yrneh Brown
[email protected]
Dolores Johnson
[email protected]
Ajumi Chisolm aka SANOizm
[email protected]
Kram Neves
[email protected]
April Bey
Beverly Collins
bcollinsStudio.com
Mama Iya Oshun
[email protected]
Nichelle Evans
Cre-8
[email protected]
Miles Regis
milesregis.com
Irene Fertik
Michael Dawson
[email protected]
Veta Rice
[email protected]
Kathie Foley-Meyer
Velena Dismukes
v.dismukes.com
William Roper
[email protected]
Charla Puryear
Benita Elliott
befotografik.photoshelter.com
LaRita Shelby
[email protected]
Miles Regis
George Evans
[email protected]
Marcella Swett
[email protected]
Lisa C. Soto
Edward Ewell
[email protected]
Kevin Tidmore
[email protected]
Delfin Finley
delfinleyart.com
Brian Tilford
[email protected]
Kohshin Finley
kohshinfinley.com
Teresa Tolliver
[email protected]
Earline M. Gentry
[email protected]
Valerie Ayres Wallick
[email protected]
Adah Glenn
adahma.com
Lance Vantille Whitfield
lancewhitfield.com
The California African American
Museum (CAAM)
600 State Drive, Exposition Park
camuseum.org
Charles Dickson
Lamonte McLemore
Doug Pearsall
Lynn Rossi
Surreal Box Cinema
Holly Tempo
Courtesy of
The Watts Towers
Arts Center Campus
1727 E. 107th Street
wattstowers.org
Elliott Pinkney
129
Valerie Ayres Wallick, First Steps, Digital photograph
130
2016
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
The City of Los Angeles gratefully appreciates the generous contributions of our major
sponsors for the 2016 African American Heritage Month Celebration.
ABC7
COMCAST
ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR
LOS ANGELES ASSOCIATION OF BLACK PERSONNEL
McDONALD’S
NIELSEN
SEMPR A ENERGY
WELLS FARGO
TEL
213.202.5500
FAX
213.202.5513
WEB
culturela.org
131
Valena Dismukes, at left: Rainy Day, Costa Rica, Photograph, at right: Store Front, Belize, Photograph
132
3
TEL 213 202.5550
FAX 213 202.5517
WEB culturela.org

2016 CALENDAR AND CULTURAL GUIDE

Transcription

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