Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice

Ida B. Wells was a woman of extraordinary talents, energy and vision. In an age when there were no computers, no internet, no Facebook, no fax machines, no text messaging, Ida B. Wells influenced many thousands of people. At a time when women did not even have the vote, Ida B. Wells had a huge influence on public policy. 

Click here to read my review of Ida B. Wells:  A Passion for Justice.  

Bill Greaves is one of the filmmakers featured in Celebrating Black Independent Film Pioneers at the Schomburg.  For details of this and other Black History Month events, see:  Black History/Cultural Events.  See also:  Black Museums.  

Slavery by Another Name

The documentary Slavery by Another Name is being screened as part of the Black History Month Youth Film Series at the Schomburg.  

For this and more Black History Month events, see Black History/Cultural Events.  

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Douglas A. Blackmon, and narrated by Laurence Fishburne, Slavery by Another Name is a documentary that squares off against one of America's most common misconceptions: that slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation. The documentary tells the story of new systems of indentured and involuntary servitude that took its place and lasted well into the 20th century. 

This film gives a voice back to a largely forgotten population of victims and perpetrators (including interviews with their living descendants today). This screening is part of a week-long series of films for young audiences that capture a diversity of voices on the African-American Experience. All films are followed by a discussion by the filmmakers, scholars, or Schomburg educators.  

For this and more Black History Month events, see Black History/Cultural Events. 

The only problem I have with this film is that it suggests that this practice is not still going on.  For more about this, see:  Prisoners Provide Cheap Labour for Microsoft.  

Blogging While Writing

The Schomburg Center presents:  Blogging While Writing

Thursday, July 19, 2012, 7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Are bloggers the new writers? Is there a difference between blogging and writing? 

Writer Jozen Cummings  (pictured left) (UntilIGetMarried.com) talks to Rembert Browne (grantland.com, 500daysasunder.wordpress.com) and Gene Demby (huffingtonpost.com/black-voices and postbourgie.com), to discuss their independent blogs, their work for mainstream media outlets, and how bloggers have become the voice of a generation. FREE! Registration recommended: www.schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com  or call (212) 491-2040. 

Click here for information about my ebook Secrets of the Black Bloggers. 

Click here for more Black history and cultural events. 

The National Black Writers' Conference: The Impact of Migration on Black Literature

The National Black Writers' Conference: The Impact of Migration in the Literature of Black Writers will be a discussion and book signing at the Schomburg with Isabel Wilkerson, author of The Warmth of other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration.

Click here for more details of the National Black Writers' Conference.

See also: Women's Jazz Festival at the Schomburg.

The Maya Angelou Collection

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's Director, Howard Dodson, and New York Public Library President Paul LeClerc announced on October 29, 2010 the acquisition of the personal and professional papers of Dr. Maya Angelou, who is regarded globally as one of the greatest voices of contemporary literature.

We congratulate them on acquiring this important collection.

For more events at the Schomburg, and to watch a video of Maya Angelou, see Black History International.

To watch a trailer of The Black Candle, a video about Kwanzaa narrated by Maya Angelou, see African American Holiday Shopping.

Africans in Colonial New York: Educators' Workshop

This workshop is being held today at the Schomburg Center in New York.

Teachers are invited to join Schomburg scholars and park rangers from the New York African Burial Ground National Monument for this workshop about the history and cultural contributions of New York City's early African population.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of The New York Public Library, is recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world.

For details of this and other events at the Schomburg, including The Sacred in the Secular Classroom: A Panel Discussion for Educators, see Black History International.