New York City Events for ELA and Black/Global Studies educators

ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH - GALA

NY Premiere

GALA SCREENING

Sat, Dec. 7 @ 8PM -  

Cowin Center, Teachers College 

 

 Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth is the compelling story of an extraordinary woman's journey from her birth in a paper-thin shack in the cotton fields of Eatonton, Georgia to her recognition as a key writer of the 20th Century. Alice Walker made history as the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her groundbreaking novel, The Color Purple, which has been transformed from a novel, to a Hollywood movie and latterly to a successful Broadway musical. This universal story of triumph against all odds is not that different from Walker's own story.

 

Born in 1944, eighth child of sharecroppers, her early life unfolded in the midst of violent racism and poverty during some of the most turbulent years of profound social and political changes in North American history. Beauty In Truth looks at the art and life of an artist, a self-confessed renegade and human rights activist. Praised and pilloried, Walker is a fearless pioneer whose voice has driven people to express joy as well as anger and ruthless vilification. Alice Walker's inspiring journey is also a story of a country and a people at the fault line of historical changes.

 

Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth is a complex exploration of Walker as a writer, public intellectual and human rights activist. Walker was a key architect of the US civil rights movement as much as a participant. In 2010, Walker was awarded the LennonOno Peace Award for her ongoing humanitarian work by Yoko Ono.

 

Beauty In Truth offers audiences a penetrating look at a life lived with passionate commitment to truth and justice.

Directed by Pratibha Parmar, USA, 2013, 84 min., USA, documentary in English. 

Q&A after the screening followed by a catered reception.

Ticket: $25

TICKETS HERE

And  also

 

ADIFF 2013 Launch Event this Friday at Teachers College

Friday, Nov. 8 at 6pm   

 

 

 

WHAT:  ADIFF 2013 Launch Event - FREE 

WHEN: Friday, Nov. 8 from 6pm to 9pm

WHERE: Teachers College, Columbia University - The Chapel
525 West 120th St.  (between Broadway & Amsterdam). 

 

DETAILS

*Come discover ADIFF 2013's festival line up with the festival directors and local filmmakers 

*Discover the festival trailer

*Come get a package of festival schedules to give out to your friends, family and neighborhood

*Attend a sneak preview screening 

*Enjoy refreshments and network with other ADIF F supporters

 

The New York African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) will showcase 73 films from 35 countries during its 21^st edition, including 35 World, US and NY Premieres between November 29 and December 15, 2013. 

Several familiar faces are featured in the line-up including Danny Glover, Michael Beach, Alice Walker, Steven Spielberg, Graham Greene, Isaach De Bankolé and Isaiah Washington. 

 

Richness and Diversity are the staples of ADIFF.  This year again, discover amazing films from all over the world.  Here are some of the themes and highlights to explore in ADIFF 2013:

 

* Afro-Brazil Celebration 

* Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color Competition 

* Comedies  

* Films based on true stories   

* Historical Films 
* Human Rights 

* Jamaicanity: The Resonance of Jamaica 
* Music Films    

* Religion & Spirituality 

* Remarkable People 

* Road Movies 

* Love & Romance   

* School Program 

* Spotlight on Haiti 

* Urban Films 

 Visit the web site, download the entire schedule, and purchase your tickets today!  

or

visit http://www.NYADIFF.org 

 

 FESTIVAL SCHEDULES CAN BE PICKED UP AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

- Quad Cinema   (34 West 13th Street)  

- Thalia Cinema, Symphony Space (95th Street and Broadway) 

- Teachers College's Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs (525 West 120th St, room 128 Zankel) 

- Black Spectrum (177 st & Baisley Blvd, Jamaica, Queens) 

- IFC Cinema (323 Avenue of the Americas at West 4th Street)

  Download the entire schedule here: 

http://nyadiff.org/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ScheduleADIFF2013Web.pdf 

 

AND

 

Upcoming Programs and Events at The Jewish Museum

Joyce Carol Oates in Conversation with Alan Cheuse
Presented by Moment Magazine-Karma Foundation
Thursday, November 14, 7:30 pm

Celebrated writer Joyce Carol Oates—author of the novels The Accursed, The Gravedigger’s Daughter, and many more—joins NPR book critic, author, and Moment Magazine fiction editor Alan Cheuse for a discussion on the promise and purpose of fiction. The winners of the annual Moment Magazine-Karma Foundation Short Fiction contest also read from their winning stories.

General $15; Students/Seniors (65+) $12; Members $10
Buy tickets >

Emancipation Proclamation anniversary

Today is not only the New Year, but also the 150^th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Having just finished reading the new non-fiction young adult book, The Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty by Tonya Bolden, the significance of this day is greatly enhanced.

This is the history we never learned in school.

Bolden plunges the reader into the social and political climate leading up to the event, and the enigmatic character of Abraham Lincoln. She begins the book with a quote by Frederick Douglass, “We were waiting and listening as for a bolt from the sky…we were watching, as it were, by the dim light of the stars, for the dawn of a new day; we were longing for the agonizing prayers of centuries.”

Voices from contemporary participants and observers such as Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, John Charles Fremont, Harriet Tubman, Charlotte Forten, Sandy Cornish and many others are recounted.  (If you don't recognize some of these names their stories will become very meaningful to you after reading the book.) The text is delivered in an active, present tense similar to a news report, so that there is immediacy to all the events.  (Some may note that not much has changed, when the political animosity of congress members is described.) Illustrated with contemporary paintings, political cartoons and photographs, each with detailed captions, noting the social, political or ideological markers that may be lost on present-day readers, the visual literacy of the reader is greatly enhanced.

Lincoln is revealed in all his contradictory statements and philosophies, which illustrate his difficulty in coming to a decision which satisfied his moral, political, legal and constitutional views. Bolden inserts parts of the constitution and the evolving proclamation, so that the problems in coming to a consensus on a difficult issue can be understood.

 In the Epilogue, a measured yet personal examination of Lincoln and the proclamation is presented, which will be a spur to lively discussions and reflection in the classroom.

For the New Year, and for this anniversary, may teachers and students use texts such as these to create a greater understanding of our history.

Reward an outstanding NJ Black History educator

Do you know a New Jersey teacher, librarian or other educator who has done an outstanding job in creating   black American history curriculum materials  or teaching black American history for grades K-12? Here is your chance to nominate them for an award! DEADLINE for submissions is 10/6/11 The Commission is Accepting Nominations for the MILDRED BARRY GARVIN PRIZE
The Mildred Barry Garvin Prize is an award of $1,500 to a New Jersey teacher, guidance counselor, or school librarian for outstanding teaching of black American history in kindergarten through high school or outstanding performance in a related activity such as developing curriculum materials. One prize is awarded annually. Nominations for the 2012 prize must be postmarked by October 6, 2011. Nominees must be a New Jersey teacher, guidance counselor, or school librarian engaged in teaching of black American history at any grade level between kindergarten and high school. Individuals may be nominated by others, or they may self-nominate. To nominate an educational professional, submit the nomination form, and a 500 word essay describing the nominee’s qualifications and why he or she should receive the Garvin Prize. You may access the nomination form at http://www.state.nj.us/state/historical/dos_his_grants.html#capes.
Postmark and submit the nomination form and essay no later than October 6, 2011 to: Niquole Primiani Chief Programs Officer New Jersey Historical Commission 225 West State Street, PO Box 305 Trenton, NJ 08625-0305 (Please use the P.O. Box for U.S. Mail and the street address for courier service.)

Juneteenth in New Jersey

What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth” originated on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger delivered the news that the Civil War ended and that slaves were now free. But the news arrived two-and-a-half years after the Jan. 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation, which announced the freedom of the nation’s slaves.


“The inhabitants of Galveston, Texas, were still being held in bondage, and they received this news with a great celebration,” Brown stated in the release. “This event has now become a national day of celebration and remembrance of our suffering, revelry in our accomplishments and plan for our future, all in an atmosphere of joy, fun and jubilation.”
http://teaneck.patch.com/articles/juneteenth-celebration-to-honor-history-culture-of-african-americans


Juneteenth Urban Arts Festival at Brookdale Community College
Brookdale, The County College of Monmouth
765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738-1543
Telephone 732-224-2345

June 7 – June 18, 2011

A platform for theatre people, filmmakers and writers to share their work with a community of fellow artists and patrons eager to discover original stories from unexpected African American voices.

Plays, films and literature all have a place, but the artists themselves will be celebrated above all else. Starting Tuesday, June 7th, hundreds of theatre, film and literature patrons will gather in our Long Branch venue to share what is truly a communal experience. Learn more about Juneteenth, An African American Celebration!

Signature Event: The World Premiere Of Bronzeville Gold
A new play by Anetria Cole, directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, Sr.
Bronzeville Gold, set in 1933 Chicago, is a powerful African American family saga, that revolves around a “gambling numbers wheel”, and a young Mississippi newcomer, as he and the entire African American community, chase the ever elusive American dream.

Where: Long Branch Higher Education Center, 213 Broadway at Third Ave, 732-224-2315.

Prices: Tickets are $15 General Admission; $12 Seniors (62+); $9 for BCC students with valid ID

Juneteenth Celebration"- Leonia NJ

June 18, 2011 at 10:00am–6:00pm
Fort Lee Rd & Station Pkwy, Leonia, NJ
 
Celebrating freedom and unity and promoting the history and culture of African Americans will take center stage at the “Juneteenth” event Saturday at Overpeck Park in Leonia.


From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (rain or shine), visitors to the “Great Lawn” portion of the park will be treated to free entertainment that includes artistic performances, historical and cultural displays, speeches from government officials and a concert.

There will be activities for children, such as face-painting and pony rides, and various vendors will be selling jewelry and food. In the afternoon, attendees can take one of two guided bus tours to Gethsemane Cemetery, which is an African-American burial ground in Little Ferry.

Leading the bus tours will be Bergen County historian Arnold Brown, of Englewood, who is co-chairing the Juneteenth Celebration with Teaneck resident Theodora Lacey.

Englewood New Jersey- Juneteenth Celebrations
Jabari Society of Bergen County
The International Association of Black Professional Firefighters

Juneteenth Carnival- June 16-19, 4-8pm, Mackay Park130 W. Englewood Ave

Dinner Dance, Saturday, June 18, 2011, Hasbrouck Heights Hilton ($60)

Juneteenth Parade on June 19, 2011.
Palisades& Tenafly Road
1:00

Theme: “We Stand On the Shoulders Of Our Ancestors”

Juneteenth Festival
Mackay park
3;30pm
http://jabarisociety.com/
 
Elizabeth, New Jersey- Juneteenth Parade June 19, 2011
Float parade featuring PAUL MOONEY, DEBORAH GREGORY &
Actress TANYA WRIGHT
2PM
Starting point New Point Road and Elizabeth to Broad Street
ending at Elizabeth City Hall
Call 908-451-1460 for more information


Celebrate!