BLACK DEFINED
Black History Month at Yale
Fortieth Anniversary
2009
Saturday, January 31; 8 p.m.
Yale Gospel Choir Annual Alumni Concert
Afro-American Cultural Center, Multi-Purpose Room
$2.00 for students and adults. Free to YGC Alumni.======
Sunday, February 1; 11 a.m.
BlackChurch at YaleUniversity
37th Anniversary Service and Brunch
Afro-American Cultural Center (AfAm House)
211 Park Street
======
Tuesday, February 3, 7 p.m.
Black Defined: Biraciality, Hybridity, and Multiculturalism
MP Room, Af-Am House
Sponsored by Black Student Alliance at Yale (BSAY) and Students of
Mixed Race, Heritage and Culture (SMHAC)
In the midst of the historical moment of the United States first Black president, our country has almost completely ignored the fact that President Barack Obama is biracial. In what way does this reflect the current status of people of mixed heritage?
======
Wednesday, February 4; 7 p.m.
Terrie Williams
Black Pain - It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting
Af-Am House, MP Room
Legendary PR guru, Williams, profiled in the PBS documentary "Depression: Out of the Shadows," and author of Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting, speaks about her battle with clinical depression, and offers real solutions to the problem of depression in the African-American community, and the workplace.
She has also written, The Personal Touch: What You Really Need to Succeed in Today's Fast Paced Business World
Sponsored by theAfro-AmericanCulturalCenter, Amy Rossborough Fellowship, Women’s Center, Yale Black Women’s Coalition, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Black Student Alliance at Yale, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
======
Thursday, February 5, 4:15 p.m.
Abebe Zegeye, YaleUniversity, "The Magical Universe of Art: Zerihun Yetmgeta, an Ethiopian Artist."
Luce 203, 34 Hillhouse Ave
A part of the Spring 2009 African Studies Lecture Series. Co-sponsored by the Council on African Studies and the MacMillanCenter.
------
Thursday, February 5; 7 p.m.
"Lighting a PHIre,"
a candid discussion sessionfocused on the black family, its definitions, its current state, and its future.
Af-Am House
Sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
------
Thursday, February 5, 7:00 pm
African Film World Premiere: DAKAR TO PORT LOKO: PERSPECTIVES FROM WEST AFRICA (2009) (Director: Nathaniel Cogley).
WhitneyHumanitiesCenter, 53 Wall Street.
For information see Sponsored by the Office for Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO).
======
Friday, February 6, 9 p.m. (Reception at 7 p.m.)
"VIHDA Means Life"
DavenportCollege Dining Hall
A Fashion Fundraiser for AIDS Interfaith Network, SMART, and Liberty Community Services 7:00-8:30pm-Reception for Photo Exhibit, "American Beauty: The Women and Men Behind the Pandemic
9:00pm- VIHDA Means Life
$10 suggested donation or vintage clothing donation (hwr, you will not be turnedaway!)
"VIHDA means Life" will explore the internal struggle that takes place within one woman seeking to come to terms with her body as well as the concert of bodies around her, told through the artistic media of spoken word, movement, and wearable art. In the 21st century, as people are becoming less connected, separated by text messages, emails and other more impersonal forms of communication, more people ironically enough are dying of these social diseases. The production progresses through various stages and ends with a carnival on Feb. 7th, celebrating corporeal freedom and life.
For more information or to reserve tickets by February 4th, please contact
======
Saturday, February 7; 10 p.m.
"Jump, Wave,and Masquerade!Bacchanal! It's Carnival!"
[UOFC 5K event]
DavenportCollege Dining Hall
Sponsored by AfAm House groups: Yale West Indian Students Organization, Konjo, Sphere Magazine, Yale Black Women’s Coalition, Heritage Theater Ensemble, Sankofa, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Pan Jam and Lime Steelband and La Casa groups: Dominican Student Association and Alianza
======
Monday, February 9, 5:30 p.m.
LIFE AFTER YALE
Af-Am House
The Business of Show: A Nuts and Bolts Workshop on Succeeding in the Entertainment Industry.
Entertainment attorney and literary agent Nicholas Roman Lewis’93 provides a no-nonsense overview of the legal, business and networking basics every burgeoning entertainment professional should know before embarking on their journey to fame and fortune.
======
Tuesday, February 10, 7 p.m.
Debate: Is Black History Month Still Relevant?
Af-Am House, MP Room
Sponsored by BSAY
======
Wednesday February 11; 7 p.m.
Deborah Willis
Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840-Present plus a special presentation from her new book Obama-The Historic Campaign in Photographs
Af-Am House
In Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840-Present, the award winning former curator for the Smithsonian's Center for African American History and Culture presents groundbreaking images of black life in America from 1940 to the present.
Her presentation includes a fifteen minute presentation from her new book OBAMA: The Historic Campaign in Photographs, which commemorates the life of the man and campaign that have changed the face of American Politics forever. It includes photos of the candidate on the campaign trail with his family, images of his fellow contenders during their debates, the emotional faces of voters-many moved to the polls for the first time-inspired by his speeches, and many other poignant moments of the race.
Ms. Willis is Chair and Professor of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Photography and Imaging.
Sponsored by Afro-American Cultural Center (Here Our Voices), History of Art, African-American Studies, Film Studies
======
TENTATIVE: Thursday, February 12 or Friday, February 13
5:30 p.m.
Place, TBA
Annual Black History Month Dinner/AfAm 40th Anniversary Kick-off and Black Male Appreciation in Honor of House Founders
Invited Keynote: Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick (not yet confirmed)
======
Friday, February 13 – Wednesday, February 18, 8 p.m.
JELLY'S LAST JAM , A Yale School of Drama Production
(no performance on the 15th and only 2 p.m. on the 14th)
University Theatre
222 York Street
Book by George C. Wolfe
Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson
Directed by Patricia McGregor
Magic, death, music, and transformation will take center stage in Patricia McGregor’s ’09 YSD, cabaret style production of Jelly's Last Jam. On his last night on earth, Creole jazz man and self-proclaimed “inventor of jazz” Jelly Roll Morton is visited by an otherworldly stranger. Helped by the denizens of the “Jungle Inn,” The Chimney Man forces Jelly to replay, in a searingly honest key, the highest and lowest notes of his life. Jelly's Last Jam is an exploration of our cultural and artistic roots, an examination of the color of the soul, and an exorcism of the lies and deeds that haunt us. When we've “given up the ghost,” what do we leave behind?
Free tickets available for House members.
======
Saturday, February 14, 11:55 p.m.
SillimanCollegeDining Hall
A MIDNIGHT LOVE AFFAIR
SHADES Annual VALENTINE’S DAY CONCERT
======
Monday, February 16; 7 p.m.
Roger Guenveur Smith
WORKSHOP SERIES: Performing History
Obie Award-winning actor and writer Roger Guenveur Smith directs this four-part theater workshop. It meets four Monday evenings from 7 to 10 pm, commencing January 26 at the Whitney Humanities Center Rm 208, 53 Wall St., and concludes with an "open rehearsal" on February 16 in the Afro-AmericanCulturalCenter, 211 Park St.
Through a rigorous collaborative investigation led by Mr. Smith, workshop participants will devise an original text and a physicalized strategy for playing it on the stage, based on their independently researched "archival materials."
======
Tuesday, February 17, 7 p.m.
African Film Screening: Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North (Producer/Director: Katrina Browne).
Luce Hall Auditorium, 34 Hillhouse Ave
A part of the "Visions of Africa: Contemporary African Cinema" Spring 2009 Film Series.. See for film and series details. Co-sponsored by The Afro-American Cultural Center, The Council on African Studies, and The MacMillanCenter.
======
Tuesday, February 17, 7 p.m.
FilmScreening: Rosewood
Af-Am House, MP Room
“In 1923, a black town in Florida was burned to the ground, its people murderedbecause of a lie. Some escaped and survived because of the courage andcompassion of a few extraordinary people. This film is for them.” With Ving Rhames and Don Cheadle. Directed by John Singleton
Sponsored by BSAY
======
Wednesday February 18; 7 p.m.
Lena Williams
It's the Little Things: Everyday Interactions that Anger, Annoy and Divide the Races
Af-Am House
Lena Williams, veteran journalist for The New York Times, Lena's interactive program on ending racial misunderstandings uses role-playing to provide a safe forum for those attending to discuss the subtleties of race and prejudice.
*Lena recently received a standing ovation at Harvard following her faculty training.
Co-sponsored by Intercultural Affairs Council (invited); Office of Diversity and Inclusion (invited); Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. Organized by the Afro-American Cultural Center
======
Thursday, Feb. 19, 6 p.m.
16 Bars//Soundtrack of our minds
Af-Am House
Using the history of Hip-Hop and rap as his road map, one man goes on a journey to find the true identity of black males and to define his own relationship with his father. Full lyrical verses, dance, and character monologues; this show dares to get on stage, grab a mic and show the world the black male that Hip-hop kept in the dark.
Written and performed by Kevin Daniels’10, Yale School of Drama
======
Friday, February 20; 7 p.m.
LunaFest Film Festival
Short films, by for and about women
LC, Room 102
Sponsored by: Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Student ID: $5.00; General Admission: $10.00
======
Friday, February 20, 10 p.m. until
BLACKOUT
Af-Am House
An intercultural game and movie late night event
AfAm, Asian, Latino and Native American Cultural Centers
======
Saturday, February 21, 6 p.m. Dinner, Show at 7 p.m.
“PIECES OF HERITAGE”
The Annual YASA/Y-WISO Cultural Show
WLH - Sudler Hall
Tickets are $5.00
Sponsored by Yale African Students Association and Yale West Indian Student Organization
======
Monday February 23; 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
LIFE AFTER YALE -- Alumni Dinner and Career Panel
Af-Am House
Dinner and discussion with distinguished Yale Black alumni who will share their thoughts on careers and defining moments of their Yale experience.
Sponsored by the Afro-America Cultural Center and Association of Yale Alumni – Special Interest Groups
======
Wednesday February 25; 7 p.m.
Hank Willis Thomas
PITCH BLACKNESS: Unraveling the Myth of Race in Media & Popular Culture
Af-Am House
Hank Willis Thomas is considered one of today's most compelling emerging artists. He gained wide recognition with his highly provocative series B®ANDED, which addresses the commodification of African-American male identity by raising questions about visual culture and the power of logos. His book Pitch Blackness was recently published by Aperture Foundation.
Hank's multimedia program begins with a deeply personal and interpretive re-telling of the senseless murder of young Songha Willis, the artist's cousin, who was robbed at gunpoint and murdered outside a nightclub in Philadelphia in 2000. Hank charts his own career as he grapples with the issues of grief, black-on-black violence in America, and the ways in which corporate culture is complicit in the crises of black male identity. He also presents his newest body of work, Unbranded, in which he examines advertising and media representation of African-Americans.
======
Saturday February 27-March 1
Black Solidarity Conference
BEYOND BLACK:OUR IDENTITY IN TECHNICOLOR
Keynote: Prof. Manning Marable
See for registration and details
======
Wednesday, March 4, 4 p.m.
SaybrookCollege
Master’s Tea w/
JACQUELINE WOODSON
Jacqueline Woodson is an American author who writes books for children and adolescents. In 2006, Woodson was named a Newbery Honor Book for Show Way. Her Locomotion was a National Book Award Finalist and won a Coretta Scott King Honor, while her Miracle's Boys won the Coretta Scott King Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was made into a mini-series directed by a number of people including Spike Lee. In 2006, she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Associations's (ALA) Young Adult Library Services Association for her books I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This, Lena, From the Notebook Melanin Sun, If You Come Softly, and Miracle’s Boys. For her book Coming on Home Soon, she won the Caldecott Honor, ALA Notable, Booklist Editor's Choice and Child Magazine Best of 2004.Woodson, who is openlylesbian,[1] is the recipient of three Lambda Literary Awards for From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun (1995 Children's/Young Adult category); Autobiography of a Family Photo (1995 Lesbian Fiction category); and The House You Pass On the Way (1997 Children's/Young Adult category).Written in a simple, poetic style, her most recent novel, Feathers (2007), is set in 1971 in a mostly black school, where the arrival of a white boy who looks like Jesus creates mystery and resentment. The book was named a Newbery Honor Book at the 2008 ALA Midwinter awards ceremony. She had a quote during a speech, "behind every successful woman is her mighty pen.
======
Date, TBA
Afro-Semitic Experience (Musical Performance)
The Afro-Semitic Experience is an ensemble dedicated to preserving, promoting and expanding the rich cultural and musical heritage of the Jewish and African diaspora. They are a band that understands and can present interpretations of music from traditions as rich as Gospel, Klezmer, Nigunim, Spirituals, and Swing and you have the Afro-Semitic Experience. This is a group that is as comfortable playing a freylakh as they are swinging a blues, that knows how to playing either a bulgar or some funk. Multi-cultural soul.
The Afro-Semitic Experience began performing in late 1999 as an off-shoot of the creative work of African-American pianist Warren Byrd and Jewish-American bassist David Chevan
Sponsored by: “A Park Street Presents Production”
Davenport, Pierson, Afro-American Cultural Center and St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel
------
The Afro-AmericanCulturalCenter is celebrating it’s 40th Anniversary from
January 2009 – October 2009 (Anniversary Weekend, October 16-18, 2009)
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
For questions: email, or call, 203.432-4131, 211 Park Street.