AARLCC is holding its first annual Africana Arts & Humanities Festival “Rootedness: Celebrating 50 Years of Black Literature and Culture," in recognition of BCL's 50th Anniversary.
As the Broward County Libraries Division celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1974, the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) has themed its first annual Africana Arts & Humanities Festival “Rootedness: Celebrating 50 Years of Black Literature and Culture.”
This Year's Theme: "Rootedness: A Retrospective on 50 Years of Black Literature and Culture"
The 1970s represented a pivotal time for America as the nation began to grasp the full meaning of social and legal equality. The new reality was created from the convergence of the civil rights movement, school desegregation, integration of the U.S. Armed Forces, immigration from the Black diaspora, and the assassinations of Black leaders which collectively set the stage for a new wave of youthful activism. The 1970s emboldened the spirit of Black self-love, self-determination, and self-expression took form in the Black Arts and Black Power movements.
Presented in partnership with Broward Cultural Division, Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, the Urban League of Broward County, Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development, and Ujima Men's Collective.
Sponsored by JM Family Enterprises, Bank of America, Fort Lauderdale CRA, Holman, and Visit Lauderdale.
Festival Schedule At-A-Glance (View Digital Program Book)
(Sessions will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube)
|
|
Michael Harriot, Journalist, Author, and Cultural Critic Friday, March 22, 2024, 6:00 PM Michael Harriot is a critically acclaimed poet, journalist, and broadcaster who covers the intersection of race, politics, and social issues. He’s a senior writer for TheGrio.com, and his work is often cited by outlets and individuals from the New York Times and the Washington Post. Famously called "the King of Black Twitter," Harriot has also created a podcast called “Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History,” which combines his skills as a researcher and humorist. In his book, Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America, a New York Times bestseller, is a searingly smart and bitingly hilarious retelling of American history that corrects the record and showcases the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans. |
|
|
This year's reception, "Destination Roots," will feature DJ Tillery James spinning funk, soul, and disco hits from the 1970s. Catering by Swirl Wine Bistro. Proceeds benefit the Africana Arts & Humanities Festival. Purchase tickets here. |
|
|
Cornrows and Crowns: A Conversation with Camille Yarbrough and Kahran Bethencourt Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 10:00 AM Join us for an intergenerational discussion about hair pride between Coretta Scott King Award-winning authors Camille Yarbrough, author of Cornrows, and Kahran Bethencourt of CreativeSoul (The Me I Choose to Be, Crowned, and Glory). The event will also feature a children’s hair show curated by Natural Trend Setters to celebrate the beauty and creativity of Black aesthetic culture. Nana Camille Yarbrough’s glorious career spans over seven decades, several continents, countless awards and accolades, and a few generations, and continues to inspire audiences today through her books, lectures, and performances. In 1979 Nana Camille’s first book, Cornrows, a work that she calls a family book (rather than a children’s book), was published by Putnam Publishers, and was heralded as “a gem” by Essence magazine even before people were used to Black people embracing their natural hair. The work was awarded the American Library Association’s Coretta Scott King Award in 1980 for illustration. The groundbreaking book was re-issued in 2023. Sponsored by the Friends of the Broward County Library and the Friends of AARLCC. (Session will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Daniel Black, Author and Professor Saturday, March 23, 2024, 2:15 PM, Presented by the Ujima Men's Collective.
|
|
|
|
|
|
From Alex Haley to the Present: A Genealogical Perspective Saturday, March 23, 2024, 2:15 PM Few people were conducting genealogy before Alex Haley published Roots in 1976. Before Alex Haley most had never heard the word genealogy. Now, pollsters say genealogy is America's number one hobby. Haley never imagined the world-wide impact and the vast numbers of people he inspired to search for their ancestors. Nor did Haley envision the effect of technology on genealogy research. Genealogy research has come a long way in the last 48 years. Join Tony Burroughs, Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association (FUGA), and travel through time as we see the impact and legacy of Alex Haley and also learn how you can get started tracing your family tree. |
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Erica Williams, Professor of Anthropology, Spelman College Saturday, March 23, 2024, 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM "West African Women, Work, and the Family: Niara Sudarkasa's Contributions to Africana Scholarship in the 1970s” Erica L. Williams is Professor of Anthropology at Spelman College. She has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Stanford University, and a B.A. in Anthropology and Africana Studies from New York University. She is the author of Sex Tourism in Bahia: Ambiguous Entanglements (2013). |
|
|
Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 2:00 PM Screening of "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am." Talkback with Dr. Carole Boyce Davies of Howard University, Dr. Regis Fox of Florida Atlantic University, Professor Zakiya Odoi of Broward College, and radio personality Jill Tracey. Sponsored by the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters at Florida Atlantic University. |
|
|
Sunday, March 24, 2024 Esplanade Park, 32 East Las Olas Boulevard, Downtown Fort Lauderdale Join some of the most diverse and contemporary Black voices of Broward County as they perform at the third annual Rhythm by the River: A Festival Celebrating Black Voices, hosted by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, from 2 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 24 at Esplanade Park, 32 E. Las Olas Blvd. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. |
The 2024 Africana Arts & Humanities Festival is generously sponsored by:
AGE GROUP: | Teens | New Adults | Kids | Families | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Fair/Festival | Discussion/Lecture | Books | Arts & Cultural |
TAGS: | Library Anniversary |
| Mon, Nov 18 | 10:00PM to 8:00PM |
| Tue, Nov 19 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Wed, Nov 20 | 10:00PM to 8:00PM |
| Thu, Nov 21 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Fri, Nov 22 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Sat, Nov 23 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Sun, Nov 24 | Closed |
