African and People of Color Culture Value Increases With Exposure At Home, In Our Communities and Our Schools

 i'm exploring people of color communities in an effort to find common ground and connect us with understanding for our differences and similarities. In my exploration i'm learning that there is plenty of soul searching for who we are as people of color and people with culture that has been lost in some of our homes, communities and schools. How can we address the search and fill the need to feel confident about who we are? In Philadelphia Pa. we have an abundance of diverse cultures to learn from and grow with. We also have resources and landmarks that tell our stories. At our Strawberry Mansion Call To Action Meeting Two, Gayle Garrett from the Arts and Culture Committee announced that there is interest in starting a quilting club in the Strawberry Mansion community. i was excited to hear that news because i just learned that we are celebrating African Fabric in September, and learned about an African quilting guild called Brown Sugar Stitchers Quilt Guild in Atlanta but no African center guilds in Philadelphia.

Hashtag Friday… WIN FREE FABRIC!! Cultured Expressions and Harlem Needle Arts invite you to take the #AfricanFabricMonth Challenge! For four Fridays during the month (September 9,16, 23 and 30), we challenge all African Fabric Lovers to post Instagram photos of your favorite African fabric projects between 10:00am and 12 Noon EST, and be sure to include #AfricanFabricMonth! All pictures posted with the hashtag will be entered into random drawings for Fabrigasmic fabric prizes provided by Harlem Needle Arts and Cultured Expressions! Share images of how you use indigenous African Fabric in your home décor. Show off throw pillows, quilts, wall hangings, upholstery, draperies, shower curtains, table settings, etc. in textiles like Ankara prints, Bogolan/Mudcloth, Batiks, Brocade, Adire (tie and dye), Aso-oke, Adinkra cloth, Kuba, and Kente. Of course, you can hashtag your creations throughout September – you can even re-post your favorites for the Challenge. And be sure to follow @iamharlemneedlarts and @culturedexpressions on Instagram for great AFM inspiration all month long, and beyond! Visit Harlem Needle Arts online Visit Cultured Expressions online Open to US residents only. Participants may enter any or all of the four drawings, however, each participant can only win once..
http://culturedexpressions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/HNA-HashtagChallenge.pdf
 #AfricanFabricMonth       #SewAfrican      #CulturedExpressions

http://www.phillymodernquiltguild.com/

There are fabric stores here in Philadelphia or you can order online!!

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has on display "Creative Africa." This Sunday, September 4th as all first Sunday's at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is family pay what you can day and i plan to take my family to view our culture and participate in Art Splash

Art Splash

July 1–September 5, 2016

Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Art Splash is back! Visit the Perelman Building this summer and enjoy Philadelphia’s place for creative play. From July 1 to Labor Day, families can discover Creative Africa through daily gallery explorations, studio art creations, interactive activities, and other imaginative programs. Museum admission for kids twelve and under is always free.

Pay What You Wish Family Festivals
First Sunday of every month
Bring the whole family to enjoy art making and fabulous performances.

#ArtSplash
Share your experience @philamuseum #ArtSplash.

Art Splash is presented by PNC Arts Alive. Additional generous support is provided by The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Origlio Beverage and The Honickman Group, Mrs. Kay Bossone, Mari and Peter Shaw, Sondra and Martin Landes, Jr., Steve and Gretchen Burke, and Deena S. Gerson in honor of Isaac Henry Hohns.

Splash Studio (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.)
Let your creativity soar at the Splash Studio, a destination where people of all ages can drop in and create art together. Come throughout the summer to enjoy new art projects inspired by Creative Africa.

Family Tours (11:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.)
Early Birds (ages 3–5) and Art Explorers (ages 6–10)
Creative play and participatory conversation make these tours the perfect introduction to art for young visitors and their families.

Family Art Cart (Noon–3:00 p.m.)
Museum educators are out and about in the galleries with stories to tell and hands-on activities for everyone. Drop in and watch Creative Africa come to life.

Creative Africa

May 14, 2016 - September 25, 2016

Innovation and tradition come together in a celebration of African art and design in the Perelman Building.

From contemporary photography, fashion, and architecture to centuries-old sculpture, Creative Africa presents the visionary work of artists throughout Africa. At the heart of the season is Look Again: Contemporary Perspectives on African Art, a major exhibition drawn from the Penn Museum’s distinguished African collection.

Creative Africa also boasts a dynamic schedule of programs, artist talks, family festivals, and community conversations.

#CreativeAfrica

Share your experience #CreativeAfrica @philamuseum.


The West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance in partnership with The University Of Pennsylvania Netter Community Center will be hosting a study of play write August Wilson in their annual "August Wilson and Beyond Class." The class is intergenerational, free and open to the volunteers and members of WPCA. Class begins Monday, September 12th  2-5pm, and we will start with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom which is set in 1927 Chicago during a recording session at a white-owned studio with the legendary singer—inspired by real-life Mother of the Blues Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. We are starting with this play because of the police misconduct going on today is relevant to 1927. 

August Wilson & Beyond

Mondays 2pm – 5pm

September 12 through December 12

“The people need to know the story. See how they fit into it. See what part they play.”

- August Wilson, King Hedley II

In this intergenerational seminar, Penn students and West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance members and friends together read groundbreaking playwright August Wilson's 20th Century Cycle: ten plays that form an iconic picture of African American traumas, triumphs, and traditions through the decades, told through the lens of Pittsburgh's Hill District neighborhood. All get to know each other while exploring the history and culture that shaped the plays. As an Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) course, the class plans and hosts events with the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, learns history through storytelling, and creates an original performance inspired by the readings and relationships, to share at an end-of-semester gathering. Wilson's plays provide the bridge between the two groups and art is the service they provide to the community together.

The August Wilson & Beyond course is offered by

the University of Pennsylvania’s Africana Studies & English Departments

with support from the Netter Center for Community Partnerships

The class meets in the Seminar Room of the Africana Studies Department

3401 Walnut Street, 3^rd floor

If you are considering joining the class or would like to receive invitations to class events,

please contact Professor Suzana Berger

suzanab@sas.upenn.edu     215.680.3488

You can volunteer or become a member today!!  
West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance/The Paul Robeson House
Philadelphia, PA 19139,
215-747- 4675
wphlca@gmail.com
Contact Professor Berger for more info about the  "August Wilson and Beyond" class.

AUGUST WILSON'S

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

SEP 1 – OCT 16, 2016

#MaRaineyCTG

 
• Credits
 
• Media & Resources

BLAZING LYRICAL AND EMOTIONAL FORCE…THE SPELLBINDING SOUND OF A GREAT AMERICAN ARTIST SINGING THE HISTORY OF HIS CULTURE FROM THE STAGE, CREATING A LONG, BEAUTIFUL SONG OUT OF UNFATHOMABLE SUFFERING.

Charles Isherwood, Variety

Ambition and art collide with the business of the blues in this red hot play filled with music that made the '20s roar. An American masterpiece, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set in 1927 Chicago during a recording session at a white-owned studio with the legendary singer—inspired by real-life Mother of the Blues Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. Tony Award® winner Phylicia Rashad directs this groundbreaking play with a powerhouse cast led by Lillias White (Broadway’s Fela! and Once on This Island), Keith David (OWN’sGreenleaf, Broadway’s Jelly’s Last Jam), and Glynn Turman (HBO’s The Wire, Showtime’sHouse of Lies) all returning to the Taper from Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

EXTRAORDINARY! MA RAINEY RIDES ON THE EXULTANT NOTES OF THE BLUES!

 Newsweek

By August Wilson
Directed by Phylicia Rashad

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Single Tickets

On sale: May 3, 2016

Passport Members

On sale: Apr 26, 2016

Hot Tix

On sale: Aug 9, 2016

Account Sales and Group Tickets of 12+

Order now at 213.972.7231

Learn More

Performance Length

The performance length is TBA.

Be Aware

Recommended for ages 13+ for strong language and violence.

Children 6 and under who may cry or fidget are never admitted.

Center Theatre Group Show Guide for Parents

THE STORY OF THE ‘MOTHER OF THE BLUES’

To introduce Los Angeles to Ma Rainey, they pulled together the true story of a great but still largely unknown American blueswoman.Read Morehttps://www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/mark-taper-forum/2016/ma-raineys-black-bottom/

There was mention of an Independent School being built in Strawberry Mansion, will share more on that as i learn. Independent schools are great because they are built based on our culture and not conformity to colonialism like public, charter and catholic schools. The Council of Independent Black Institutions has a gofundme page raising funds to help support these schools. Below are two Philadelphia Independent schools who could use your support!!

Lotus Academy of Philadelphia
340 E. Haines St.
Philadelphia, PA 19144
(215) 438-7500
http://www.lotusacademy.org/  
Founded in 1974 by the Wholelife Institute

and

The Ijoba Shule
6026 Drexel Road
Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 747-5737
info@ijobashule.org
Contact: Iya Omowun

When the son of Marcus and Ashaki was old enough to go to school, they knew they wanted him to receive an education that taught him about his culture, history, and people. They didn’t want him to be “mis-educated” in the public school system. Marcus and his wife went into their basement and began teaching their son the type of education they knew that was best for him. Parents of 5 other students enrolled their children not long afterwards. Before the first school year was over, he had 36 students and had to look for another location. Today, the Freedom Home Academy (FHA) of Chicago has its own building and enrolls over 100 students and that’s only the beginning. To support the National Black Independent School Fund donate at www.gofundme.com/sovereigneducation

Posted 27th July by Mukasa Afrika Ma'at http://afrikan-resistance.blogspot.com/2016/07/marcus-kline-architect-visionary.html


STEPS to SUPPORT the NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

1. FUNDS: Donate money to an existing Afrikan-Centered independent/sovereign school.

2. VOLUNTEER: Offer your time for class assistance, clerical duties, cleaning, construction, etc. 

3. RECRUITMENT: Help the schools out with recruitment and enrollment.

4. PROMOTION: Advertise the schools through word of mouth, emails, post, newspaper, etc.

5. SUPPLY DONATION: Donate computers, tablets, devices, books, paper, furniture, etc.

6. ORGANIZATION: Help the schools organize and promote events and activities. 

7. NETWORK: Inform businesses, politicians, universities about supporting the schools.

Having an event and want some books to attend?

Here Comes The Book Bike!

By Link R.  Fri, June 17, 2016

The Book Bike is a new program from the Free Library that sends bicycle-powered mobile libraries to outdoor events in Philadelphia. The custom cargo bicycles, built by Philadelphia-based Haley Tricycles, are ridden by a library staff member to community events and provide a selection of library materials. Patrons with library cards can check out books directly from the bike, learn about library services and programs, or even attend a storytime led by a librarian.

The Book Bike has already started making appearances at community events including the Clark Park Farmers’ Market and Story Jams in Dickinson Square Park. At our first event at Clark Park this month, we brought more than 50 books catered to the audience at the Farmers’ Market about food, cooking, and culture. Children and adults alike were excited to see this unique display! We signed up several new patrons for library cards who were enthusiastic about starting to use the library.

The Book Bikes will continue helping library outreach efforts at events throughout the city. View ourschedule of upcoming events to see when the Book Bike will be at a location near you!

If you would like to have the Book Bike at your community event, please contact Link Ross (RossL@freelibrary.org) or Kate Eckert (EckertK@freelibrary.org) for availability. You can also find us on social media using the hashtag #FLPBookBike

The Free Library Also offers:

 "A Taste Of Africa" Cooking Class to Counter Diabetes and Heart Diease

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-taste-of-african-heritage-tickets-27295055245

and

Event Description

Odds & Ends: Using What You Have to Craft Inspired Poems & Meals

Creating innovative meals and poems requires a healthy dollop of creativity, introspection, and risk taking. Much pleasure can be found in the kitchen and on the page when we use the scraps left behind and what we have on hand as fuel for our creative work. Join Philadelphia Poet Laureate Yolanda Wisher and Food & Wellness Educator Lauren Nixon for a hands-on, experiential learning workshop that will inspire you to improvise, trust your instincts, and use what you have in order to enhance both your writing and home cooking practices.  

WHEN

Thursday, September 8, 2016 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM (EDT) - Add to Calendar

WHERE

Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Culinary Literacy Center - 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 - View Map

September 28, 2016 7pm The Anneberg Center Live 

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Event Information

Event Description

Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, The Blues™ consists of several films that capture the essence of the blues and explore its profound influence on music and people the world over. Originally aired on PBS, the films trace the evolution of the blues from parochial folk tunes to a universal language, each film focusing on a distinct topic from the perspective of seven different directors. Together, the films honor the art form and preserve its legacy in a celebration of its lasting impact. “Our goal never was to produce the definitive work on the blues,” Scorsese said. “It was, from the start, to create highly personal and impressionistic films as seen through the eyes of the most creative directors around with a passion for this music.” 

Co-presented with Penn's Cinema and Media Studies Department and part of our African Roots, American Voices season-long focus on the blues, enjoy four free film screenings from The Blues™ series, each with a post-show discussion.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016 @ 7 PM

Feel Like Going Home

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Discussion with The Blues Series Producer Alex Gibney

Wednesday, October 26, 2016 @ 7 PM

The Road to Memphis 

Directed by Richard Pearce

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 @ 7 PM

Warming by the Devil’s Fire

Directed by Charles Burnett

Wednesday, March 1, 2017 @ 7 PM

Red, White & Blues

Directed by Mike Figgis

Discussion with Red, White & Blues Director Mike Figgis

Registration is requested, but seating is first come, first served. You do not need to print your Eventbrite registration information.

WHEN

Wednesday, September 28, 2016 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT) - Add to Calendar

Select a different date

Select a different date        Wed, Sep 28 (7:00 PM)         Wed, Oct 26 (7:00 PM)         Wed, Feb 1, 2017 (7:00 PM)         Wed, Mar 1, 2017 (7:00 PM)    

WHERE

Annenberg Center Live - 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 - View Map

#PropertyOwners & Deep Poverty In North Philadelphia and Beyond, There is a Disturbing Pattern Here.

I was asked to host a meeting with Strawberry Mansion, i mean Blackberry Mansion property owners to inform the property owners of what is taking place in our communities and hear their concerns. The meeting was scheduled for 5:30 pm in our community gardens. Invited to speak to the homeowners was Ms. Jacqueline Wiggins from Stadium Stompers, fighting Temple University family and community displacement plan. If Temple builds that stadium and displace those generational homeowners there will be residual affects for any and every piece of property from 33rd and Diamond to Broad Street. #OurCityIsNotConnected2OurFamilies Thomas D. El independent insurance broker was also invited to inform property owners about financial instruments aka insurance that allows them to avoid taxes and keep developers out of our community. The rain had stopped at 5pm and i got excited. 5:30pm no one is showing up and i'm sure rain is the excuse. That excuse would have worked if this was the #PressAndCurlEra. This is life or death of our community and the residents don't get the fact that their family legacy is at risk. To stuck in the trap of judgmental ways to be a united community. Don't know how to live together as common ground aka #Community while having their own identity aka culture. In other words agree to disagree but remain respectful of each other space. i spoke with property owners on our porches and they are concerned that condos are being built on Reservoir Drive and that will increase property taxes for them. My neighbor felt that the organizations running the community garden is suspect and just waiting to take over the land. They also don't believe there is any worth in attending meetings. They feel that when these developers and politicians have their mind made up then there is nothing we can do to change that plight. They don't seem to understand community input or community power, just how to do them. Had they attended the property owner meeting they would have learned the steps to keep the developers out. #Redlining=DeepPoverty #DivideAndConquer #WeAreWhatWeAreLookingFor #BlackberryMansion #NewRule #FinancialInstruments

Mr. Thomas D. El walks up and i ask if we can make a video to share with property owners, being the weather may have been the factor that kept them from hearing what he was sharing. There is ways to keep your property from being taken. We have to be responsible enough to learn and implement lifestyles that create legacies for our families. Mr. El touched on topics such as homeowners, work and life insurance as key game changers in holding on to our property, not having taxes to pay and keeping developers out of our community. Please view the video to learn about protecting your family and property. Then give him a call 610.803.8218 so you can get your #Legacy aka #PropertyBusiness in order.

Ivy still grows on the front of Langston Hughes' home in Harlem. There aren't many houses like it left in New York City. Real estate agents estimate it's worth over $3 million.

And that's before anyone talks about the fact that one of America's great writers -- a hero of the Harlem Renaissance -- lived there for much of the 1950s and 60s, until he passed away. His typerwriter is still on a shelf.

Pressure to sell "Hughes House" is escalating. The current owner listed it for a mere $1 million a few years ago, but it didn't sell. For now, the home sits empty. The owner doesn't live there. No one does. Paint is chipping off the front steps.

Renee Watson thinks it's a tragedy. That's why she started an Indiegogo campaign to raise $150,000 to rent the home and turn it into a cultural center honoring Hughes.

"The more Harlem changes, the more I'm motivated to do something," says Watson, a writer who lives nearby, and has watched gentrification flood in. A Whole Foods is set to open in the area early next year. Realtors predict prices will skyrocket even further.

"We -- the community -- must hold on to the space," says Watson. "I feel a sense of urgency."

So far, the initiative to save Hughes House has raised just over $25,000.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/19/news/economy/langston-hughes-harlem-home/index.html

#PopulationHealth is the buzz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Addressing the good and the bad of the entire city is what The Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Service is looking into. In North Philadelphia pockets of concerned citizens are organizing to raise awareness of the #DeepPoverty label placed on our communities. #TheUptownEntertainmentAndDevelopmentCorporation and partner organizations held an #Intergenerational forum, live streamed on various outlets, August 20, 2016 to find answers to what is #deeppoverty and possible solutions to address the issue of poverty.

Several members of the panel mentioned that they had to find their identity as people of color in the United States of America. There was back and forth discussion on "the SYSTEM." Are we breaking away from the system or as taxpayers are we making our way in this system? Who do we, can we trust? #DeepPoverty was defined and discussed as another way racist white people label people of color. Not sure if we all agreed, but Michael O'Bryan from Village of The Arts, stated that in African American communities "there is a disconnect from our culture, yet there are proud facts in the history of this country that is African culture."

There is work to be done, because the bottom line is: "When
We Know Better, We Do Better." Brother Yumy Odom founder of Frator Heru Institute, moderated the discussion about #DeepPoverty in North Philadelphia with Retired Educator and Historian, Ms. Jacqueline Wiggins,  Community Organizer, Moor Ali El,  Artist/Advocate, Program Director at Village of The Arts, Michael O'Bryan, Early Childhood Development Provider Christine Churchwell and Music Artist/Advocate Richard Ransom aka Ram Riches.

1] What is deep Poverty? What is the origin of it? How is it manifested? How can we address it directly?

2] What are the economic fulcrums in N. Philadelphia? What is the state of employment / unemployment in Philadelphia? What needs to be done?

3] What is the plight / status of "education" / mis-education in Philadelphia?

4] How does dys-gentrification play into the current crises?

5] What do you have to offer to this discussion? Feel free to elaborate on your expertise.

Please join the conversation, leave a comment and share this post!!