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Celebrate African American arts and artists in the Triangle!
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Highlighted Events
Viola Turner, A Woman of Hayti: In Her Own Words
September 29, 2019 at 3 PM
Durham’s Hayti community was once known as America’s “Capital of the Black Middle Class". Viola Turner, a cornerstone of Hayti, was the most powerful woman on Durham's "Black Wall Street". This special event features excerpts from an interview that was conducted with Viola Turner as part of the UNC Southern Oral History Program. Turner's keen observations, ambition and sense of humor all shine through as she provides insight into life in Durham during Jim Crow as well as how she became the first female board member of the largest black company in America. Performed by Tina Morris-Anderson. Admission is free but registration is requested at www.africanamericanarts.org. Presented by the Triangle Friends of African American Arts.
Hayti Heritage Center
804 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27701
Viola Turner, A Woman of Hayti: In Her Own Words
September 29, 2019 at 3 PM
Durham’s Hayti community was once known as America’s “Capital of the Black Middle Class". Viola Turner, a cornerstone of Hayti, was the most powerful woman on Durham's "Black Wall Street". This special event features excerpts from an interview that was conducted with Viola Turner as part of the UNC Southern Oral History Program. Turner's keen observations, ambition and sense of humor all shine through as she provides insight into life in Durham during Jim Crow as well as how she became the first female board member of the largest black company in America. Performed by Tina Morris-Anderson. Admission is free but registration is requested at www.africanamericanarts.org. Presented by the Triangle Friends of African American Arts.
Hayti Heritage Center
804 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27701
Dimensions of Black: The Founding Fathers of Hayti
November 9, 2019 at 8:00 pm
The Hayti community in Durham, NC was once known as America’s “Capital of the Black Middle Class”. Hayti’s spirit of "self-help" was inspired by the founders of NC Mutual Life Insurance and led to the creation of 200 African American businesses, a library, hospital and university. Durham's downtown district became known as "Black Wall Street". Featuring a mix of poetry, music and drama, this production will be presented at the former St. Joseph’s AME Church where the story of Hayti began. Presented by the Triangle Friends of African American Arts.
General admission is $25, VIP seating & reception with cast members is $35. Triangle FAAA members will save 10% off the ticket price, just email your request to africanamericanarts@gmail.com.
Hayti Heritage Center
804 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27701
November 9, 2019 at 8:00 pm
The Hayti community in Durham, NC was once known as America’s “Capital of the Black Middle Class”. Hayti’s spirit of "self-help" was inspired by the founders of NC Mutual Life Insurance and led to the creation of 200 African American businesses, a library, hospital and university. Durham's downtown district became known as "Black Wall Street". Featuring a mix of poetry, music and drama, this production will be presented at the former St. Joseph’s AME Church where the story of Hayti began. Presented by the Triangle Friends of African American Arts.
General admission is $25, VIP seating & reception with cast members is $35. Triangle FAAA members will save 10% off the ticket price, just email your request to africanamericanarts@gmail.com.
Hayti Heritage Center
804 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27701
Dimensions of Black: The Founding Fathers of Hayti has been funded in part by the Durham 150,a yearlong celebration of the City of Durham’s 150th anniversary of incorporation.
Blog Highlights
What you need to know about the musical, The Scottsboro Boys
What if I told you that there was a Broadway musical that portrays an important part of African American history? It was nominated for twelve Tony awards. It was supported by Denzel Washington and Whoopi Goldberg. All but one of the cast members were African American. Lee Daniels expressed interest in turning the musical into a film. And The New York Post, referred to it as “A masterwork, both daring and highly entertaining.” Well, do you want to see the show?
But . . . . . .
What if I told you that the show set a record for the most Tony nominations with no wins? The Broadway production closed after only 6 weeks. It was shunned by the NAACP and people protested it all over New York.
The Scottsboro Boys tells the true story of nine African American boys who were falsely accused of raping two white women and eight of them received the death penalty. The production has the “framework of a minstrel show, altered to create a musical social critique.”
Now, what do you think?
Theatre Raleigh has taken the bold step to present this controversial show. And here In the South, no less. According to their Producing Artistic Director Lauren Brady," At a time where the criminal justice system in our country is still flawed, this is a story that needs to be told, and told and told again. I wanted to produce The Scottsboro Boys so we can offer our community what art does best: creating a dialogue and promoting conversation.”
Theatre Raleigh has posted background about the history of The Scottsboro Boys on their website and will host a number of community events. The dramaturg for their production is Moses Alexander Greene. He is an educator as well as Founder and Artistic Director of Li Mavhob productions. HIs musical Pooled was just featured in the National Black Theatre Festival.
Greene said, “This show brings us back to a case that is the very first stirrings of the civil rights movement and puts center stage the racism that is a part of the tapestry that is America. We are living in a time where we have to confront our dark history. The themes in this work are still very much prevalent in present day America and it begs the question after you leave the theater what are you going to do?”
The Scottsboro Boys will run from September 4 - 15, 2019 at the Kennedy Theatre in Raleigh, NC. For more information visit www.theatreraleigh.com..
By Sherri Holmes, Triangle FAAA Founder & Director
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