Great Cultural Activities for Winter Break: Freedom Sisters, Malcolm X and More

I love the community that exists between mothers.  Most often, I get my best leads on great family activities from chatting with other moms!  The sharing of information that mutually strengthens our families is AWESOME. 

Olive and Takisia so kindly shared these cultural events with me, so I'm playing it forward by passing them along to the Chocolate Chip family.  With winter break upon us, what a great way to keep those young minds stimulated while expanding their understanding of self.  Share widely.

Freedom Sisters

Now through April 22, 2012

Dare to Dream, Inspire Lives, Serve the Public, Look to the Future.  Theses phrases are the back drop to this cultural analysis of the impact of Black Women.  A collaboration between the Smithsonian Institute and the Cincinnati Museum Center, Freedom Sisters examines the significant, but often unrecognized contributions of women throughout the Civil Rights era.

The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education Center

(formerly known as the Audubon Ballroom)

3940 Broadway, NYC

Monday thru Saturday 10am-5pm,

http://freedomssisters.com/wp-content/uploads/file/FS_Event_NY.pdf

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture never disappoints with amazing cultural events.  I remember taking a group of 16 year olds from the ALPHA program to see Roger Guenveur Smith in Free Huey back in the 90's.  I digress...

Two exhibitions of note: 

Malcolm X: A Search for Truth 

Now through March 8, 2012

"Malcolm X: A Search for Truth will provide the general public an opportunity to examine materials from the Malcolm X collection. The Malcolm X collection is unique in that it contains a wide range of speeches, sermons, radio broadcasts, diaries, correspondence, and other documents handwritten by Malcolm X or typed and edited at his direction. Most significantly, Malcolm X: A Search for Truth will offer the public fresh new insights into the nature of his thoughts and development, as well as his multifaceted, at times seemingly contradictory, persona and personality."

http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/clone-malcolm-x-search-truth

The Obama Presidency A Look Behind the Scenes

Photographs by Pete Souza Chief Official White House Photographer

Now through June 2, 2012

"Souza’s work documents the Commander in Chief’s daily executive routine, which includes attending historic events and dealing with crises. Some of the images also offer glimpses of the lighter side of President Obama’s personality and reveal his sense of humor in views of his more private interactions with his staff, family, and friends."

http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/obama-presidency-look-behind-scenesphotographs-pete-souza-chief-official-white-ho

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

515 Malcolm X Boulevard

NYC

Monday thru Saturday 10am-6pm

Personally, I'm really looking forward to sharing these events with my children.  As guardians of our history, let's make sure they learn and remember.

Brown History for Kids...The Harlem Renaissance

designed by Royal Amethyst LLC

 In the world of my 4 year old son, Black people are brown and White people are peach.  If you follow me on Twitter, you may have read that he told me he wanted to celebrate Brown history, not Black History because his skin is brown.  Teaching our history clearly starts at an early age.

You may recall from my facebook post that I am the chair of Black History month at my daughter's public school.  After it being a non-event last year, I volunteered myself to ensure that a meaningful celebration of our culture took place.

For Black History Month, students are often given bits and pieces of information without context.  One day learning about Dr. King, the next Harriet Tubman and the next Jackie Robinson with no understanding of how they relate or the historical timeline or social conditions that existed at the time that they lived.  To counteract that, I wanted to take a more integrated approach enabling children to learn in a more wholistic fashion making a greater impact.  

So as I began to make my plans, my first step was to choose a theme: The Harlem Renaissance

Taking a comprehensive approach gave me the platform to present the history, geography, philosophy and artistic elements that emerged in addition to the key figures of the era.  

In a school that is 50% African American and 50% White, it was also important to me to celebrate the brilliance, creativity and success of Black people.  I remember being horrified when my preschooler came home and blurted out, "Martin Luther King was shot".  Not that he was factually incorrect, but what a harsh way for a 3 year old to learn about one of our greatest leaders.  Clearly his legacy can be broken down in some other manner that children can grasp at that young age.  The message that Black folks were college educated, created art forms like Jazz, were wealthy and accomplished and not only slaves was critical to expanding the knowledge of these elementary school children.

So what are we doing?  I'm glad you asked:)

Each week takes an element of the Harlem Renaissance (history/geography, arts, key figures) and breaks it into small chunks of information.  We share the information daily during morning announcements and send a summary home in a weekly newsletter so families can share in the learning and reinforce the information. 

Students get to test what they have learned in the Black History Challenge.  Each perfect score gains the student a ticket into raffle with phenomenal prizes such as a Family Membership to the Studio Museum in Harlem http://www.studiomuseum.org/ and a gift certificate to the renowned Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe in Harlem  http://huemanbookstore.com/.

Our grand finale is our school wide assembly featuring Victoria Bond and T.R Simon, authors of the acclaimed book Zora and Me http://zoraandme.com/ and award winning illustrator Bryan Collier http://bryancollier.com/  (Uptown, Visiting Langston and Doo-Wop Pop).  The students themselves will also take center stage taking us back to the Savoy with the Jitterbug, reciting Langston's poems, discussing the art of Romare Bearden and singing Lift Evry Voice to name a few.

It is my hope that after all is said and done, we will have made a positive impact, expanded the students' body of knowledge an left an indelible imprint of the souls of Black folk.  

How is your child(ren)'s school celebrating Black History Month?

Special thanks to my co-chairman and Chocolate Chip mom, Tara Lattimer-Wilson, Royale Amethyst LLC  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Royale-Amethyst-Invitations-LLC/167803829930371?v=wall for the beautiful banner and Marva Allen of Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe for helping turn my vision into reality.

A Black History Gift for You: Brainwashed

As a fellow marketer, I am thrilled by Tom Burrell's latest gift to our community, Brainwashed : Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority. Founder of the renowned African American owned advertising agency, Burrell Communications in Chicago, IL, Tom Burrell has been a pioneer and catalyst in the industry for almost 50 years. One of the champions of target marketing, Burrell made a significant impact on my senior thesis, Images of African Americans in Advertising.

"His award-winning work promoted positive and realistic images of blacks and acknowledged the purchasing power of the African American community. Burrell is the founder of The Resolution Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes intra-racial dialogue and community-based new media “stop the brainwash” campaigns. "

The very premise of this book is the very soul of what gave birth to Chocolate Chip. Our families are much greater than how the media depicts us. As Burrell says we must counter the negativity with "positive propaganda" and change the very definition of who we are, not just for the mass media, but for own communities.

As caregivers and esteem builders for our children, this is an important read for our families. We must undo the brainwashing that exists with this generation so we can finally take off the shackles that bound our ancestors but still entrap some of our minds. Continue on to read the synopsis from Barnesandnoble.com

And from the Chocolate Chip Archives.... Black History for Young People
http://chocolatechiponline.blogspot.com/2009/02/black-history-for-young-people.html

We've added 2 more titles to the list for 2010:

Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True: Ruby Bridges
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ruby-Bridges-Goes-To-School/Ruby-Bridges/e/9780545108553/?itm=1&usri=ruby+bridges+goes+to+school+my+true+story
My husband felt like a militant when he read this book to Brooke's 1st grade class during Parent Involvement Day:) Ruby Bridges actually visited Fieldston some years ago and shared her story. Our 8 year old neighbor still remembers that memorable afternoon.

Beautiful Ballerina: Marilyn Nelson, Susan Kuklin (Photographer)
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Beautiful-Ballerina/Marilyn-Nelson/e/9780545089203/?itm=1&usri=beautiful+ballerina
Scholastic's recent partnership with the cultural institution , Dance Theatre of Harlem. Brooke and I had the pleasure to meet and be inspired by one of the young featured artist.
Shout of to Hamptonian, Michael Armstrong- VP, DTH Board of Directors


Synopsis: Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority- Tom Burrell
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=brainwashed+challenging+the+myth+of+black+inferiority&box=Brainwas&pos=0
“Black people are not dark-skinned white people,” says advertising visionary Tom Burrell. In fact, they are much more. They are survivors of the Middle Passage and centuries of humiliation and deprivation, who have excelled against the odds, constantly making a way out of “No way!” At this pivotal point in history, the idea of black inferiority should have had a “Going-Out-of-Business Sale.” After all, Barack Obama has reached America’s Promised Land.
Yet, as Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority testifies, too many in black America are still wandering in the wilderness. In this powerful examination of “the greatest propaganda campaign of all time”—the masterful marketing of black inferiority, aka the BI Complex—Burrell poses ten disturbing questions that will make black people look in the mirror and ask why, nearly 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, so many blacks still think and act like slaves. Burrell’s acute awareness of the power of words and images to shift, shape, and change the collective consciousness has led him to connect the contemporary and historical dots that have brought us to this crossroads.
Brainwashed is not a reprimand—it is a call to action. It demands that we question our self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. Racism is not the issue; how we respond to media distortions and programmed self-hatred is the issue. It’s time to reverse the BI campaign with a globally based initiative that harnesses the power of new media and the wisdom of intergenerational coalitions. Provocative and powerful, Brainwashed dares to expose the wounds so that we, at last, can heal.

Happy Reading!!!