January 28, 2000
The Malcolm X Branch of the San Diego Public Library launches its annual celebration of Black History Month with a series of month-long events and programs for adults and children. The featured event, Frame by Frame: Building Communities Through Cinema, highlights an international film festival presented with the Weingart-City Heights Branch and the Central Library and featuring films from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The Celebration, beginning on Friday, February 4, at 6:00 pm, features art and culture events including film presentations and screenings; book talks, performance art, spoken word and open mic poetry; book talks; a quilt art exhibit; social issues, health and awareness panels; youth and children programs; African American memory and genealogy; and the East African presence in San Diego. All programs are free and open to the public.
Award-wining Chicago-based Black independent filmmaker, Yvonne Welbon of Northwestern University, will be in attendance to present her groundbreaking film, Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis@ 100, about the oldest `out' African American lesbian known, born July 23, 1899. The film offers a rare opportunity to experience 100 years of American history as lived by one inspiring woman (Friday, February 4, 6:00 pm).
On Wednesday, February 23, 6:00 pm, the Cuban film The Last Supper will be screened as part of the Frame by Frame film festival. Directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Last Supper is a masterpiece of Cuban cinema based on a true incident in Cuban history about a pious slave-holder who decides to improve his soul and instruct his slaves in the glories of Christianity by inviting 12 of them to participate in a re-enactment of Jesus' Last Supper. Professor Carlos Guiller-mo Wilson of the Spanish & Portuguese Department at San Diego State University will facilitate a discussion following the film.
Performers from SLAM, the visionary and seductive musical currently being staged at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, deliver spellbinding poetry and dance, doo-wop, stand-up comedy, blues and jazz, and hip hop, heralding the library's annual Black History Month's Spoken Word-Open Mic (Monday, February 7, 6:00 pm). The spoken word and poetry jam session continues with another installment guest-hosted by Dajahn Blevins of the African American Council of the San Diego Repertory Theatre (Wednesday, February 16, 6:00 pm). All forms of spoken word are welcome: poetry, storytelling, rap, prose, drama, songs, Deaf poetry, etc.
L.A. based mystery writer, Gary Phillips, takes a break from instructing at the annual Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego to discuss his acclaimed new crime novel, The Jook, a story of sports, crime and glamor set in the world of professional football involving Super Bowl players, crooked lawyers and L.A. gansta rappers. (Saturday, February 19, 2:00 pm). Phillips is the author of Violent Spring, Perdition, U.S.A. and Bad Night Is Falling featuring private eye, Ivan Monk.
The People of Color Quilt Guild of San Diego curates a Heritage Quilts: Leaving A Legacy by area African Ame-rican quilt artists from Saturday, February 26 to Sunday, February 27.
John Guinn of Karibu Center for Social Support & Education, San Diego's premiere provider of AIDS/HIV social service and community support for people of color, explores the complex relationships between the AIDS/HIV crisis and activism and the Black political establishment, AIDS: State of Emergency in the Black Community (Saturday, February 5, 2:00 - 4:00 pm). Project Kujichagulia sponsors an Experiential Workshop which explores the emotions and concepts of the MAAFA experience (the Middle Passage) in African American existence (Saturday, February 19, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm).
Genealogy researcher, Margaret Lewis of the San Diego African American Genealogy Group, leads a discussion on the burgeoning field of African American genealogy, Mining the Roots: African American Genealogy (Saturday, February 12, 2:00 pm).
East African reigns on Saturday, February 26, 4:00 pm Joseph Moseray of the Alliance for African Assistance discusses the growing East African presence in San Diego, San Diego, African City: African Immigration in Southern California. Immigration of Somalis, Ethiopians, and Sudanese from East Africa to Southern California represents one of the most remarkable demographic phenomena occurring in San Diego.
Youth and children programs include the telling of African (Tuesday, February 8 and 22, 3:00 pm) and Black American Folktales (Tuesdays, February 15 and 29, 3:00 pm); drumming and percussion rhythms and traditions by master local African drummers, Wings: African Percussion & Drumming (Thursday, February 24, 10:30); and a youth drama written by local playwright Jennie Hamilton about civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, Thank You Sister Rosa Parks, staged and performed by Community Actors Theatre, (Saturday, February 26, 10:30).
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