african american

Ideas Matter: Pennsylvania Humanities Council and The Souls of Black Baseball

Joe Donahue — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:35:00 +0000

We are very happy to continue our new regular feature on The Roundtable, entitled – Ideas Matter: Checking in with the Public Humanities. It is our chance to check in with the Humanities Councils throughout our 7-State area to discuss important ideas and why they do indeed matter. This morning we spotlight the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and specifically, The Souls of Black Baseball.

Bob Allen, a former Philosophy Instructor at Penn State has spent the last ten years traveling in the United States, visiting and interviewing every surviving player of the Negro Leagues in an effort to preserve the history and stories of Negro League Baseball.

He is currently working on an oral history project titled, The Souls of Black Baseball.

"Ghosts of Jim Crow" by F. Michael Higginbotham

Joe Donahue — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:12:00 +0000

When America inaugurated its first African American president, in 2009, many wondered if the country had finally become a "post-racial" society.

In Ghosts of Jim Crow, F. Michael Higginbotham argues that America remains far away from that imagined utopia.

Lift Ev'ry Voice Festival Will Return to Berkshires

Lucas Willard — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Members of MCLA’s The Allegrettos sang to welcome the announcement that the Lift Ev’ry Voice Festival is returning for its second season beginning in June.

The festival, which will again feature special events and performances celebrating the African-American culture and heritage in the Berkshires, was first held in 2011, and was attended by more than 30,000 people.

Festival co-chair Don Quinn Kelly said that the festival will focus on making the special programs and events accessible to attendees of all racial and economic backgrounds.

Pulitzer Prize winner Charles H. Fuller at The Egg on 4/18

Joe Donahue — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:10:00 +0000

The African American Cultural Center of the Capital Region is committed to educating, enriching, and empowering residents of the Capital Region through a variety of programs that raise the collective consciousness of all ethnicities to the rich and vibrant history, contribution, and culture of African Americans.

This Thursday, April 18th, The African American Cultural Center of the Capital Region will hold a Gala fundraiser in the Swyer Theater at The Egg in Albany, New York.

The evening will include performances of scenes from A Soldier's Play, by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Charles H. Fuller, a conversation with -and award presentation to- Fuller – and more.

The 12th Public History Conference on the Underground Railroad Movement

Joe Donahue — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:35:00 +0000

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – The Sage Colleges will host The 12th Public History Conference on the Underground Railroad Movement.

The conference is entitled “Milestones on the Road to Freedom: The Emancipation Proclamation, Harriet Tubman, and the March on Washington - a Legacy and a Future" – it is organized by the Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc. and Co-sponsored by: The Sage Colleges and The Department of History and Society, Russell Sage College.

Here to tell us all about it are Mary Liz Stewart and Paul Stewart - co-founders and directors of the Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region and conference organizers and Andor Skotnes, professor and chair of Sage's Department of History and Society, event organizer, and conference keynote speaker.

"Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson" by Barbara Ransby

Joe Donahue — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:10:00 +0000

Eslanda "Essie" Cardozo Goode Robeson lived a colorful and amazing life. Her career and commitments took her many places: colonial Africa in 1936, the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, the founding meeting of the United Nations, Nazi-occupied Berlin, Stalin's Russia, and China two months after Mao's revolution. She was a woman of unusual accomplishment—an anthropologist, a prolific journalist, a tireless advocate of women's rights, an outspoken anti-colonial and antiracist activist, and an internationally sought-after speaker.

Phillip Hayes Dean’s "Paul Robeson" presented by Unison Arts and SUNY New Paltz

Joe Donahue — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:12:00 +0000

Actor, singer, athlete, scholar, and social activist, Paul Robeson, was born in 1898 and died at 77 years old in 1976 having been blacklisted during the Second Red Scare in the 1950s but – until the end of his life sticking to his political stances and his beliefs.

Pride & Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience at the Poughkeepsie Public Library

Joe Donahue — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:10:00 +0000

The exhibit Pride & Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience opens tomorrow at the Poughkeepsie Public Library.

This nationally touring exhibition, which chronicles the remarkable history of baseball’s Negro leagues and the challenges and successes of African-American baseball players, opens today in Library’s Rotunda area.

An accompanying program series features lectures that relate the history of pre-integration baseball and the days leading to Jackie Robinson’s efforts to break the color barrier in America’s national pastime.

Kwanzaa Celebration At Springfield City Hall

Paul Tuthill — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Kwanzaa, the seven day African American cultural celebration is underway. The city of Springfield Massachusetts Friday held its third annual official observance at city hall. WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

Underground Railroad: Escape to Freedom

Joe Donahue — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Underground Railroad: Escape to Freedom is a book + audio + boardgame for children. The book and audio were researched and recorded on location following routes of the UGRR.

With action and adventure as key elements, the experiential boardgame uses UGRR lore, nature signs, survival skills, and African-American spirituals (now known to be secret codes) to engage children in history, foster understanding, and sharpen critical thinking skills.