We’ve had a multitude of programs. Here are some ideas: - Rev. Robert Jones does a fabulous program on African-American Influence on music. He performs, demonstrates, and engages the audience. http://www.revrobertjones.com/ - We have had the DIA do their speaker program on African-American Art, http://www.dia.org/learn/speakers-bureau-reservation-topics.aspx - LaRon Williams is a fantastic storyteller for an older youth audience, including adults. He also leads many conversations on racial issues. http://laronwilliams.blogspot.com/ - We’ve done a panel program of local Black citizens and their remembrances. - We have a local historian who has made major efforts to collect documentation about Ypsilanti Black history, https://southadamstreet1900.wordpress.com/ . Matt has made many presentations for us. - We’ve done many storytimes with an African-American focus and added cultural elements, food, music, crafts, etc. - We’ve shown movie series, both on African-American history and on racial justice, in most cases they have had a discussion leader. - We’ve had a group of local young people who sing from the Can’t Stop Me Now Project. They sing anthems and popular music. - We’ve had various authors come in and speak on topics related to African-American history from the Underground RR to influences on media. - We’ve had two different speakers on Idlewild, historical African-American resort town on the west side of Michigan. - This year we will have o Melvin Peters, recently retired professor from EMU’s African-American Studies program and a speaker for the Charles H. Wright African-American History Museum, do a program on socially conscious hip-hop music, one of his many topics, http://www.emich.edu/aas/faculty/peters.php o We will have a member of our African-American genealogist group make a presentation on how important Black churches were in our county. o Raymond Randolph, a freedom rider arrested in the 60s, will be talking this year about the Civil Rights Movement, then and now. o One of our branches is doing an African-American Read-in this year. http://www.ncte.org/aari o An author/speaker on civil rights and Detroit will be doing a talk. I realize that many of these ideas are tapping into local resources in Ypsilanti, however you are not far from some major universities. You might start by reaching out to the universities near you for speakers and ideas. I hope this helps! Joy Joy Cichewicz Downtown Branch Manager Ypsilanti District Library 229 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti, MI 48197 734-482-4110, x1314 (office) 734-482-4110, x1385 (reference) 734-732-2634 (cell) joy@ypsilibrary.org<mailto:joy@ypsilibrary.org> [cid:image002.png@01D249D5.83015510]<https://www.facebook.com/YpsilantiDistrictLibrary> [cid:image004.png@01D249D5.83015510] <http://twitter.com/#!/YpsiLibrary> [cid:image005.png@01D249D5.83015510] <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ypsilanti-District-Library-Teens/50364026163?ref=ts> YDL |YDL Twitter |YDL-Teens From: Hali Hammond [mailto:hammondh@marshalldistrictlibrary.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 4:14 PM To: michlib-l@mcls.org Subject: [Michlib-l] Adult Programs African American History Month Hello, I'm wondering what kinds of programs/speakers you've had for African American History Month? Looking for ideas. Thank you. -- Hali Hammond Library Assistant 269-781-7821 x 21
