The Woods Hole Community Black History Month Committee presents
2012
Thursday, February 3
“A Question of Freedom” - REGINALD DWAYNE BETTS
“A Question of Freedom” chronicles Reginald Dwayne Betts’ years in prison, as he reflects on his crime and makes a decision about how a “moment of insanity” would—or would not—define him. The memoir is about a quest for identity, one that guarantees a young man’s survival in a hostile environment and the many ways that books and a passion for writing helped a young man find his way back to the life he’d lost.
12:00 Noon, Meigs Room, Swope Center, MBL
Thursday, February 9
“Beyond Resilience: Haitian Women’s Post-Earthquake Cultural Production” - REGINE JEAN-CHARLES
Boston College Professor Regine Jean-Charles will outline the history of Haitian women’s feminist writing and activism to provide a context for thinking about the role of art and cultural production in post-earthquake Haiti.
12:00 Noon, Meigs Room, Swope Center, MBL
Tuesday, February 14
“The African American Quest for Institutions of Higher Education Before the Civil War” - RUSSELL IRVINE
Author Russell Irvine studies the important ideological divisions that drove access to higher education for African Americans during the antebellum era: The African Colonization Movement, 1817-1862 and the Abolitionist Movement, 1830-1865, and features actual histories of individuals who succeeded in obtaining an education as well as the histories of the institutions that served them. Copies of Irvine’s book will be available.
12:00 Noon, Meigs Room, Swope Center, MBL
Thursday, February 16
“Neighborhood Register: A Poetic Exploration and Celebration of Everyday People and Places” - MARCUS JACKSON
From the twilight towns of the Rust Belt to the vivid inlets of New York City, Marcus Jackson’s poems feature the people, scenes, and sectors from which hidden music and meaning unearth. The collection evokes the beauties and difficulties within multi-racial families, the value of vernacular, and the unexpected resonances of common objects.
12:00 Noon, Meigs Room, Swope Center, MBL
Thursday, February 23
Round Table Discussion: Exploring African American Women’s Roles in and Contributions to the Making of America
Moderated by Jacqueline P. Fields, Ph.D., Wellesley College Faculty and Senior Research Scientist Emeritus, member, Barnstable County Human Rights Commission. Resident of Sandwich, Massachusetts. Let your voice be heard! Participate in the discussion or just listen in.
3:00 PM, Meigs Room, Swope Center, MBL
Thursday, February 23
Harambee
Join us in our annual ethnic potluck feast celebrating everyone of every race! Enjoy multicultural arts, delicious food, and live music featuring The GROOVALOTTOS.
4:30 to 8:00 PM, Swope Center, MBL
Woods Hole Black History Month events are sponsored by the Marine Biological Laboratory; the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Coast Guard Group Woods Hole, the U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Science Center, and the National Academy of Sciences J. Erik Jonsson Center. All events are free and open to the public.