Home / What's Going On / Press Releases / 12-21-2007
Museum Presents Seventh Annual African American Cultural Celebration
Feel the spirit and energy of the state’s African American culture and heritage during one of the year’s largest events at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Usher in Black History Month five days early during the Seventh Annual African American Cultural Celebration on Saturday, Jan. 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Blues guitarist Boo Hanks, the jazz group R-EFFECT, and African wire artist Jonathan Daniel will join more than 70 presenters and exhibitors for this popular family event. Admission and parking are free.
The African American Cultural Celebration offers something for all ages: musical performances, step dancing, storytelling, craft and cooking demonstrations, art displays, hands-on activities, and more. Come experience this exciting festival filled with firsthand opportunities to learn about the state’s African Americans, past and present. Stay for lunch and purchase foods from vendors on Bicentennial Plaza, directly outside the museum.
“We’ve incorporated many exciting new features into this year’s event,” says Emily Grant, youth programs coordinator and organizer of the event. “For example, at noon, you can watch a procession of masked dancers in colorful costumes who will play drums and sing throughout the museum lobby. This resembles part of Jonkunnu (pronounced John Canoe) celebrations observed by enslaved African Americans living in eastern North Carolina in the 1800s. The celebration included elements of West African traditions.” Before the procession, make a mask and noisemaker so you can join in the fun!
Other “firsts” include photography and art displays about jazz artists; a program about Princeville, the first American town incorporated by African Americans; and a look at what was once Raleigh’s black business district. Staff members from historic sites across North Carolina will share fascinating facts about African Americans.
It won’t be easy to choose from all the games and crafts. Play the traditional mancala game and go on a scavenger hunt. Make a cowrie shell necklace, tie hands of tobacco and join a quilting bee.
You’ll have many opportunities to learn about the state’s African Americans. A sampling of the day’s activities follows. For a schedule of performance times, go to ncmuseumofhistory.org.
- Watch talented craftspeople at work, such as wood-carver Frank Barrow, dancing-doll maker George SerVance Jr. and furniture maker Jerome Bias.
- Hear the rhythm and blues of Mixed Water, who have performed with or for the O’Jays, Natalie Cole, L L Cool J and other artists.
- Relax to the inspirational jazz of the Steven Wallace Trio, and listen to the Allen Boys, North Carolina’s only sacred steel band.
- Meet renowned photojournalist Alexander M. Rivera Jr., whose work is featured in the museum’s newest exhibit, Bearing Witness: Civil Rights Photographs of Alexander Rivera.
- Follow the fast footwork of the N.C. Central University Step Team and take part in a workshop.
- Join jazz saxophonist Ron Baxter for the master class and jam session “Hip-Hop to Bebop.”
- Learn about down-home cooking from Rhonda Muhammed, and find out about African American foods in the early 20th century.
 Mark your calendar for the African American Cultural Celebration, a fun and educational event. This celebration is supported by United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, who in turn receives support from the N.C. Arts Council with funding from the state of North Carolina and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
For more information, call 919-807-7900.
Related Exhibit at the N.C. Museum of History
Photojournalist Alexander M. Rivera Jr. revealed aspects of the Civil Rights movement that mainstream newspapers did not cover. The Greensboro native often witnessed pivotal moments in civil rights history while working for some of the country’s leading black newspapers: the Journal and Guide (Norfolk, Va.), the Pittsburgh Courier, and the Washington Tribune (Washington, D.C.).
Rivera’s dynamic images of African American communities during these tumultuous years are captured in the upcoming exhibit Bearing Witness: Civil Rights Photographs of Alexander Rivera, on view from Jan. 25, 2008, to March 1, 2009. See his compelling images, and learn how Rivera’s dual role as a reporter and a photographer positioned him to become one of the era’s important civil rights activists.
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