Black History Month at The Museum of the African Diaspora

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Museum of the African Diaspora is uniquely positioned to lead the Bay Area's recognition of Black History Month this February. It's doing so with a culturally rich range of events that offer something for everyone -- from schoolchildren and families to jazz aficionados to former Civil Rights Movement activists who kept their hands on the freedom plow.

During February, the public is invited to meet battle-scarred veterans from the Civil Rights Movement, or trace New Orleans' musical influence on American music. Guests can learn about African American speculative literature, drop in for a family history workshop, or to watch the African American Quilting Guild create a masterpiece right before their eyes.

To kick off Black History Month, MoAD will host "One Vision, One Struggle, Many Battlefields" Saturday, February 5 from 2 pm to 5 pm. During this historically rich afternoon, visitors will be invited to view the Bay Area premiere of a new American Experience film, "Freedom Riders," directed by Stanley Nelson ("The Murder of Emmett Till," "Jonestown," "Wounded Knee"). The documentary will air on PBS in May 2011, marking the 50th anniversary of the harrowing and often violent Rides that drew attention to Jim Crow discrimination. American Experience is produced for PBS by WGBH Boston. In addition, guests will enjoy a program of songs from the Civil Rights Movement, plus readings and discussion with contributors to the book, Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC. Booksignings will follow. Hands on the Freedom Plow recounts the stories of 52 women from multiple racial backgrounds, who fought on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement as part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The events of February 5 are offered in partnership with the Bay Area Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement.

Another event in MoAD's Authors in Conversation series will be held Saturday, February 26, at 2 pm. Lewis Watts and Elizabeth Pepin will discuss their book, Harlem of the West: The San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era, in which they look at San Francisco's unique jazz history in the Fillmore district during the 1940s and 1950s.

Visitors also may enjoy jazz-related events, including A Tribute to Charlie Parker with the Jetta Martin Dance Company, Sunday, February 6, 2pm; a film screening and performance, Robert Moses' Kin, Saturday, February 12, 2 pm; and Jazz in the Gallery with the Berkeley Jazzschool faculty member Jaz Sawyer, Sunday, February 20, 2 pm.

Free to the public with MoAD admission.

MORE FEBRUARY EVENTS: www.moadsf.org/visit/calendar.html

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) showcases the history, art and the cultural richness that resulted from the dispersal of Africans throughout the African Diaspora through innovative and engaging exhibitions, education and public programs. By realizing its mission MoAD connects all people through our shared African heritage. Incorporated in 2002 as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, MoAD opened its doors in 2005 in space contiguous with the St. Regis Hotel and Residences and in the historic Williams Building at 685 Mission Street at Third. MoAD was conceived as a cornerstone of the economic and cultural revitalization of downtown San Francisco and has become an anchor with its neighbors the San Francisco MoMA, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Zeum, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum in making this dynamic cultural corridor a premier cultural destination. MoAD receives private and public donations and is supported in part by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency as well as local and national foundations, corporations, businesses, and by its membership and Board of Directors.

MORE INFORMATION

www.moadsf.org | 415.358.7200

LOCATION

Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

HOURS

Wednesday–Saturday: 11:00 am–6:00 pm | Sunday 12:00–5:00 pm | Monday–Tuesday CLOSED

ADMISSION

General Admission $10.00; Students and Seniors $5.00; Members and Children 12 and under w/adult FREE

SOURCE Museum of the African Diaspora

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