Most Events Free and Open to the Public Programs Augment Museum Row’s $5 February
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (February 10, 2015) …A host of activities, many of which are free and open to the public, are taking place at the Ali Center this month in celebration of African American History Month. All events are open to the press.
They are:
Brown v. Board of Education Panel Discussion Friday
February 13, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Free Event
The American Constitution Society, Muhammad Ali Center and Louisville Bar Association will co-sponsor a panel discussion commemorating the 60+ years since the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. The panel will offer viewpoints on the implementation of Brown’s mandate from both a national and local perspective.
The panel will consist of:
The Honorable John G. Heyburn II, Senior District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky Theodore M. Shaw, Julius L. Chambers Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Civil Rights, University of North Carolina School of Law
RSVPs are mandatory. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Nanya Springer at nspringer@acslaw.org<mailto:ns
American Denial (film)
Friday, February 13th, Doors Open @ 5:30 – Screening @ 6:00PM Free Event
In 1938, Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal was engaged by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to conduct a study of the social and economic situation of black people living in the American South. Seeking to comprehend and even solve America’s racial problems, the Carnegie Corporation of New York chose a non-American, an outsider they felt would provide an unbiased view of the so-called “Negro problem.” Myrdal found a deep contradiction between the values that people espoused—such as freedom, democracy, and equality—and the oppression and discrimination practiced throughout the South. An American Dilemma was the report of those findings. American Denial uses Myrdal’s study to ask whether racial dynamics have changed since that study was done.
Come join the Ali Center for an in depth look at Myrdal’s study and discuss/challenge where we currently stand on this constant issue.
Ali Center Auditorium
Discussion to follow screening
Trailer – http://vimeo.com/109180495
RSVP – https://19291.
Soul Power (film)
Wednesday, February 18th, Doors Open @ 5:30 – Screening @ 6:00PM Free Event
As a complimentary screening to When We Were Kings last fall – we will be showing Soul Power. An amazing documentary about Zaire ’74 – a music festival that coincided with the Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
While Leon Gast captured the “Rumble in the Jungle” in his Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings, his editor, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, using Gast’s original footage, preserves the music portion of the event in Soul Power. In 1974 Stewart Levine and Hugh Masekela organized a three-day festival to celebrate African and African-American music in conjunction with the heavyweight bout. Just as Gast provided glimpses of the musicians, Levy-Hinte provides glimpses of promoter Don King and Muhammad Ali preparing for the day in which Ali would reclaim the championship from George Foreman. About Zaire, the fighter enthuses, “The people are so peaceful, and they’re so nice. New York is more of a jungle than here!” Levy-Hinte also adds scenes of Kinshasa’s street life, concert preparations in New York, and backstage chatter, but the performances, which would benefit from onscreen titles, provide the highlights. Among them: the Spinners (“One of a Kind”); B.B. King (“The Thrill Is Gone”); Bill Withers (“Hope She’ll Be Happier”); Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars (“Quimbara”); Masekela’s wife, Miriam Makeba (“The Click Song”); and especially James Brown (“Cold Sweat”), who sports a denim jumpsuit with “GFOS”–Godfather of Soul–emblazoned in studs. –Kathleen C. Fennessy
Muhammad Ali Center Auditorium
Trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?
RSVP – https://19291.
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (film)
Friday, February 27th, Doors Open @ 5:30 – Screening @ 6:00PM Free Event Speakers – Dr. Kaila Story and Jaison Gardner
For three decades, the film canisters sat undisturbed in a cellar beneath the Swedish National Broadcasting Company. Inside was roll after roll of startlingly fresh and candid 16mm footage shot in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States, all of it focused on the anti-war and Black Power movements. When filmmaker Goran Hugo Olsson discovered the footage, he decided he had a responsibility to shepherd this glimpse of history into the world.
With contemporary audio interviews from leading African American artists, activists, musicians and scholars, The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 looks at the people, society, culture, and style that fuelled an era of convulsive change. Utilizing an innovative format that riffs on the popular 1970s mixtape format, Mixtape is a cinematic and musical journey into the black communities of America.
Come join the Ali Center and our special guests Dr. Kaila Story and Jaison Gardner as we jump back in time and discuss an amazing and volatile movement.
ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKERS:
Jaison A. Gardner has been a social justice activist and community organizer for more than fifteen years. He has served on the board of directors for the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL), Women in Transition (WIT), and is a current board member of Kentucky’s Fairness Campaign. Jaison is also the proud co-founder of Derby City Black Pride, a celebration of Louisville’s black LGBTQ community. Jaison also writes the biweekly column “In Visible Ink” for LEO Weekly.
Dr. Kaila Adia Story is an Associate Professor and the Audre Lorde Chair in Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the University of Louisville Departments of Women’s & Gender Studies and Pan African Studies. Dr. Story’s research examines the intersections of race and sexuality, with special attention to black feminism, black lesbians, and black queer identity.
Dr. Story and Jaison are hosts of “Strange Fruit: Musings on Politics, Pop Culture and Black Gay Life,” a social justice podcast produced by 89.3 WFPL.
Muhammad Ali Center Auditorium
Discussion to follow screening
Trailer – http://www.pbs.org/
RSVP – https://19291.
Daughters of Greatness: Senator Georgia Powers
Friday, February 27, Hot breakfast served at 8:30AM, program 9-10:00AM
Tickets: $20 for Ali Center Members, $25 for Non-members, $15 for Students, $200 for Table of 10
Throughout the year, the Daughters of Greatness breakfast series invites prominent women engaged in social philanthropy, activism and pursuits of justice to share their stories with the Louisville community. The February speaker is Senator Georgia Powers, who during her 21 years in the Senate, introduced statewide fair housing legislation and sponsored bills prohibiting employment discrimination as well as sex and age discrimination. Powers also supported legislation to improve education for the physically and mentally disabled.
Limited Seating. To purchase tickets, contact Erin Herbert at (502) 992-5341 or to RSVP, follow the calendar link on the Ali Center web site, www.alicenter.org.
Day of Dignity: Building Community & Enhancing Cross-Cultural Understanding
Saturday, February 28th, 12-5:00PM Free event with donation
Join the Muhammad Ali Institute at UofL and the Muhammad Ali Center for a grand community celebration of our diversity and the people-to-people connections that make our city a welcoming place.
Day of Dignity is a community celebration. Access to exhibits, food, entertainment, booths, and more. All donations benefit Kentucky Refugee Ministries and Catholic Charities.
For more information contact Erika DeSha at (502) 852-6372 or email at erika.stith@louisville.edu.
Five Dollar February
All Month Long
The Ali Center and some of Louisville’s other top downtown attractions, are offering a special deal for Kentucky and Indiana residents all month long: $5 admission at four Museum Row on Main partners. The promotion encourages locals to enjoy these wonderful attractions that are close to home. Show your driver’s license for special promo rate.
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About the Muhammad Ali Center
The Muhammad Ali Center, a 501(c)3 corporation, was co-founded by Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The international cultural center promotes the Six Core Principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness and provides programming and events around the focus areas of education, gender equity, and global citizenship. Its newest initiative, Generation Ali, fosters a new generation of leaders to contribute positively to their communities and to change the world for the better. The Center’s headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience. For more information, please visit www.alicenter.org.
Contact:
Jeanie Kahnke
Muhammad Ali Center
502.992.5301 Direct
jkahnke@alicenter.org
ABOUT THE MUHAMMAD ALI CENTER
The Muhammad Ali Center, a 501(c)3 corporation, was co-founded by Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The international cultural center promotes the six core principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness and provides programming and events around the focus areas of education, gender equity, and global citizenship. Its newest initiative, Generation Ali, fosters a new generation of leaders to contribute positively to their communities and to change the world for the better. The Center’s headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience. For more information, please visit www.alicenter.org