Library Celebrates African-American History In February

CUMMING, GA — Forsyth County Public Library will pay tribute to authors, filmmakers, and educators in a series of “Celebrating African-American History” next month. The series is sponsored by the Forsyth County Public Library Friends and Advocates.

Getchel Caldwell, Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement and University Relations at Clark Atlanta University, will visit at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Post Road Library, 5010 Post Rd., to discuss the role of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the U.S.

Caldwell’s presentation, “The History Behind and the Need for HBCUs,” will explain that such institutions were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and describe their continuing relevance in today’s educational landscape. Caldwell previously spoke about his experiences at Tuskegee University and opening The Tuskegee Airmen National Site and Museum at the library in 2018.

“Our patrons loved hearing Mr. Caldwell share stories about the Tuskegee Airmen, and we’re looking forward to his return," Walker said. "His career has been devoted to serving HBCUs, so he has a deep understanding of their history and the ways those institutions impact students, local communities, and the wider world."

Gnimbin Ouattara will also make a second appearance at Forsyth County Public Library for a highly-anticipated screening of his film "Ali, mbomayé," a documentary about the “Rumble in the Jungle” between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman, at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10 at the Hampton Park Library, 5345 Settingdown Rd.

“Dr. Ouattara spoke during last year’s series on African-American history and shared his passion for filmmaking," Walker said. "Our staff and patrons were so engaged by his enthusiasm for the documentary that we made sure to schedule a screening of the film."

Paul Crater, Vice President of Collections and Research Services at the Atlanta History Center, will discuss the history of the African-American community in Atlanta at the Sharon Forks Library, 2820 Old Atlanta Road, on Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Crater will explain how the Atlanta History Center’s Kenan Research Center collection documents African-American life in Atlanta in politics, civil rights, business, criminal justice, and sports, as well as life for enslaved African-Americans before and during the Civil War.

Fans of Marvel’s "Black Panther" and "Avengers" movies will be interested in learning about Octavia Butler, the author who paved the way for a whole generation of black women writers. Melissa E. Schindler, Assistant Professor of English at the University of North Georgia, will discuss Butler’s contributions to science fiction at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Post Road Library.

Octavia Butler published dozens of science fiction novels and short stories and is considered the godmother of Afrofuturism, a term used to describe African-American themes in a modern technoculture. Schindler will highlight portions of Butler’s work and describe how they inspired the Afrofuturism genre and brought fictional places, such as Wakanda, to life on page and screen.

Ian Afflerbach, Assistant Professor of American Literature at the University of North Georgia, is locally known for moderating discussions about race and American culture, particularly in literature, at the Hampton Park Library. Afflerbach will lead a discussion on the life and writings of Phillis Wheatley at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Hampton Park Library.

In 1773, Wheatley published her first book of poetry--the first of its kind by any person of African descent in English. For this reason, Wheatley marks the inaugural moment of an African-American literary tradition.

Afflerbach will discuss Wheatley's most iconic poem, "On Being Brought from Africa to America," while also discussing her difficult path to publication, including the infamous "Prefaces" that had to accompany her volume in order to convince white readers that this creative and intelligent African-American woman really existed.

The “Celebrating African-American History” series will close with a second event led by Ouattara regarding his research on the American colonization movement to Liberia at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24 at the Cumming Library, 585 Dahlonega St.

Ouattara, a filmmaker, a Fulbright scholar, and Assistant Professor of History and International Studies at Brenau University, describes how a slave rebellion in Virginia gave birth to racial nationalism in America and led to the foundation of Liberia by the American Colonization Society. His presentation will examine the history of Liberia through two civil wars and its current position as one of the world’s least developed countries.

Each event in the series is open to the public and admission is free.

For more information on these and other upcoming events at the library, visit www.forsythpl.org.