Roswell Roots Festival Packed With Concerts, Art Exhibits, Poetry Slam

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Roswell, GA -- To commemorate Black History Month, the city of Roswell is gearing up for its 15th Annual Roswell Roots Festival.

The festival will include 23 different events, ranging from music and art exhibitions to panel discussions and poetry.

Roswell Roots has grown into one of the largest and most comprehensive celebrations of black history and culture in the southeast, and has been awarded the “Gold Award for Best Cultural Event” by the Southeast Festival and Events Association.

Selected highlights of this year’s festival include:

• Kuibuka – Artist Talk and Reception, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 30 at Bulloch Hall (free): Experience Dawn Williams Boyd’s exhibit of cloth paintings that reflect her interest in American history, women’s identity, sexuality, religion and politics. Through cutting, patching, surface enhancement and quilting, bits and pieces of fabric are transformed into modern visual storytelling.
• Unity Concert featuring The Shades of Pink Breast Cancer Survivors Choir: 4 p.m. Jan. 31 at Zion Missionary Baptist Church (free): Come hear the magnificent voices of choirs from several area churches, including Zion Missionary Baptist Church and Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, along with featured guest – The Shades of Pink Breast Cancer Survivors Choir – as they perform their favorite selections.
• LIVE! In Roswell presents The Blind Boys of Alabama, 8 p.m. Feb. 6, Roswell Cultural Arts Center: Presented by the Roswell Presents LIVE! in Roswell series, The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized around the world as living legends and modern-day innovators, and their live shows are roof-raising musical events that have taken them to virtually every continent. The Blind Boys have won five Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, have been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and have performed at the White House for three different presidents. To purchase tickets, call (770) 594-6232 or visit roswellcac.com.
• “Goin’ to Chicago” Film Viewing and Reception with the Director, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 9, Roswell Cultural Arts Center (free): Enjoy this 50-minute documentary that chronicles the great migration of African-Americans from the rural south to the cities of the north and west after World War II. After the film, there will be a brief discussion with producer/director George King and a reception hosted by the Roswell Historical Society.
• “Slammin’ in the Suburbs” – Roswell Poetry Slam, 7 p.m. Feb. 11, Roswell Historic Cottage (free): This is Roswell’s 12th annual poetry slam, during which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience on content and performance. For details on the rules and how to participate, visit roswellroots.com/poetryslam.
• Southern Sweets – 2nd Annual Pound Cake Cook-Off, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 27, East Roswell Recreation Center (free): A new favorite to the Roswell Roots event lineup, the pound cake cook-off features both amateur and professional bakers. If you’re an amateur baker, register to enter the contest and see how your pound cake measures up. Attendees will get to meet and mingle with the competing bakers, swap recipes, sample delicious pound cake, and vote for their favorites. Several local restaurants and bakeries will have cake entries and will provide guest judges. For details about how to enter the competition, visit roswellroots.com/poundcake.

For a full listing of Roswell Roots events, visit www.roswellroots.com.

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Photo: The Blind Boys of Alabama, who will perform Feb. 6 at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center. Credit: The Blind Boys of Alabama’s Facebook page