The St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc. will host the Spirit of Hayti Award Gala & Silent Auction themed “COMING HOME”, on Thursday evening February 11, 2010 at the Hayti Heritage Center. The black tie event will begin at 6:00 pm with a wine reception and the awards program starts at 7pm in the historic St. Joseph’s Performance Hall. The Hayti Heritage Center will be transformed for the fundraising event with entertainment on all levels, valet parking, featuring food stations sponsored by 15 of the best restaurants in the Triangle community. Entertainment will be provided by jazz vocalist Lenora Z. Helm, musician Bob Tapp, and harpist Winifred Starks Garrett will perform selected spiritual hymns during the awards ceremony. The event tickets are $75 per person (a portion is tax deductible) are on sale now.

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW

The event was established in 1999 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts and historic preservation, as well as those individuals and organizations that portray excellence in leadership and community service. The honorees have demonstrated a commitment to sharing and creating opportunities for others within their own communities and throughout the country. The Spirit of Hayti Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Foundation.

Honorees for 2010 are Trail Blazer Award, Mr. Ernie Barnes (posthumously); Hayti Legacy Keeper for Corporate Philanthropy, North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company; Hayti Legacy in Arts & Education, Ms Nancy Pinckney, Choreographer and Professor, North Carolina Central University; Hayti Progressive Leadership Award, Mr. Trevor Schoonmaker, Curator of Contemporary Art at Nasher Museum of Art; and Special Recognition Awards to the late Mr. Chester L. Jenkins and late Mr. James (Uncle Bubba) Fields (posthumously).

In honor of the event the Lyda Moore Merrick Gallery will host a special curated exhibition of the works of Mr. Ernie Barnes, originals and prints, which will open on February 11 and run through March 30; and works by C’Omega Barnes, the sister-in-law of Mr. Barnes in the upper gallery. For a limited time prints will be available for purchase of Mr. Barnes work with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation.

A silent auction will be held on the evening of the gala and will feature works from artists across the county including a piece donated by the late Mr. Ernie Barnes.

The Spirit of Hayti Awards Ceremony & Gala is the Foundation’s largest annual fundraising event. It was established to honor individuals and organizations with strong roots in the Durham community that have made significant contributions to the arts, historic preservation, education, and exemplify outstanding leadership qualities. Some of our past award recipients have included: the late Dr. John Hope Franklin, Honorable H. M. Michaux, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Benjamin Ruffin, GlaxoSmithKline, Wendell Tabb, Dr. Linda Kerr Norflett, Anheuser Busch/ Harris Incorporated, WTVD-ABC11, Dr. Charles D. Watts, M & F Bank, as well as Dr. Charles “Chuck” Davis.

For tickets call (919) 683-1709 ext. 28. If you are interested in sponsorship or donating an item for the silent auction contact Janella Sellars, Development Director at jsellars@hayti.org.

Saturday January 16 – 12 noon
Fayetteville Street – Durham

NOT TOO LATE TO ENTER!!!

The 8th Annual Durham Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Holiday Parade kicks off on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 12:00 pm. Marching bands, floats, school and church groups, step and dance teams, horses, cars, motorcycles, unique vehicles, clowns and more will make Fayetteville Street a festive place to be.

This year’s theme is Yesterday’s Dream, Tomorrow’s Reality. The Grand Marshal of the Parade is NCCU Chancellor Dr. Charlie Nelms.
Entry forms available at http://www.spectacularmag.com

***Trophies will be presented for: Best in Parade, Best Theme Application, Best Marching Band. Ribbons will be awarded for: Schools with Most Participants, Non-school group with Most Participants, Best Drum Line, Best Drum Major, Best Mounted Group (Horses), Best Individual Vehicle, Best Commercial Vehicle, and Best Vehicle Club (includes motorcycles).
Entry forms available at http://www.spectacularmag.com

SPONSORS:

ABC-11, CIAA, St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc/Hayti Heritage Center, Spectacular Magazine, NCCU Athletics Department, NC Mutual Life Insurance Company, Del Mattioli & Associates, Y-Rag Entertainment, C.A.A.R.E., Inc., Another Coley Event, MTF Photography

Saturday, January 16, 2010, 12 Noon – 3PM.
At Hayti Heritage Center

The annual Raise A Reader Bookfair and Youth Talent Showcase will be held on Saturday, January 16th from 12 noon – 3 PM at the Hayti Heritage Center. The day long program is filled with educational and entertaining events for families to enjoy together, while emphasizing Dr. King’s legacy of the power of education and spiritual enrichment. The event is designed to promote literacy. It provides parents with training and resources to instill a love of reading in their children as well as an appreciation of the written and spoken word.

This year’s special program will feature actor and playwright Mike Wiley in his one man show BROWN V. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION at 2:00 PM in the St. Joseph’s Performance Hall. In 1952, the Supreme Court heard a number of school-segregation cases, including Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. It decided unanimously in 1954 that segregation was unconstitutional; overthrowing the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that had set the “separate but equal” precedent. Whether in the classroom, a black history celebration, or as part of a civil rights forum, this entertaining and explaining tour de force encapsulates the high impact ruling for desegregating schools. This presentation is free and open to the public and groups are welcome.

Mama & Baba Shabu will conduct The Kpawo Workshop at 1:00 PM. The Kpawo is a preparatory step for anyone considering traveling to the Continent of Africa. The workshop is designed to complement the concepts illustrated in the book, Kpawo, The Bridge: Finding Your Ancestral Connection in Africa. Both a travel and self-development guide, Kpawo, The Bridge is also a workbook laden with experiences and tips from authors Mama and Baba Shabu’s 40 years building, maintaining, and crossing the bridge between Africa and the Diaspora.

In the workshop, participants will:

• Explore their previous experiences, preconceptions, fears and desires related to travel in Africa.
• Forge a strong connection to the continent through guided imagery, musical instruments, and other tools.
• Practice exercises from the book such as, “slowing down” and “finding your rhythm” with Baba’s and Mama’s guidance.
• Complete “My Personal Connection Profile”, a worksheet from the book, crucial to the re-connection process.
• Tune-in rhythmically through a live cultural arts segment: music, oral literature, and visual arts.

For more information on the workshop contact: Maisha Shabu, Email: shabu@nc.rr.com, Website: www.tmoar.com, www.kpawo.com. This workshop is for the entire family. Registrations suggested because space is limited.

Book give -a-ways will take place throughout the afternoon. Book vendors from across the Triangle area will be on hand to provide you the opportunity to purchase the latest reading materials for your children.

For more information on this program go to www.hayti.org or call (919) 683-1709.

New Slam Website – www.bullcitypoetryslam.com

Special Christmas Celebration – Come experience some of the best poets in the Carolina’s on December 18th @ the Hayti Heritage Center!

Jambalaya Soul Slam presents…
The Gift of Words: A Christmas Celebration!
December 18th
Show is at 8pm
Hayti Heritage Center

Featuring DJ D.A. ALLDAY spinning hot new neosoul music
Featured guest performer!
We will be giving away CDs by some of soul music’s bright new stars!

Hosted by Dasan Ahanu

Admission is just $5 with non-perishable food item
We will be donating these to the Food Bank. Please help make the holidays special for a family in need.

Participating poets are free and  must sign up before 8:30.

Winners receive cash prize and an invitation to Team Finals in April to compete for a spot on the 2010 Bull City Slam Team.

MATURE CONTENT!

For more information please call the Hayti Heritage Center at (919) 683-1709 ext 28.

To learn more about slam go to www.poetryslam.com/.

A musical play by Langston Hughes
Wendell Tabb Productions & Xavier Cason’s Throne Life Media
December 18-20 at Hillside High School
Featuring The Dynamic Gospel Artist, REGINALD BONEY & SUSTAINED
TICKETS $20 ON SALE NOW!

One of the most beloved events for you and your family to attend during the Christmas season is a presentation of Black Nativity by Langston Hughes. Hughes called it a “gospel song play.” You’ll find a production of this musical performed in churches, theaters, on college campuses, and more in almost every major U.S. city and other regions. It is a joyful retelling of St. Luke’s story of the birth of Christ by way of gospel music, dance, poetry, and narrative.

Black Nativity was first produced on New York City’s Broadway on December 11, 1961. The original name for this play was Wasn’t It a Mighty Day? You might also find it interesting that original cast members like Alvin Ailey and Carmen de Lavallade quit the production before opening day because they objected to the use of the word “black” in the title. The rationale at the time was that this word might be too divisive for a Broadway production aimed at keeping things harmonious with all audiences.

Ultimately, black in the title did not matter. This liberating and energetic musical opened to rave reviews. When the New York production ended, Black Nativity toured Europe. It was very well received in 1962 at the Spoleto Festival in Italy.

Keep in mind that Langston Hughes—besides being a poet, journalist, memoir writer, novelist, and short story writer—also wrote more than twenty plays and other musicals. Tambourines to Glory, Mulatto, Emperor of Haiti, Simply Heavenly and Jericho-Jim Crow are a few of the stage works by Hughes, a writer very interested in the African-American oral tradition. His political plays included Scottsboro Limited, Harvest, Angelo Herndon Jones, and De Organizer. He also wrote Mule Bone with Zora Neale Hurston.

Many of the contemporary productions of Black Nativity have tweaked the original musical to reflect today’s cultural interests. Attending a presentation of Black Nativity could add to the joy of this season and create an annual holiday tradition for your family.
For tickets call (919) 683-1709 ext. 21, drop by Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville Street, Durham, or visit www.hayti.org.