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Where to honor Juneteenth (for free) in metro Atlanta

Where to honor Juneteenth (for free) in metro Atlanta

Axios19 hours ago

Metro Atlanta will celebrate Juneteenth and commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans this weekend and on the date itself.
Here's a peek at what's available. All events are free.

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Juneteenth celebrations kick off in STL
Juneteenth celebrations kick off in STL

Yahoo

time38 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Juneteenth celebrations kick off in STL

ST. LOUIS – Four weeks after a deadly EF3 tornado tore through north St. Louis neighborhoods, some residents say they still don't know what their future will hold. 'It looks like a war zone,' said Michael Stafford, a St. Louis resident. Lea Davis, a Fountain Park resident forced out of her home by tornado damage, said some residents still don't have a place to call home. 'We are trying to keep our heads above water,' she said. Organizers of the annual Juneteenth celebration at Fountain Park encourage residents to visit the park on Saturday. They hope the event celebrating the end of slavery will also help lift the spirits of neighborhood residents. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Activities are scheduled from 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and include community education booths, children's activities, live music entertainment, free food, gift cards, pony rides, an animal petting zoo, a car show and more. 'We wanted to put joy in people's hearts and a smile on their faces,' said Clint Potts, event chair and Fountain Park resident. 'People went through so much here in the last several weeks so it's just us trying to give back and connect the people to resources.' The Dee Dee Franklin Band will perform from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The Neighbors of Fountain Park, in collaboration with Centennial Church, are hosting the weekend celebration. Charles Cogshell is a Fountain Park resident and serves as the event's music director. He's been impressed with the resiliency of his community. 'I think it ties well with the history of Juneteenth and the resilience the African American community has had to rely on given our history in this country,' he said. Fountain Park resident Stefan West said it's difficult to put into words the toll the past four weeks have taken. 'Probably one of the hardest things is coming home from work and realizing this isn't a dream,' he said. Area residents hope the spirit of giving they witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the tornado does not go away. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The home of one of the largest catalogs of Black history turns 100 in New York
The home of one of the largest catalogs of Black history turns 100 in New York

Hamilton Spectator

time2 hours ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

The home of one of the largest catalogs of Black history turns 100 in New York

NEW YORK (AP) — It's one of the largest repositories of Black history in the country — and its most devoted supporters say not enough people know about it. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture hopes to change that Saturday, as it celebrates its centennial with a festival combining two of its marquee annual events. The Black Comic Book Festival and the Schomburg Literary Festival will run across a full day and will feature readings, panel discussions, workshops, children's story times, and cosplay, as well as a vendor marketplace. Saturday's celebration takes over 135th Street in Manhattan between Malcom X and Adam Clayton Powell boulevards. Founded in New York City during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, the Schomburg Center will spend the next year exhibiting signature objects curated from its massive catalog of Black literature, art, recordings and films. Artists, writers and community leaders have gone the center to be inspired, root their work in a deep understanding of the vastness of the African diaspora, and spread word of the global accomplishments of Black people. It's also the kind of place that, in an era of backlash against race-conscious education and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, exists as a free and accessible branch of the New York Public Library system. It's open to the public during regular business hours, but its acclaimed research division requires an appointment. 'The longevity the Schomburg has invested in preserving the traditions of the Black literary arts is worth celebrating, especially in how it sits in the canon of all the great writers that came beforehand,' said Mahogany Brown, an author and poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center, who will participate in Saturday's literary festival. For the centennial, the Schomburg's leaders have curated more than 100 items for an exhibition that tells the center's story through the objects, people, and the place — the historically Black neighborhood of Harlem — that shaped it. Those objects include a visitor register log from 1925-1940 featuring the signatures of Black literary icons and thought leaders, such as Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes; materials from the Fab 5 Freddy collection, documenting the earliest days of hip hop; and actor and director Ossie Davis's copy of the 'Purlie Victorious' stage play script. An audio guide to the exhibition has been narrated by actor and literacy advocate LeVar Burton, the former host of the long-running TV show 'Reading Rainbow.' Whether they are new to the center or devoted supporters, visitors to the centennial exhibition will get a broader understanding of the Schomburg's history, the communities it has served, and the people who made it possible, said Joy Bivins, the Director of the Schomburg Center, who curated the centennial collection. 'Visitors will understand how the purposeful preservation of the cultural heritage of people of African descent has generated and fueled creativity across time and disciplines,' Bivins said. Novella Ford, associate director of public programs and exhibitions, said the Schomburg Center approaches its work through a Black lens, focusing on Black being and Black aliveness as it addresses current events, theories, or issues. 'We're constantly connecting the present to the past, always looking back to move forward, and vice versa,' Ford said. Still, many people outside the Schomburg community remain unaware of the center's existence — a concerning reality at a time when the Harlem neighborhood continues to gentrify around it and when the Trump administration is actively working to restrict the kind of race-conscious education and initiatives embedded in the center's mission. 'We amplify scholars of color,' Ford said. 'It's about reawakening. It gives us the tools and the voice to push back by affirming the beauty, complexity, and presence of Black identity.' Founder's donation seeds center's legacy The Schomburg Center has 11 million items in one of the oldest and largest collections of materials documenting the history and culture of people of African descent. That's a credit to founder Arturo Schomburg, an Afro-Latino historian born to a German father and African mother in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He was inspired to collect materials on Afro-Latin Americans and African American culture after a teacher told him that Black people lacked major figures and a noteworthy history. Schomburg moved to New York in 1891 and, during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in 1926, sold his collection of approximately 4,000 books and pamphlets to the New York Public Library. Selections from Schomburg's personal holdings, known as the seed library, are part of the centennial exhibition. Ernestine Rose, who was the head librarian at the 135th Street branch, and Catherine Latimer, the New York Public Library's first Black librarian, built on Schomburg's donation by documenting Black culture to reflect the neighborhoods around the library. Today, the library serves as a research archive of art, artifacts, manuscripts, rare books, photos, moving images, and recorded sound. Over the years, it has grown in size, from a reading room on the third floor to three buildings that include a small theater and an auditorium for public programs, performances and movie screenings. Tammi Lawson, who has been visiting the Schomburg Center for over 40 years, recently noticed the absence of Black women artists in the center's permanent collection. Now, as the curator of the arts and artifacts division, she is focused on acquiring works by Black women artists from around the world, adding to an already impressive catalog at the center. 'Preserving Black art and artifacts affirms our creativity and our cultural contributions to the world,' Lawson said. 'What makes the Schomburg Center's arts and artifacts division so unique and rare is that we started collecting 50 years before anyone else thought to do it. Therefore, we have the most comprehensive collection of Black art in a public institution.' Youth scholars seen as key to center's future For years, the Schomburg aimed to uplift New York's Black community through its Junior Scholars Program , a tuition-free program that awards dozens of youth from 6th through 12th grade. The scholars gain access to the center's repository and use it to create a multimedia showcase reflecting the richness, achievements, and struggles of today's Black experience. It's a lesser-known aspect of the Schomburg Center's legacy. That's in part because some in the Harlem community felt a divide between the institution and the neighborhood it purports to serve, said Damond Haynes, a former coordinator of interpretive programs at the center, who also worked with the Junior Scholars Program. But Harlem has changed since Haynes started working for the program about two decades ago. 'The Schomburg was like a castle,' Haynes said. 'It was like a church, you know what I mean? Only the members go in. You admire the building.' For those who are exposed to the center's collections, the impact on their sense of self is undeniable, Haynes said. Kids are learning about themselves like Black history scholars, and it's like many families are passing the torch in a right of passage, he said. 'A lot of the teens, the avenues that they pick during the program, media, dance, poetry, visual art, they end up going into those programs,' Haynes said. 'A lot the teens actually find their identity within the program.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

Roman style pizza and crispy ‘pan focaccia'... by way of a tasting menu at Pizza Day in Taman Desa, KL
Roman style pizza and crispy ‘pan focaccia'... by way of a tasting menu at Pizza Day in Taman Desa, KL

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Roman style pizza and crispy ‘pan focaccia'... by way of a tasting menu at Pizza Day in Taman Desa, KL

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Some believe that what makes a pizza sing is its toppings. Me, I am savouring a slice topped with marinated Italian mushrooms, tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese – nice but nothing earth-shattering, you say. Ah, but what makes this an uncommon slice isn't its toppings but its shape: it's square (a rectangle, if I'm being precise) and unbelievably crispy. So crispy – not brittle, but light and confident in its crunch – that the Italians even have a word for it: scrocchiarella. It's a key trait of Roman style pizzas. Imported premium Italian ingredients form part of the restaurant's décor. Which makes it extra wonderful is that I am not in the Italian capital but enjoying this in KL, specifically the green enclave of Taman Desa. Truth be told, I haven't seen a rectangular pizza slice since my days of backpacking in Italy. It was in Rome, together with two Americans (both from Chicago and both called Mike; and yes, we could tell them apart) and my closest Italian friend Manuel. It helps, of course, having a local explaining why the pizza slice was square – it was the Roman style, called pizza al taglio (literally 'pizza by the cut' in Italian), sold by the slice thus easy for customers to take away and eat on the go. Amuse-bouche' (left). Roman-style pizza is typically served in square or rectangular slices (right). Years passed and it's still the more recognisable Neapolitan style of pizzas (i.e. the triangular slices) that continue to reign worldwide. So consider me thrilled for a chance to taste and perhaps relive a part of my misspent youth. The place in question is Pizza Day, opened by Antonio 'Tony' Delachi just a few months ago in a quiet corner of Taman Desa. Focaccia Provola & Cotto Ham. The Italian restaurateur also owns Heritage Pizza in The Row KL, so we have high expectations of ingredients used. True to form, Pizza Day's kitchen is stocked with premium Italian-sourced goods: organic wheat flour; soft and milky fior di latte, a fresh mozzarella cheese made from cow's milk; and sauce made from imported tomatoes. Even the dough undergoes 48 hours of fermentation before it's ready to be shaped and baked. What stands out is that, in addition to the typical á la carte fare, diners can also choose to enjoy the restaurant's Degustazione menu – basically a multi-course chef's selection not unlike a Japanese omakase, albeit with Roman pizzas. Pizza Fior di Latte, Potato & Pancetta. We begin, not with the full-sized pizzas, but a couple of amuse-bouches: Two slender, crisp wafers topped with a velvety layer of stracchino cheese. One is paired with 24-month aged Parma ham, mellow and nutty; the other drizzled with lavender honey. Tiny bites that offer an elegant juxtaposition between savoury and floral-sweet. A dainty prelude to alternating courses of pizzas and pan focaccia (focaccia bread) to come. The first course, if you will, was the aforementioned Pizza Funghi. The mushrooms, marinated until tender, are balanced by a light tang of tomato and the mild creaminess of fior di latte. Focaccia Burrata Nduja & Rocket. Then our first pan focaccia arrives. The Focaccia Provola & Cotto Ham is served as triangular sandwiches, with ribbons of Italian cooked ham (prosciutto cotto) atop a layer of smoky provola, a type of aged curd-cheese. This is followed by our second pizza – Fior Di Latte, Potato & Pancetta – which is all about textures and contrasts: Paper-thin slices of imported potato contribute a buttery crunch; the smoked pancetta, an assertive hit of salt; and it's all pulled together by the mozzarella again with its light touch. Our next pan focaccia is the Burrata, 'Nduja & Rocket; an item that isn't on the á la carte menu. This is part of the appeal of a chef's selection, after all; little surprises like this – rich burrata cheese; fiery 'nduja, a spreadable fermented pork sausage from Calabria; and a much-needed peppery lift from the rocket leaves. Pizza Margherita. Finally a bona fide classic although with a twist: our Pizza Margherita has the traditional smear of tomato sauce, but instead of circles of mozzarella and whole basil leaves, these are cut into rectangular strips, perhaps to accentuate the pizza's Roman shape, as it were. Time for sweet endings and our desserts. There are three options on offer today – the Degustazione menu isn't fixed so items are rotated – Homemade Tiramisu, Calamansi Sorbet and Bacio Mini Ice Cream. A trio of desserts. As there are exactly three of us at our table, we had one of each and shared. We almost didn't need the desserts, to be honest, as we were quite stuffed by that stage. A tasting menu of pizzas and pan focaccia is a fine idea but make sure you come with a very empty stomach! Pizza Day 53G, Jalan 1/109E, Taman Desa Business Park, KL Open Fri-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30pm-10pm; Mon-Thu closed Pop-up at Heritage Pizza KL (Lot 26 - G, Jalan Doraisamy): Mon-Fri 12:15pm-3pm Phone: 013-329 1918 IG: • This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal. • Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

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