Black History Month Toolkit 2024

1

RESOURCE TOOLKIT FOR THE UALBANY COMMUNITY To help you celebrate Black History Month (BHM), the Multicultural Resource Center, in collaboration with the Albany State University Black Alliance (A.S.U.B.A.), has created a toolkit that provides a host of resources to help you plan, communicate, and engage your teams on this significant month.

This toolkit contains links to videos, photos, articles, and a shared folder to be used at the University at Albany to explore the heritage, culture, and experience of Black people both historically and in American life today while also sharing the various ways our Albany State University Black Alliance collaborates with the Office of Intercultural Student Engagement.

1. Getting Started a. What is Black History Month? b. Heritage Month Theme 2. Getting Involved a. Albany State University Black Alliance b. Student Organizations & the Arts c. Black movies and documentaries 3. Taking Action a. Black Solidarity Day 11/6/2023 b. Drag has Always Been a Form of Art c. Resources and further information d. Shared Resource Folder, click here

Figure 1 created by Arleny Alvarez-Peña, Associate Director of Intercultural Student Engagement

Figure 1. The logo will be used to unify our efforts in educating our UAlbany community about the historic and ongoing oppression the Black community faces.

WHAT IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH? When Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the public's attention. The intention has never been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience but to bring significant developments that merit emphasis to the public.

Today, every February, people in the United States celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans as part of Black History Month.

HERITAGE MONTH THEME African American art combines African, Caribbean, and Black American lived experiences. In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary, and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount. African American artists have used art to preserve history, community memory, and empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements, such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent

2

and set the standard for popular trends around the world. In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.

Figure 2 ASUBA's logo

To learn more, click here.

ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY BLACK ALLIANCE

The Albany State University Black Alliance originated from the Educational Opportunities Program - Student Association (EOP-SA) in the early 1970s. With the help of others, these students banded together and demanded the establishment of Black and Puerto Rican studies programs. Forty years later, these programs remain as the Africana Studies Department and the Latin Caribbean Studies Department. The students also formed Fuerza Latina and later formed the Pan-Caribbean, Haitian Student Association, Angelic Voices of Praise, African Student Association, and many more. Since its inception, ASUBA has grown and prospered through the hard work and efforts put forth by its members. For over forty years, ASUBA has remained committed to excellence in education, political action, cultural awareness, and community service nationally and locally. The alliance has perpetuated its commitment to service, cultural responsibility, and social development in the Albany area. The Albany State University Black Alliance has always been known for its political activism, educational commitment, and community service. Therefore, our motto is “In Unity, there is Strength.” Their goal is to stand as the unifying force amongst all students of African descent.

To view all our African heritage student groups, visit our shared folder here.

Student Organizations & the Arts: • Black Theater Productions • Angelic Voices of Praise • Phenomenal Voices • Umoja! Dance Team • And many more…visit myinvolvement.org to connect with our groups!

3

RESOURCES Take an Africana Studies Course at UAlbany!

5 ways to honor Black History Month 1. Check your local library or bookstore 2. Watch movies and documentaries 3. Participate in a cultural celebration 4. Food is culture. Share a Caribbean, African, or traditional African American recipe 5. Explore the National Museum of African American History and Culture, click here Support Black Own Businesses • https://www.albany.org/blog/post/black-ownedrestaurants-bakeries-in-albany/ Participate in the following dates: • October is Black Fine Art Month (BFAM) • October 17 Black Poetry Day • November 7 Black Solidarity Day • February 13-17 Week of Action • March 1st Black Women’s Day • March 21-27 Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination 9 Black Musicians that Changed the Industry • https://www.schoolofrock.com/resources/musiceducation/9-black-musicians-that-changed-theindustry TV Shows: • Lovecraft Country • Black-ish & Grown-ish • A Black Lady Sketch Show • Insecure 14 Groundbreaking African American Artist Who Shaped History • https://mymodernmet.com/african-americanartists/ 10 Black Architects Whose Work Has Shaped America • https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/stories/bla ck-architects/ 30 Black Designers Who Shaped Fashion History • https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/blackdesigners-fashion-history-virgil-abloh-telfarclemens

BLACK FILMS They Coned Tyrone 2023 2h 2m A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper.

Wish 2023 1h 32m In the Kingdom of Rosas, a 17-year-old girl named Asha sense a darkness that no one else does, passionately pleas to the stars for help and gets more than what she bargained for in return.

BLACK DOCUMENTARIES “Documentaries can open windows to our past. They allow us to re-live iconic moments in history. Below is a list of powerful documentaries exploring Black history and culture in America.” PBS.org The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM 2022 1h 9m On the 2-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Candace revisits Minneapolis and the violent, racially divided aftermath that fueled BLM’s global rise-and filled its coffers.

High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America 2021 3h 30m Black food is American food. Chef and writer Stephen Satterfield traces the delicious, moving throughlines from Africa to Texas in this docuseries.

Aretha Franklin: Respect 2018 30m A BBC tribute to the undisputed Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin.

Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G. 2017 2h 1m The first authorized biography of Christopher Wallace, allowing Christopher to narrate his own life story. Using archival footage and previously unknown audio to tell the story along with interviews with those that knew him the best.

4

BLACK POETRY DAY On October 17, 1761, poet, writer, and preacher Jupiter Hammon became the first Black published author. To celebrate his work and the contributions of Black poets after that, October 17th is Black Poetry Day. This tradition, held since 1985, celebrates not only but also Black heritage and literacy more broadly. In honor of Black Poetry Day, which took place last weekend, we’ve highlighted 17 poets spanning over 200 years of Black literature for you to explore.

Of course, their work is just the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands more Black poets and collections to explore all year long. To learn more, click here.

• • •

Additional resources: Photo Tour of the Home of Jupiter Hammon – the First Published Black Writer in U.S. https://thereconstructionera.com/photo-tour-of-the-home-of-jupiter-hammon-the-firstpublished-black-writer-in-u-s/ Black Poetry Day Resources - https://americanwritersmuseum.org/black-poetry-dayresources/ Poetry Written by Black Poets You Should Read - https://www.readpoetry.com/poetrywritten-by-black-poets-you-should-read/

THE BLACK RENAISSANCE The phrase “Harlem Renaissance” has captured the popular and scholarly imagination. Evoking a burst of Black creativity in 1920s Manhattan, the term enjoys almost unchallenged acceptance today. Yet the term did not originate in the era it claims to describe; “Harlem Renaissance” did not appear in print before 1940, and it only gained widespread appeal in the 1960s. During the four preceding decades, writers mainly had referred to a “Negro Renaissance.” The transformation of the “Negro Renaissance” into the “Harlem Renaissance” restricted the movement to Black artists in the 1920s. The notion that “The Harlem Renaissance” was a historical era (rather than an ongoing event) has led critics of varying persuasions to claim that the Renaissance “failed.” In the face of such failure narratives, this essay traces a more optimistic

5

history. It proposes that the short “Harlem Renaissance” be reconceived as an extended “Black Renaissance” that was both international and interracial. ~ Ernest Julius Mitchell II Click here to learn more about the Black Renaissance: A Brief History of the Concept.

Additional resources: • • •

Black Renaissance: The Art and Soul of Our Stories | Youtube Originals https://youtu.be/aGMVFnnXUpM?si=F2f88O-6vwpWxBYi The Renaissance is Black - https://time.com/collection/renaissance-is-black/ From Riots to Renaissance: The Black Renaissance https://interactive.wttw.com/dusable-to-obama/black-renaissance

BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT (1965-1975) The Black Arts Movement was a Black nationalism movement that focused on music, literature, drama, and the visual arts, comprised of Black artists and intellectuals. This was the cultural section of the Black Power movement in that its participants shared many of the ideologies of Black self-determination, political beliefs, and African American culture.

The Black Arts Movement started in 1965 when poet Amiri Baraka [LeRoi Jones] established the Black Arts Repertory Theater in Harlem, New York, as a place for artistic expression. Artists associated with this movement include Audre Lorde, Ntozake Shange, James Baldwin, Gil Scott-Heron, and Thelonious Monk. Records at the National Archives related to the Black Arts Movement primarily focus on individual artists and their interaction with various Federal agencies. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • •

•

A Brief Guide to the Black Arts Movement - https://poets.org/text/brief-guide-black-artsmovement The Black Arts Movement: An introduction showcasing one of the most influential cultural and aesthetic movements of the last 100 years https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/148936/an-introduction-to-the-black-artsmovement On Black Aesthetics: The Black Arts Movement https://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/07/15/black-aesthetics-bam

6

• • •

Black Arts Movement: Examined - https://www.harlemstage.org/black-arts-movementexamined The Black Arts Movement and the Power of Resistance - https://www.1st-artgallery.com/article/the-most-essential-about-the-black-arts-movement/ The Power of Poetry: The New Negro Renaissance to the Black Arts Movement https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/power-poetry-new-negro-renaissance-black-artsmovement

THE HISTORY OF SPOKEN WORD POETRY The spoken word is central and indispensable in African American history and culture. As a vessel for remembrance, the oral tradition carried African narratives to a new continent and sustained them through bondage; as a political catalyst, speech defined the struggle for freedom and moved ordinary people to extraordinary acts of courage; and as an art form, the word has conveyed itself forcefully and dramatically by drawing on the rich African American musical heritage. The Smithsonian Folkways archives contain an unparalleled range of examples of African American spoken word recordings that express the richness, complexity, and diversity of African American oral traditions. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • MC origins: rap and spoken word poetry https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-companion-to-hiphop/mc-origins-rapand-spoken-word-poetry/CA701816F548AF3AB1B07AF6EEF19125 • How Poetry and Performance Combined to Become a New Genre https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/books/review/spoken-word-joshua-bennett.html

7

BLACK WOMEN WHO SHAPED ROCK AND ROLL We take it for granted these days that black women make up the vanguard of popular music.

But decades before Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, and Janelle Monáe, that was already the case — a fact that's sometimes overlooked in standard histories of rock and its many related styles. In honor of Black History Month, we look back at some women who left their mark on the genre, from early blues pioneers to girl-group icons and punk upstarts. To learn more, click here.

• • • • • •

Additional resources: The Black Women Behind Rock and Roll - https://www.nyu.edu/about/newspublications/news/2020/november/the-black-women-behind-rock-and-roll-.html Black women helped create rock and roll, and their stories power modern artists https://www.rochesterfirst.com/arts/black-women-helped-create-rock-and-roll-and-theirstories-power-modern-artists/ Recovering and reclaiming Black women’s place in music history https://www.npr.org/2022/04/18/1091317428/recovering-and-reclaiming-black-womensplace-in-music-history Black women who changed music history - https://www.equalityempowerment.com/post/black-womxn-who-changed-music-history Never forget, rock’n’roll was invited by a queer Black woman https://beat.com.au/never-forget-rock-and-roll-was-invented-by-a-queer-black-woman/ Missy Elliott Says “Words Cannot Describe” Being First Female Rapper Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/missy-elliotttalks-first-female-rapper-inducted-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-1235461940/

HIP-HOP IS A CULTURAL MOVEMENT Hip-hop is more than music; it’s a cultural movement that incorporates different elements of art. Four foundational elements characterize hip-hop culture. The original four main pillars of hip hop include DJing/turntablism, MCing/rapping, B-boying/breaking, and visual/graffiti art. These forms of expression have also developed into further subcultures with lasting legacies.

The intersection of these four elements also generated a cultural revolution that rapidly spread across the globe.

8

The global influence of hip-hop culture has shaped music styles, fashion, technology, art, entertainment, language, dance, education, politics, media, and more. Hip-hop continues to be a global phenomenon, developing new art forms that impact the lives of new and old generations.

To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • • • • •

Hip Hop: A Culture of Vision and Voice - https://www.kennedycenter.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-andinteractives/media/hip-hop/hip-hop-a-culture-of-vision-and-voice/ Timeline of African American Music - https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres/rap-hiphop A Brief History of Hip-Hop At 50: Rap’s Evolution From A Bronx Party to the Grammy Stage - https://www.grammy.com/news/hip-hop-history-timeline-50th-anniversaryphotos-videos-playlist Birthplace of Hip Hop https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/birthplace-of-hip-hop/ The Top 25 Best Hip Hop Movies of All Time- https://beats-rhymes-lists.com/lists/top25-best-hip-hop-movies-of-all-time/

BLACK LIVES MATTER PLAYLIST – SONGS THAT INSPIRE THE MOVEMENT Music is a powerful way to express yourself; it can also profoundly unify people through lyrics and storytelling. Black artists in America have long used music as a medium to express their struggles, experiences, and hopes for change.

While today we look back on these Black ballads and protest anthems with respect, they were often received with backlash and aggression upon release.

The Los Angeles Recording School is sharing its own Black Lives Matter Playlist that includes songs about the struggles Black communities have endured. Our song list consists of the historical context of each piece and shows how these artists contributed to civil rights advancements with their music. Most of these songs are on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube OR on our Black Lives Matter playlist below. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • Songs of Black Lives Matter: 22 New Protest Anthems https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/songs-of-black-lives-matter-22-newprotest-anthems-15256/

9

•

Fight the Power: 11 Powerful Protest Songs Advocating for Racial Justice https://www.grammy.com/news/fight-power-11-powerful-protest-songs-advocatingracial-justice

BLACK CHURCH: A MIX OF FAITH & ART African American Gospel music is a form of euphoric, rhythmic, spiritual music rooted in the solo and responsive church singing of the African American South. Its development coincided with -- and is germane to -- the development of rhythm and blues.

The precursor to Black Gospel music is the African American spiritual, which had been around for well over a century before Gospel music began its rise to popularity in the 1930s. Songs written by African American composers in the decades following emancipation that focused on biblical themes and often drew from spirituals were the source for the development of the Gospel. An example is "De Gospel Cars," by the famous composer Sam Lucas. To learn more, click here.

Praise Dancing It’s also known as Liturgical, although seemingly no one outside academia calls it that. It’s the idea of mixing dance and worship and has been around in some form or another for likely as long as worship has been a thing. But, for African Americans, there was an issue. You guessed it? Slavery. As Africans were stolen to the Americas, and many of us lost family members and traditions, we settled here to find that dance was not allowed. Or at least our dances weren’t.

In time, the rituals and cultures of Africa were hidden under the guise of Christianity. It became mixed and what we think of as a Black church today. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • Exploring gospel music’s roots in the Black church https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/news/2023/02/09/exploring-gospel-musics-roots-in-the-black-church • 12 Pieces of African American Church Art We Love https://www.blacksouthernbelle.com/12-pieces-of-african-american-church-art-we-love/ • Roundup: Black church – inspired art exhibition; new albums; visual Easter Vigil liturgy; and more - https://artandtheology.org/2021/04/28/roundup-black-church-inspired-artexhibition-new-albums-visual-easter-vigil-liturgy/

10

•

Black History Month Praise Dance: Walk with Me video 4 min 18 sec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CxZW2ZDs4Q

AFROFUTURISM Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history, and fantasy to explore the African American experience. It aims to connect those from the black diaspora with their forgotten African ancestry.

The term Afrofuturism has its origins in African American science fiction. Today, it is generally used to refer to literature, music, and visual art that explores the African American experience and the role of slavery in that experience. To learn more, click here.

• • • •

Additional resources: Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/afrofuturism What Does It Mean to Be an Afrofuturist Now? Three Contemporary Artists on What the Term Means to Them - https://news.artnet.com/art-world/afrofuturism-now2263014 Exploring Afrofuturism in Music and Visual Art https://afrovisualism.medium.com/exploring-afrofuturism-in-music-and-visual-artd81f8e118836 Afrofuturism Art: History, Meaning, Movement, & Artists https://www.atxfinearts.com/blogs/news/afrofuturism-art-movement

ANN LOWE, FIRST BLACK FASHION DESIGNER Considered one of America’s most significant designers, Ann Lowe was born in Clayton, Alabama, around 1898 and reared in Montgomery.

Her mother, Janie Cole Lowe, and her grandmother, Georgia Thompkins, were skilled dressmakers who sewed for wealthy white families in the state. And they taught Lowe to sew as early as age five. By the time Lowe was six, she had developed a fondness for using fabric scraps to make small decorative flowers patterned after those she saw in the family’s garden.

11

This childhood pastime would become the signature feature on many of her dresses and gowns.

By age 10, she made her dress patterns.

Additional resources: • Ann Lowe: American Couturier - https://www.winterthur.org/ann-lowe-americancouturier/ • Ann Lowe’s Barrier-Breaking Mid-Century Couture https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/29/ann-lowes-barrier-breaking-midcentury-couture • Ann Lowe, the first Black fashion designer, immortalized in Ohio State collection https://news.osu.edu/ann-lowe-first-black-fashion-designer-immortalized-in-ohio-statecollection/ • The Most Influential Black Designers of All Time https://www.essence.com/fashion/black-influential-designers/#298779

AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL Now in its 28th year, the American Black Film Festival is an annual event that empowers Black artists and showcases a wide range of entertainment content made by and about people of African descent. An experience like no other, the festival brings together Black culture enthusiasts, executives, and content creators from around the world for five days of screenings, talk events, exclusive parties, and high-powered networking. To learn more, click here.

• •

Additional resources: • The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) - https://www.pumpitupmagazine.com/the-american-black-film-festivalabffvvvvvvvv/ Don’t be Afraid to Give Black People Money – The Founders of the American Black Film Festival Discuss the Importance of Investment in the Creator Community https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/jeff-nicole-friday-black-creators-abff/ The American Black Film Festival Gives Diverse Artists a Career Boost https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/american-black-film-festival-gives-diverseartists-career-boost-1300/

12

THE TRANSFORMATIVE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATER Widely considered the first Black theater in the country, the African Grove Theater started when William Alexander Brown, a retired West Indian steamship steward, started hosting poetry readings and short plays for Black New Yorkers in his backyard on Thomas Street, Greenwich Village, in 1821. The African Grove soon expanded into a 300-seat theater, including a large tea garden, in the heart of Washington Square on Mercer and Bleecker Streets. The company was known for staging Shakespearean classics performed by Black actors, ballets, comedies, and even an original play written by Brown himself (The Drama of King Shotaway), drawing sizable audiences and creating a radical alternative to other American theaters of its time. The African Grove Theater and its performers transformed American arts and culture—and raised questions about audience expectations of Black art that are still relevant today. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • A Black Theater Flourished in New York. 200 Years Ago https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/theater/african-grove-theater.html

PRESERVING BLACK HISTORY THROUGH STORYTELLING, ART & PHOTOGRAPHY Recording, capturing, collecting, preserving, cataloging, remembering, and sharing are the ingredients to learning, acknowledging, creating, and passing on history. To learn, understand, and feel something deeply, all of our senses need to be simulated. ~Amber Certain, School Outreach Specialist, March 17, 2023.

Additional resources: • Classroom Connections: Preserving Black History Through Storytelling, Art, and Photography - https://www.nypl.org/blog/2023/03/17/classroomconnections-black-history-storytelling-art

13

• •

Preserving African American History and Expanding a Field of Study https://www.imls.gov/grant-spotlights/preserving-african-american-history-andexpanding-field-study How Quilts Became a Canvas for Black American Artists to Preserve History https://www.sleep.com/sleep-design/history-black-quilting

HOW AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKLORE SAVED THE CULTURAL MEMORY The effects of slavery on African culture were huge. The slaves had to forsake their true nature to become servants to Anglo Americans. And yet, even though they were forbidden from practicing anything that related to their African culture and heritage, the native Africans kept it and their languages alive in America.

One crucial way of doing this was through folk tales, which the enslaved Africans used to record their experiences. These stories were retold secretly, with elements adapted to their enslaved situation, adding freedom and hope. In the story of a slave from Guinea, recorded in The Annotated African American Folktales, he asks his white master to bury him face down when he dies so that he may return to his home country, which he believes is directly on the other side of the world. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • 6 African Folklore Figures that Survived Atlantic Slave Trade https://www.thecollector.com/mythological-african-folklore-americas/ • 10 African and African American Folktales for Children https://www.nypl.org/blog/2017/02/01/10-african-and-african-american-folktalescelebrate-black-history-month • 7 Black Folklore Books Everyone Should Read - https://www.nylon.com/articles/blackfolklore-books-michael-b-jordan

14

BLACK CULINARY ARTIST DESERVE RECOGNITION Food is at the heart of every culture. What and how we eat is the confluence point of basic human needs and art. White chefs and critics have long dominated the culinary establishment in the United States.

Beyond that, systemic racism in food access and the exploitation of the labor of Black chefs has stunted the growth of Black chefs in culinary leadership even today. Despite steps taken in recent years, the culinary world is one of the last of the arts to spool up to antiracism. In part because food, who eats it, who sells it, who makes it, all has to do with race and power. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • A Place at the Table: The Influence of Black Cuisine - https://library.unc.edu/2022/02/aplace-at-the-table-the-influence-of-black-cuisine/ • Art Basel Awakens to Black Culinary Creative Culture https://www.forbes.com/sites/korihale/2022/12/02/art-basel-awakens-to-black-culinarycreative-culture/?sh=508c5d9e269b • Black Chefs Making History - https://www.ice.edu/blog/black-chefs-culinary-history

ART AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE We are living through a historic reckoning on racial justice. The Black Lives Matter movement, a decentralized movement working to end police brutality against Black Americans, is one of the most significant protest movements in the history of the United States. This movement began in 2013 after Trayvon Martin—a teenage Black boy—was murdered, and it gained momentum over the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd sparked protests across the United States and the world.

Art has been a powerful tool in the Black Lives Matter movement because it can change how we perceive ourselves, think about belonging and representation, and imagine the future. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman writes in her poem “Pictures and Progress.” To practice and implement this activity with students and colleagues, click here.

15

Additional resources: • The Power of Place: Art as a Tool for Social Justice https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/spring-2023/the-power-of-place-art-as-atool-for-social-justice • Black History Museum and Education Center https://www.dusablemuseum.org/category/black-fine-art-month/ • Re-framing Black Art: A Matter of Social Justice Panel Discussion; watch the recording of the event here.

• African Art and Social Justice: Art as a Catalyst for Change - https://momaa.org/africanartists-and-social-justice-art-as-a-catalyst-for-change/ • Three Artists Explain and Visualize What Black Joy Means to Them https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/three-artists-explain-and-visualize-what-blackjoy-means-to-them • Art plays a role in Social Change https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/sdut-art-social-changeafrican-american-history-2015feb12-story.html • Keep Making Art: An Honest Discussion with Black Artists https://wordinblack.com/2022/09/keep-making-art-an-honest-discussion-with-blackartists/

DRAG THROUGH TIME: DRAG HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FORM OF ART Drag as we know it began as a type of fringe art form or hobby within the larger LGBTQ community. Still, it has now expanded into a cultural force for the public, appreciated by millions of individuals in mainstream audiences worldwide. Drag has long been an art form that blends performance art, theater, music, fashion, costume, and, of course, makeup and wigs with one’s own body as the canvas. Still, queens have become an incarnation of Warholian pop art, even achieving mass media recognition. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • Black Queens Matter: Why It’s time to stop appropriating and start appreciating our Black drag queens - https://www.lappthebrand.com/blogs/culture/black-queens-matterwhy-it-s-time-to-stop-appropriating-and-start-appreciating-our-black-drag-queens • Black Drag Queens Invented Camp: The Political and Aesthetic Effects of Black Drag Culture - https://crfashionbook.com/culture-a32803029-black-drag-queens-campstonewall-trans-pride/

16

• •

The U.S. has a rich drag history. Here’s why the art form will likely outlast attempts to restrict it - https://www.cnn.com/style/article/drag-queen-us-history-explainercec/index.html Restrictions on Drag Performances - https://www.lgbtmap.org/equalitymaps/criminaljustice/drag_restrictions

MEET THE GODFATHER OF VOGUING Willi Ninja did far more than “strike a pose”. Before Madonna was Voguing for the masses on MTV in 1990, Black and Latino drag queens created the niche dance form during the ballroom era of 1960’s Harlem, New York. It was Willi Ninja, an ambitious young dancer, who pioneered Voguing, and used it to create a haven for members of the LGBT and Black community as it moved from the underground dance scene to mainstream media. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources: • A Brief History of Voguing https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/brief-history-voguing •

The Art of Voguing - https://www.istd.org/discover/news/the-art-of-voguing/

BLACK DISABLED CREATIVES The power of technology to create new opportunities was never more evident than in the summer of 2020.

As the world was undergoing pandemic lockdowns and demands for racial equity echoed, two organizations – Diversify Photo and Black Disabled Creatives – were building public databases of the artists and innovators often left out from the creative world because of the color of their skin and/or their physical abilities. These databases, built by word of mouth through Google Sheets and Google Forms, have grown into incredible resources to help amplify and ensure these voices are heard. To learn more, click here.

Additional resources:

17

• • • •

The Art of Autism Mourns the Passing of Lois Curtis: Artist and Disability Advocate https://the-art-of-autism.com/disability-history-month-lois-curtis-artist-and-disabilityadvocate-paved-the-way/ Celebrate Black disabled artists this #blackhistorymonth https://www.creativityexplored.org/news/celebrate-black-disabled-artists-this-blackhistory-month-february-2022 Black artists with disabilities call for greater inclusion in hip-hop https://commonwealthtimes.org/2020/10/28/black-artists-with-disabilities-call-forgreater-inclusion-in-hip-hop/ Ep 92: Disabled Afro-Latina Artists https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2020/12/12/ep-92-disabled-afro-latina-artists/

18

CALENDAR In 2022, the National Women’s History Museum has compiled a list of Black women visionaries, builders, creators, thinkers, and more. Expand what you know about the past and what you believe is possible for the future. Click here to view how Black Women transformed education, reimagined cultural landscapes, built businesses to support philanthropy and mutual aid, and shaped emerging technologies and social media.

Additional resources: • Black History Milestones: Timeline - https://www.history.com/topics/blackhistory/black-history-milestones To download our calendar, visit our shared folder here.

Please note: The calendar will be completed closer to February 2024.

For more information about the Multicultural Resource Center or the Albany State University Black Alliance contact Arleny Alvarez-Peña, Associate Director for Multicultural, Interfaith, and Intersectional Affairs Email: aalvarez-pena@albany.edu Phone: 518-442-5565

19