News Release

By BRANTLEY ANDERS
Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History

CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History has scheduled a slate of spring programs including art exhibitions, lectures and concerts.

The season also will include jazz singer Nnenna Freelon’s performances – two benefit concerts – that will take place on March 24. The shows were originally scheduled for Oct. 30, but were postponed due to conflicts with UNC’s homecoming festivities.

The Stone Center, an academic unit of UNC, was founded in 1988 and is dedicated to broadening the range of intellectual discourse about African diaspora cultures. The center moved in August to a new facility, 150 South Road, just west of the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower.

For more information, visit http://ibiblio.org/shscbch/. For workshop reservations and ticket information, call (919) 962-9001. Events will be held at the Stone Center unless noted otherwise. The event schedule follows:

· Today (Dec. 1) through Jan. 29: "Letters From Home," an art exhibition in the center’s Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum. The show features a collection of digital prints, low-relief sculptures and mixed media installations by Dr. Michael D. Harris, UNC associate professor of art history. The works, which tell the stories of a personal ancestry, also represent a collective ancestral voice spoken through old pictures, symbols and words. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and by appointment and is closed on university holidays. Admission is free.

· Jan. 18: "He Was a Poem: An Evening of Poetry Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.," 7 p.m. in the center’s Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum. This gathering of UNC faculty, staff and students honors King’s life, legacy and ideologies. Works by various authors commemorating King’s legacy will be read. Admission is free.

· Jan. 19 through March 23: An Afro-Cuban drumming class in the center’s Hitchcock Multipurpose Room. Instructor Bradley Simmons will teach students the art of drumming. The first five people to register and pay will receive free use of drums. Classes will be held Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

· Feb. 14 through March 30: "Como Se Cuenta el Cuento (How to Tell the Story), Tradition and Change on the Congo Coast of Panama: An Exhibition of Congo Art of Taller Portobelo" in the center’s Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum. This art exhibition is grounded in the cultural recovery, preservation, promotion and dissemination of the history of marginalized people. The exhibit features multidimensional works celebrating the Congo aesthetic, Panamanian Carnival and Afro-Panamanian identities. Admission is free.

· Feb. 21: The Hekima Reading Circle book discussion, 7 p.m. in the center’s Hitchcock Multipurpose Room. The February selection is "Finding Grace: Two Sisters and the Search for Meaning Beyond the Color Line," by Shirlee Haizlip. The event is co-sponsored by the Carolina Women’s Center, and admission is free.

· March 2: A performance by Peru Negro, 8 p.m. in the Frank Porter Graham Student Union’s Great Hall. Peru Negro is a group that celebrates the rich heritage of Afro-Peruvians through song and dance. Uncommon instruments, such as the jawbone of a donkey, evolved from a history in which Afro-Peruvian slaves were not allowed to express themselves through traditional African drums. The dancers wear brightly colored costumes as they take the audience on a rhythmic journey to Peru. Peru Negro also will give a community workshop on March 1 (more details are available by calling the Stone Center). The concert and related workshop are co-sponsored by the student union. Concert tickets are $25 for the public and $10 for students.

· March 26 through April 6: Visiting artist Willie Perdomo, an award-winning poet, in several UNC classes. Perdomo will share his craft with students. Dates, times and registration details for poetry and spoken-word workshops are available by calling the Stone Center.

· March 7: The "Around the Circle" film discussion, 7 p.m. in the center’s Hitchcock Multipurpose Room. Participants will view and discuss the film "Discussing the Stereotypes, Myths and Conflicts Between Urban Northern African Americans and Rural Southern African Americans." Admission is free.

· March 24: The Nnenna Freelon Benefit Gala, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in the center’s Cobb Theatre. Five-time Grammy nominee Freelon will entertain with a night of soulful music. Proceeds from the concerts will benefit the Stone Center. Ticket prices are $50 for limited reserved seating, $35 for the public, $15 for students and $25 per person for groups of 10 or more. The ticket cost is tax-deductible. More information is available by calling the Stone Center.

· April 4: The Hekima Reading Circle book discussion, 7 p.m. in the center’s Hitchcock Multipurpose Room. The April selection is "Burned Alive: A Victim of the Law of Men," by Souad. Admission is free.

· April 8: A performance by Imani Winds, an award-winning wind quintet, 8 p.m. in the center’s Cobb Theatre. The group’s sound is a fusion of African, European and American music, and members are of African and Latin American heritage. Ticket prices for the concert will be announced at a later date; proceeds benefit Our Children’s Place.

· April 14: The African Diaspora Lecture Series, 4 p.m. in the center’s Hitchcock Multipurpose Room. The featured lecturer is Dr. Eunice Sahle, assistant professor of African studies and international studies in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences.

- 30 -

Stone Center contact: Antoinette R. Parker, (919) 962-7265