Community, Local

Matteson Area Public Library District Black History Month Speakers


MATTESON, IL-(ENEWSPF)- This year, to celebrate Black History Month, The Matteson Area Public Library District, is hosting speakers that will entertain and inform our community on different topics covering Black History.

Our first event, ‘The Life and Import of Fannie Lou Hamer’ will take place at beginning at 1:00pm, on Saturday, February 6, 2016, at the Matteson Area Public Library District, 801 School Ave in Matteson, IL.

Poet and educator Treasure Shields Redmond will present her original poems about the life and social impact of Fannie Lou Hamer. Hamer, a native of rural Mississippi and grassroots Civil Rights activist, helped to organize the 1964 Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and served as the vice-chairperson of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

Redmond will intersperse her poetry with freedom songs, gospel songs, and spirituals, examining, through African American expressive culture, the lasting significance of Hamer’s work and the movements to which she contributed. Hamer’s legacy resonates with the experiences of many Illinoisans who traveled south to participate in Freedom Summer or were involved in the pursuit of Civil Rights in Cairo, East St. Louis, Chicago, and many other communities throughout our state.

Redmond believes that the example of Hamer, who prioritized mutual respect and the pursuit of justice, is highly relevant to young people who seek to respond constructively to issues of race relations in the era of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.

Treasure Shields Redmond’s appearance is made possible in part by Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, a program that provides organizations statewide with affordable, entertaining, and thought-provoking humanities events for their communities.

On Saturday Feb 27, 2016 at 1:00  Ronald Allen will talk about the History of Bid Whist. Mr. Allen is the author of “The Evolution of Bid Whist”  His book  combines both a thorough investigation of the origins of Bid Whist and an interesting and informative presentation of how the game has evolved and continued to grow from slavery into the 21st century .

Both events are free and open to the public.

  • The Life and Import of Fannie Lou Hamer register at http://bit.ly/1RMoUzW
    • Saturday, February 6, 2016, 1:00pm.
  • History of Bid Whist Ronald Allen register at http://bit.ly/1Si72LW
    • Saturday Feb 27, 2016, 1:00pm.

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