Reading The Culture September Author Talk - Shannen Dee Williams, Ph.D.
2022-09-01 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Reading The Culture September Author Talk with Shannen Dee Williams, Ph.D.
Thursday, September 1, 2022 | 6 pm – 7:30 pm ET
Virtual
Free Admission. Registration required. Space is limited.

As the Lewis Museum celebrates all things related to reading this fall, we’re excited to host a stellar collection of authors as they provide insight on books that help us learn about, grapple with, and confront the complexities of the issues we face in the world around us. Our September author, Shannen Dee Williams, Ph.D., joins us to discuss her book, Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle.
Drawing on oral histories and previously sealed Church records, Subversive Habits provides the first full history of Black Catholic nuns in the United States, hailing them as the forgotten prophets of Catholicism and democracy. Williams shows how Black sisters were pioneering religious leaders, educators, healthcare professionals, desegregation foot soldiers, Black Power activists, and womanist theologians. In the process, Williams calls attention to Catholic women’s religious life as a stronghold of white supremacy and racial segregation—and thus an important battleground in the long African American freedom struggle.
Register Here
Zoom Webinar

Racing Forward: Black Athletes, Activism & Justice - In Person
2022-09-08 18:00 - 21:00 UTC
From baseball player Jackie Robinson, to boxer Muhammad Ali, and football player Colin Kaepernick, Black athletes have historically leveraged their power to advocate for racial and social change. Join the Lewis Museum for a panel discussion with several sports analysts on how these and current Black athletes have taken on the mantle of activism to propel justice in their communities in spite of severe backlash. A cocktail reception and the opportunity to self- tour the Men of Change: Power.Triumph.Truth. exhibition is included with this sports event.
Guest panelists include:

Veteran Journalist Keith Clinkscales and founder of TheShadowLeague.com. Clinkscales served eight years as a senior vice president at ESPN.
Award-winning sports columnist William C.”Bill” Rhoden and editor-at-large with Andscape, a Black media platform dedicated to creating, highlighting, and uplifting the diverse stories of Black identity.
Len Elmore a former ten-year professional basketball player with the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association. Elmore also served as a sports television announcer for ESPN, CBS Sports and Fox Sports/FS1 for 31 years.

Cost: Entry to Event is Free
In case you missed it, watch the Facebook live broadcast below.

This program is in conjunction with the Men of Change: Power.Triumph.Truth. exhibition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

Reading The Culture September Members and Staff Book Club
2022-09-10 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Reading The Culture September Members and Staff Book Club
September 10th
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Virtual Event
What could be better than sharing a good book with some of your closest friends? Join us for the launch of our Reading The Culture Book Club Launch. Our inaugural book will be The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers. On October 15th and November 6th, we’ll gather with a special guest speaker for a facilitated discussion on our book. Individuals who purchase their books at The Lewis Museum Shop will receive a 15% discount on their book. Can’t make it to the museum? Don’t worry. We are proud to partner with Mahogany Books as our official online bookseller for Reading The Culture! To purchase The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, click purchase book.
Register Here
Purchase Book
Overview

Closed for Men of Change Deinstall
2022-09-12 - 2022-09-19

Reading The Culture Reading As Resistance Book Fair - In-Person & Virtual Platform
2022-09-24
Reading The Culture Reading As Resistance Book Fair
Presented by

Saturday, September 24, 2022
10 am – 4 pm ET
Free Admission
Hybrid Event
A Lewis Museum favorite returns with a twist! Reading The Culture Reading As Resistance Book Fair will highlight the writings of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and LGBTQ+ authors who are most likely to be banned and censored. Spend a day filled with both in-person and virtual programming featuring children’s authors, young adult literature, and a wide-array of adult fiction and non-fiction. Join us for author talks, signings, storytelling, food, and all things related to a good read. The Reading as Resistance Book Fair is made possible through the generous support of BGE.

Register Here
Virtual Registration

Now I Am Alone: Geoffrey Owens Performs Shakespeare's Soliloquies and Monologues
2022-09-25
Now I Am Alone: Geoffrey Owens Performs Shakespeare’s Soliloquies and Monologues
September 25, 2022 | 2:00 PM
In Person | Free | RSVP Required
Shakespeare’s complex creations — men and women, kings and beggars, villains and heroes — stand alone and speak aloud their inmost thoughts. On stage, Mr. Owens recently appeared on Broadway in Romeo and Juliet (with Orlando Bloom). Other credits include Oscar Wilde’s Salome (with Al Pacino), the Chicago premiere of David Mamet’s Race (at the Goodman Theatre), and many others. On film, Mr. Owens has appeared in Stonebrook (with Seth Green), The Paper (directed by Ron Howard), and others. His television credits include “The Cosby Show” and “Boston Legal”, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, “Law and Order”, and others. He has recently been seen as ‘Gerald’ on HBO’s “Divorce” and on episodes of “Blue Bloods” and “Lucifer. In the Lewis Theater. . . An RSVP is necessary for this event. Please arrive 15 minutes before so we can start promptly!
RSVP HERE

Reading The Culture Author Talk - One Maryland One Book Edition
2022-10-02 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York)
Reading The Culture Author Talk – One Maryland One Book Edition – In Person & Virtual
Sunday, October 2, 2022
4 pm – 6 pm ET
Free admission. Registration required.
Join us as we co-host author Naima Coster at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum for a conversation on the One Maryland One Book selection What’s Mine and Yours.
What’s Mine and Yours is a multigenerational saga featuring two North Carolina families. They collide in ways that neither is prepared for when Black students from the east side of the county are integrated into the predominantly white schools on the west side. Readers will follow these families over decades as they break apart and come back together. One Maryland One Book is a program of Maryland Humanities.
In-person Registration

Maryland Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
2022-10-03 17:30 - 20:30 UTC
Maryland Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
Monday, October 3rd
Reception – 5:30 pm | Candidate Forum – 6:30 pm
In-Person & Virtual
IN PERSON REGISTRATION AT CAPACITY. THE EVENT WILL BE STREAMED ON FACEBOOK LIVE AND YOUTUBE.
In less than two months, Marylanders will head to the polls to select their next governor. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum’s mission positions it to serve as a catalyst for sustained change by providing bold conversations that educate and challenge. It is in this spirit that The Lewis Museum, in partnership with Baltimore City NAACP, Baltimore Votes, Black Girls Vote, the Greater Baltimore Urban League, and the League of Women Voters Maryland, will host a Gubernatorial Candidate Forum centering issues impacting Black Marylanders.

Confirmed participants:
David Harding, Working Class Party
David Lashar, Libertarian Party
Wes Moore, Democratic Party
Nancy Wallace, Green Party

Becoming Frederick Douglass Screening & Discussion
2022-10-08 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Becoming Frederick Douglass Screening & Discussion
Reginald F. Lewis Museum
In-Person
Saturday, October 8, 2022
1pm to 3 pm ET
Free with Museum admission. Registration requested.
Join us for a screening and conversation with cast members from Becoming Frederick Douglass. Produced by Maryland Public Television in association with Firelight Films executive producers Oscar®-nominated Stanley Nelson (Attica, Freedom Riders, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution) and Lynne Robinson, Becoming Frederick Douglass is the story of how a man born into slavery became one of the most prominent statesmen and influential voices for democracy in American history. The documentary explores how Douglass controlled his own image and narrative, embracing photography as a tool for social justice, and the role he played in securing the right to freedom and democracy for African Americans.
The film was produced and directed by Stanley Nelson and Nicole London. Keith M. Brown and Michael English are the executives in charge of production. Becoming Frederick Douglass was written by Anne Seidlitz. Acclaimed actor Wendell Pierce is the voice of Frederick Douglass in the film. Funding for Becoming Frederick Douglass provided by the State of Maryland and Bowie State University, the oldest Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Maryland.
Guest Speakers:

Kenneth B. Morris Jr., Co-Founder & President of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives and a direct descendant of Frederick Douglass (appears in film)
Nicole London, Co–Director and Producer of Becoming Frederick Douglass and Co-Director of Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom

Moderator:

Dr. Kaye Whitehead, Host of “Today with Dr. Kaye” on WEAA and founder of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice

Register Here

Reading The Culture October Member and Staff Book Club
2022-10-15 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Reading The Culture October Members and Staff Book Club
October 15th
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Virtual Event
What could be better than sharing a good book with some of your closest friends? Join us for the launch of our Reading The Culture Book Club Launch. Our inaugural book will be The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers. On November 6th, we’ll gather with a special guest speaker for a facilitated discussion on our book. Individuals who purchase their books at The Lewis Museum Shop will receive a 15% discount on their book. Can’t make it to the museum? Don’t worry. We are proud to partner with Mahogany Books as our official online bookseller for Reading The Culture! To purchase The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, click purchase book
Register Here
Purchase Book
Overview

By Any Means Necessary : Film Screening and Discussion
2022-10-18 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
By Any Means Necessary : Film Screening and Discussion
October 18, 2022 | 6pm to 9pm
Free
Spurred on by an organization’s interest in the stories behind those we see every day at our city’s intersections, By Any Means Necessary contextualizes this sector against the history of “hustle” or gig economies in the Black community. It provides interviews with those who participate, allowing for first-person accounts of the “why” behind squeegeeing and presenting the concept that the reasons and the participants are not monolithic. The screening of By Any Means Necessary will be followed by a panel discussion – moderated by Terri Lee Freeman, executive director, The Reginald F. Lewis Museum – with Shauntee Daniels, executive director, the Baltimore National Heritage Area; Jason Bass, Director of Culture and Impact, Hotel Revival; and Baltimore City Deputy Mayor Faith Leach.

Register Here

Healing Through Literature: Book Conversation and Creative Writers' Workshop with Marita Golden
2022-10-29 13:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Healing Through Literature: Book Conversation and Creative Writer’s Workshop with Marita Golden
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Book Conversation and Signing | 1 pm to 2:30 pm
Creative Writers Workshop | 3 pm to 4:30 pm
In-person
Note: Registration to Creative Writer’s Workshop Registration also includes admission to the Book Talk Conversation with Marita Golden. Contact terry.taylor@lewismuseum.org if you have any questions.
More and more young Black women are re-examining the Strong Black Woman syndrome and engaging in self-care practices that change their lives.
– Marita Golden, The Strong Black Woman
The “strong Black woman” trope has often dictated not only how Black women are seen, but also how Black women are pushed to see themselves. Join The Lewis Museum and author and writing coach Marita Golden for a book discussion and workshop exploring how we move beyond the pressure to be “strong Black women,” to develop practices of reflection and care.
The afternoon will begin with a conversation between award-winning author and co-founder of the Hurston/Wright Foundation, Marita Golden and Dr. Izetta Autumn Mobley. The discussion will focus on reparative pathways of healing utilizing Golden’s two books, Saving Our Sons: Raising Black Children in a Turbulent World and The Strong Black Woman: How a Myth Endangers the Physical and Mental Health of Black Women. A book signing will follow.
Then, join Marita Golden for a creative writing workshop designed to use writing as a powerful form of healing and therapy to the soul. In this interactive session, participants will engage in discussion and writing exercises to give voice to their experiences and unspoken emotions. Participants should bring a notepad and pen. Registration is required as space is limited.
Marita Golden is an award-winning novelist and author of more than 19 works of fiction and nonfiction. Her books include The Strong Black Women, After, Migrations of the Heart, Saving Our Sons, and Don’t Play in the Sun. She is a distinguished teacher of writing and the co- founder of the Hurston/Wright Foundation, an organization that supports African American writers.
Workshop Registration
Conversation Registration

Reading The Culture November Author Talk - Lawrence T. Brown, PhD, MPA
2022-11-03 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Virtual
Reading The Culture September Author Talk with Lawrence T. Brown, Ph.D., MPA
Thursday, November 3, 2022 | 6 pm – 7:30 pm ET
Virtual
Free Admission. Registration required. Space is limited.

Noted equity scientist and urban Afrofuturist Lawrence T. Brown, Ph.D., MPA joins for a discussion on his IPPY Book Award-winning best-seller, The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America. The Black Butterfly looks at how American cities can promote racial equity, end redlining, and reverse the damaging health- and wealth-related effects of Segregation.
Register Here

Reading The Culture November Member and Staff Book Club
2022-11-06 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Reading The Culture November Members and Staff Book Club
November 6th
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET
Virtual
Free for members. $15 for Non-members.
What could be better than sharing a good book with some of your closest friends? Join us for the launch of our Reading The Culture Book Club Launch. Our inaugural book will be The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers. On November 6th, we’ll gather with a special guest speaker for a facilitated discussion on our book. Individuals who purchase their books at The Lewis Museum Shop will receive a 15% discount on their book. Can’t make it to the museum? Don’t worry. We are proud to partner with Mahogany Books as our official online bookseller for Reading The Culture! To purchase The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, click purchase book
Virtual Registration
Purchase Book
Overview

Harriet Tubman: Visions Of Freedom
2022-11-13 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Harriet Tubman: Visions Of Freedom Film and Discussion
Sunday, November 13, 2022
2 pm – 4 pm ET
In-person
Free with Museum admission
Join us for a screening of Harriet Tubman: Visions Of Freedom commemorating the 200th anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s birth and the observation of Maryland Emancipation Day. Educators are encouraged to attend. Produced by Maryland Public Television in association with Firelight Films executive producers Academy Award-nominated Stanley Nelson (Attica, Freedom Riders, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution) and Lynne Robinson, Harriet Tubman: Visions Of Freedom is a nuanced portrait of the woman known as the Conductor of the Underground Railroad, who risked her own freedom and life to liberate others from slavery. Born in Dorchester County, Maryland, 200 years ago — 2022 marks her bicentennial —Tubman escaped north to Philadelphia in 1849, covering more than 100 miles alone. Once there, Tubman became involved in the abolitionist movement, and through the Underground Railroad, guided an estimated 70 enslaved people to freedom. The film goes beyond the legend of Tubman to explore what motivated her — including divine inspiration — to become one of the greatest freedom fighters of all time.
The film was produced and directed by Stanley Nelson and Nicole London. Keith M. Brown and Michael English are the executives in charge of production. Harriet Tubman: Visions Of Freedom was written by Paul Taylor, Nicole London and Marcia Smith. Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® award-winning actor Alfre Woodard is the narrator of Harriet Tubman: Visions Of Freedom and acclaimed actor Wendell Pierce is the voice of Frederick Douglass in the film.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with noted authorities on the life of Harriet Tubman including:

Mia Bay – Historian; Roy F. and Jeanette P. Nichols Professor of American History at the University of Pennsylvania
Angela Crenshaw – Maryland Park Ranger, Manager to Rocks, Susquehanna & Palmer State Parks, and former Assistant Park Manager for Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park
Nicole London – Co-Director and Producer of Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom

The conversation will be moderated by Travis Mitchell – MPT Senior VP, and Chief Content Officer overseeing film projects, Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom and Becoming Frederick Douglass

Register Here

Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom and Becoming Frederick Douglass are co-productions of Firelight Films and Maryland Public Television. Production support provided through an appropriation from the State of Maryland. Additional funding was provided by Bowie State University, DIRECTV and Pfizer, Inc.

Page By Page: Collections Visit
2022-11-17 17:30 - 18:30 UTC
Page by Page: Collections Visit
November 17, 2022
Time will be provided upon registration
Members Only. Registration Required (limited to 12 people)
Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum Collections Manager & Registrar for a behind-the-scenes look at the books and archival items from the Black authors in The Lewis Museum Collections. Learn how we preserve items and how our collections reflect the unique lives and histories of Black authors, publishers, and Black reading culture.
Register Here

Reading the Culture Read-a-Thon
2022-11-18 18:00 - 2022-11-20 18:00 UTC
Reading the Culture Read-a-Thon – Virtual
Friday, November 18 – Sunday, November 20, 2022
Virtual
Admission: Free
Cozy up on a fall weekend with a stack of good books and join us for a 72-hour Read-a-thon. Get updates, reading tips, and hear from special guests starting at 6 pm on Friday, November 18th and continuing until 6 pm on Sunday, November 20th. Can you keep up? We hope so. Share your thoughts and progress by tagging us on Instagram and Facebook at @lewismuseum using the hashtag #ReggieReads.

Friday, November 18th | 6 pm
Greetings and Favorite Books with RFLM Executive Director Terri L. Freeman
As you prepare for reading your favorite book(s) this weekend, let Terri Lee Freeman, the Executive Director of The Lewis Museum share her must reads. RSVP link in below. Click on “Other Dates” to RSVP for the other two sessions.

Register Here

Saturday, Nov 19th | Noon

In Conversation with memoir author Michelle Petties @iambrandnewnow (Live Event)
Check in with The Lewis team and other readers to share what you’re reading this weekend. Then join author Michelle Petties in conversation about her inspirational memoir, Leaving Large: The Stories of a Food Addict as she shares a collection of personal essays that chronicle her journey and evolving relationship with food. RSVP link below. Click on “Other Dates” to RSVP for the other two sessions.
Register Here

Sunday, November 20th | 2 pm

In Conversation with Food Historian Author Michael Twitty @thecookinggene (Live Event)
Check in with The Lewis Museum staff and engage with other readers to share what you’re reading this weekend. This event is in partnership with the Jewish Museum of Maryland.Then join food historian and chef Michael Twitty in conversation with Dr. Izetta Autumn Mobley about his book, Koshersoul: Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew. Koshersoul explores the marriage of two distinctive culinary cultures in the world today: the foods and traditions of the African Atlantic and the global Jewish diaspora. RSVP link in bio. Click on “Other Dates” to RSVP for the other two sessions.

Register Here

Join us for Reading The Culture: Read-a-thon!
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Reading Douglass Opening Reception
2022-12-15 16:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York)
Join us as we celebrate the opening of this highly anticipated exhibition. In Reading Douglass, we explore Frederick Douglass’ passion for reading as a form of resistance. Designed as an interactive installation that invokes the power of reading by recreating a library, the installation invites us to in the words of Douglass “open ourselves up to the ideas of other people.” Douglass knew how deeply political, powerful, and liberating knowledge could be. He always held that through reading “we can begin to see the world in new ways.” This installation provides space for us to explore our own curiosities while learning about how books and reading shaped the life of Frederick Douglass.
Click Here to RSVP

Feelin: Creative Practice, Pleasure, and Black Feminist Thought
2022-12-16 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Feelin: Creative Practice, Pleasure, and Black Feminist Thought
Friday, December 16th | 6:30 PM
Free Admission | RSVP Required
Join scholar and interdisciplinary artist, Bettina Judd in celebrating her newest book, Feelin, with a conversation and interactive film screening at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum Maryland African American History and Culture (The Lewis Museum). Dr. Judd will be joined in conversation by Dr. Izetta Autumn Mobley, Dr. Tiffany Lethabo King and Dr. Jessica Marie Johnson.
Feelin: Creative Practice, Pleasure, and Black Feminist Thought (Northwestern University Press, December 15, 2022), is a timely work that contextualizes Black women’s interiors and demonstrates how Black women’s creativity and “feelins” are critical landscapes for revolutionary thought and theory. This urgent work intends to “name the ways that racism and sexism is felt, and thus creative responses to those experiences must also be felt.” Judd expertly interrupts the impassive academic research tradition by opening lines of communication on each page between Black women artists. Lucille Clifton’s, Aretha Franklin’s and Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ voices speak through the page alongside the voices of Renee Cox and Avery*Sunshine. Their genius and joy are woven expertly together with Judd’s own poetry, art, and academic thought.
Bettina Judd is an interdisciplinary artist, performer, and writer whose creative research centers Black feminist thought. She is the author of patient., winner of the Hudson Prize from Black Lawrence Press, and an associate professor in the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington and is from Baltimore.
Praise for Feelin
“Bettina Judd brings to academic theory and criticism what Stephen Henderson suggests Black poets bring to poetry in their ‘attempt to speak directly to black people about themselves.’ I am certain that Judd’s Feelin: Creative Practice, Pleasure, and Black Feminist Thought is a book with which scholars and poets and all other kinds of writers and artists will have to contend long after Judd herself has written her last word. What I love most about this book is how Professor Judd proves her theories with her own art, be it poetry or video production or song.” —Jericho Brown, author of The Tradition
“Bettina Judd’s attention is to black feminist thought, creative process, the feel of things, our needs, and all of the ways that bodies know. In Feelin Judd takes us deeply into grief, joy!, anger, and ecstasy as the matter of Black study. This is an embodied black feminist poetics, an imaginative labor of knowledge, pleasure, vulnerability, and care.” —Christina Sharpe, author of In the Wake: On Blackness and Being
“Bettina Judd works with every mode of writing and artistry at her disposal, offering an alternative, Black feminist genealogy of affect theory that centers Lorde’s emphasis on embodied knowledge and reads Black women’s art practices for counternarratives to death-dealing Enlightenment intellectual traditions. Feelin lovingly amplifies what Black women’s ecstatic vocal traditions, (a)theological re-visionings of the Bible, and over-seen yet under-heard articulations of rage have to teach us about the life-saving uses of the erotic and the epistemological power of grief, anger, and joy.” —Evie Shockley, author of Renegade Poetics: Black Aesthetics and Formal Innovation in African American Poetry
“Feelin touches Black women’s arts from the inside parts and excavates its ways and means. Its exquisite craft and searing intelligence documents Black womanist aesthetics. Perhaps the critical text in contemporary womanist studies, Feelin is archive and practice, gallery and form . . . a documentary of how we do arts, endure and expose sciences, and still compose and create from the graceful space of extraordinarily generous and gifted spirits. This is a sacred gallery. Be still and take your time with Judd’s incandescent Feelin.” —Karla FC Holloway, author of Passed On: African American Mourning Stories and Gone Missing in Harlem: A Novel (TriQuarterly)
RSVP

MLK Day : Where Do We Go From Here?
2023-01-16 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Martin Luther King Day: Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community
Monday, January 16, 2023 | 11am – 6 pm
Commemorate the King Day Holiday at The Lewis Museum as the museum reflects on prophetic themes from Dr. King’s last book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community, in which King analyzes the future state of America’s race relations in regard to jobs, poverty, education, housing, wages, and voting. Presentation activities include:
Opening Remarks from Director Terri Lee Freeman | 11am | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum Theater
Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope | 12pm – 1 pm
Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum Theater
Dance & Bmore presents Bmore Broadway Live featuring performances by their youth group AMP Up! and the cast of “Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope,” a groundbreaking Broadway show centered around the African American experience in relations to tenements, slumlords, ghetto life, student protests, black power, and feminism. Learn about the show’s creators, Micki Grant and Vinnette Carroll, the first Black women to write and direct on Broadway in 1972. See excerpts of Gospel, Jazz, Soul Calypso, and spoken word through vibrant song and dance directed and choreographed by CJay Philip. A community talkback on this work with the cast and audience members will follow the presentation.
Keith Snipes and Company: Let Freedom Sing | 2 pm – 3 pm
Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum Theater
Join us as we welcome Keith Snipes and Company for an inspirational tribute to democracy and freedom. This show pays homage to the ideals of the civil rights movement and its most ardent leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is comprised of a rich collection of songs and poetry reminiscent of the movement, including King on Jazz, What’s Going On (The All American Reality Show), A Stone of Hope (Original Spoken Word), Brother Where Are You (Oscar Brown, Jr.) and Someday We’ll All Be Free (Donny Hathaway).
This masterful quintet features American jazz bassist and band leader Obasi Akoto, trumpeter DonVonte McCoy, pianist Allyn Johnson, drummer Eric Kennedy, and vocalist Keith Snipes. Let Freedom Sing will leave you feeling rejuvenated, fortified, and prepared to meet the moment.
Included with Museum Admission | Donate non-perishable food items and get 50% off admission!
RSVP Here

Criminal Justice Reform Symposium in Partnership with the Greater Baltimore Urban League, the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP & the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore
4 pm – 6pm
Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum Upper Lobby
Free and open to the public
The Greater Baltimore Urban League – in partnership with NAACP, Reginald F. Lewis Museum & Downtown Partnership of Baltimore – will host Criminal Justice Reform: The Role of Legal Systems in Civil Rights Symposium & Honoring Ceremony, on MLK Day from 4pm to 6pm. The Lewis Museum’s executive director Terri Lee Freeman will provide welcome remarks and context for why criminal justice reform is important to discussions on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We will then hear from those impacted by challenges in the criminal justice system including Erania Pretty and Marlow Bates, Sr. The afternoon will conclude with a panel discussion with and recognition of modern-day civil rights advocates who have worked to move us to a more equitable Maryland. Panelists will include:
Hon. Wanda K. Heard, Chief Judge, 8th Judicial Circuit of Maryland (RET)
Hon. Marilyn Mosby, Former State’s Attorney, Baltimore City
Attorney Warren A. Brown
Attorney William H. “Billy” Murphy, Jr.
Major Milton L. Corbett (RET)

Reading Douglass Author Talk : In Spite Of… with Treopia Green Washington
2023-01-28 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Reading Douglass Author Talk : In Spite Of… with Treopia Green Washington
Saturday, January 28, 2023 | 2 pm | Hybrid
Free with museum admission, but registration is requested

Join us for a liberating author talk that celebrates Reading Douglass, an exhibition exploring reading as an act of resistance and restoration that can profoundly impact our lives. This book discussion will feature The Lewis Museum’s Executive Director Terri Lee Freeman in conversation with guest author Treopia Green Washington about memoir book, In Spite Of…. in which the author shares her experience living during the Jim Crow era. Green Washington grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a community determined to protect its children, as much as possible, from the cruelty of segregation laws designed to make people feel “less than.”
In spite of, Treopia’s family and community created an environment where she and her brothers, Ernest and Scott, grew up believing in themselves. In 1957, a pivotal year in the course of their life stories, Ernest chose to be one of the nine high school students who integrated Central High School in the face of shocking violence. Treopia describes their parents’ guidance that helped them develop the inner strength and conviction they needed to succeed in their lives, each in their own way. For Treopia, it was through following her path as an educator. She chronicles her many teaching adventures and the enriching experiences she’s had since leaving the classroom. Through it all, Treopia finds her mother’s wisdom, inscribed in her heart and mind, never leads her astray.
A book signing will follow. Museum visitors can also view the Reading Douglass exhibit during this author talk event.

Register Here

Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival
2023-02-08 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 | 1:30pm – 8:45 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Join the SNF Agora Institute for a free event bringing together scholars, practitioners, and the local community to grapple with democratic challenges and celebrate democratic resilience. Ideas and exchange with mayors, civic leaders, scholars, art by Globe At MICA, music by DJ Mebaa, dinner with Peoples Supper, a debate on voting rights with Symone DSanders and KarlRove, moderated by Hallie Jackson of NBC News.

Schedule of Activities:

Welcome & Introductions | 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Panel Discussion: Activating Local Democracy | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Breakout Sessions | 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM

Breakout Sessions | 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM

People’s Supper | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Debate | 7:30 PM – 8:45 PM
Register Here

Frederick Douglass Birthday & Valentine’s Day Celebration,“Love & Liberation”
2023-02-11 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Frederick Douglass Birthday & Valentine’s Day Celebration,“Love & Liberation”
Saturday, February 11, 2023 | 1 pm – 5 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Did you know that statesman Frederick Douglass chose Valentine’s Day (Feb 14th) to commemorate his unknown birth date in February because he liked the traditions surrounding this date? Join the Lewis Museum celebrating Douglass’s upcoming birthday with several love and liberation activities including

1 pm – A Film Screening and Post discussion of Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches with Curator Imani Haynes | The HBO documentary Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches brings to life the words of our country’s most famous anti-slavery activist. Actors Nicole Beharie (Scenes from a Marriage), Colman Domingo (Euphoria), Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country), Denzel Whitaker, and Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) draw from five of Douglass’ legendary speeches, to represent a different moment in the tumultuous history of 19th century America as well as a different stage of Douglass’ long and celebrated life. Inspired by David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom and executive produced by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Black Art: In the Absence of Light), the film features the narration of Douglass’ autobiographies by André Holland and context provided by Blight and Gates to remind us how Frederick Douglass’ words about racial injustice still resonate deeply today.

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Patrons can also RSVP for the curator’s tour with our free discount code which will be sent in your acknowledgment email after you have registered.
Note: Curator’s Tour has limited group capacity.
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2:30 pm – A Curator Led Tour of archival images to learn more about the most photographed man in America in the 19th century and his love for learning with Curator Imani Haynes and Dr. Izetta Autumn Mobley

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Note: Curator’s Tour has limited group capacity.
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3:30 pm – A Food Demonstration and Tasting discussing the origins of Maryland crab soup with a regional chef in connection to a winter soup recipe located in the Reading Douglass exhibition. Valentine’s treats will be included to enjoy. Hoodfellas Bistro & Catering is a local African American-owned restaurant in Baltimore, MD that sells American cuisine. HoodFellas was established in 2019 by Ben and Ira who have been best friends for over 30 years and native Baltimoreans. We provide our customers with quality food at a reasonable price. Our specialty is food that feeds your soul. We love serving our customers and community. Hoodfellas was started from a love of cooking food for family and friends. It has grown into providing American and soul food for the Baltimore city metropolitan area. Our goal is to grow into more communities nationwide.

Purchase Tickets
Patrons can also RSVP for the film and curator’s tour with our free discount code which will be sent in your acknowledgment email after you have registered.
Note: Curator’s Tour has limited group capacity.
Plus find out about restaurant deal packages for the upcoming love holiday with some of Baltimore’s finest restaurants. Patrons who attend the Douglass Love and Liberation activities can receive discounted meal packages with proof of museum receipt. For more information, contact joy.hall@lewismuseum.org.

Imaginarium: Social Imagination Experience
2023-02-22 - 2023-04-09 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
February 22, 2023 through April 9, 2023 | The Lewis Now Gallery
In 1900, W.E.B. Du Bois, historian Daniel Murray, and librarian Thomas J. Calloway exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris, celebrating global achievements that looked back over the past 100 years while incubating ideas that would mold the future. The Exhibit of American Negroes was a display that showcased the humanity, diversity, and experience of African Americans at the turn of the century. Over the past three years, we have seen our world shift in ways we never thought; the IMAGINARIUM is a way that Black people can curate their vision, hopes, and ideas to be displayed for the world to see.
The IMAGINARIUM is an experimental and interactive exhibition of social imagination. It provides a space for visitors to share their vision for the feature of Black Baltimore, Black Region D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV), Black America, and the Diaspora. In conjunction with our theme Black futures/Black imaginings, the exhibit will ask a series of prompts and scenarios of visitors through engaging design activities that will encourage creative brainstorming for the future.
The investigative prompts that the IMAGINARIUM asks will discuss topics that impact the visitor as an individual and a member of the Black Community. The IMAGINARIUM will discuss socio-economic issues: mental health, nationalism, education, public safety, the workforce, community spaces, and the arts.
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Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined
2023-03-02 - 2023-09-05 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
March 2nd through September 5th | DeSousa Gallery, 2nd Floor
Member preview March 1, 2023
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum is excited to partner with Galerie Myrtis and the James E. Lewis Museum of Art at Morgan State University to present the groundbreaking exhibition “Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined” for the first time in the United States. Curated by Myrtis Bedolla for the 2022 Venice Biennale, “Afro-Futurist Manifesto” brings together a stellar assemblage of African-American Artists who construct a future forged in transatlantic links and Afrofuturism’s ideology to expand the notion of Blackness at the intersection of technology and liberation. This existence has been conceived, as asserted by author Kevin Young, in “Elsewhere … the remapping of what’s here,” forming an alternative reality where one’s freedom and humanity is found.
Featuring the works of Tawny Chatmon, Larry Cook, Morel Doucet, Monica Ikegwu, M. Scott Johnson, Delita Martin, Arvie Smith & Felandus Thames.
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Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined Free Saturday Celebration
2023-03-18 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Celebrate the opening of the groundbreaking exhibition “Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined” with FREE ADMISSION this Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 10 am to 5pm. The Lewis Museum is excited to partner with Galerie Myrtis and the James E. Lewis Museum of Art at Morgan State University to present this exciting exhibition curated by Myrtis Bedolla for the 2022 Venice Biennale. Check out this one-of-a-kind exhibition along with IMAGINARIUM, an experimental and interactive exhibition of social imagination, as part of our BLACK futures/BLACK imaginings season.
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Ladies First: An Evening Celebrating Maryland’s Pioneering Black Women of Achievement
2023-03-22 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Ladies First: An Evening Celebrating Maryland’s Pioneering Black Women of Achievement
Wednesday, March 22 , 2023 | 6 pm – 9 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Black women have made landmark contributions to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the State of Maryland as “The first …” in their fields and have often gone unrecognized. Join us as we honor pioneers from a broad cross-section of disciplines and industries, offering the opportunity to hear from them about their respective journeys.

The Honorable Adrienne A. Jones | Speaker of the House of Delegates
Janet Currie | President, Bank of America Greater Maryland
Natasha Dartigue, Esq. | Public Defender, Maryland Office of the Public Defender
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie | Interim President & General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ USA
Daria J. Willis, Ph.D. | President, Howard Community College

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Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined Women’s History Artist Panel Talk - In Person
2023-03-23 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined Women’s History Artist Panel Talk – In Person
Thursday, March 23, 2023 | 6 pm ; Panel Talk Begins at 6:30 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum celebrating Black women, their imagery and experiences through the visionary artistic lens of the women exhibition artists from Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined (March 2, 2023 – September 5, 2023). During this art panel discussion, artists will explore the future of Black women, how they envision Black women bodies, mothering and confronting stereotype imagery of Black young women. This panel conversation features artists Tawny Chatmon, Monica Ikegwu and Delita Martin. This panel is moderated by Myrtis Bedolla of Gallerie Myrtis who curated “Afro-Futurist Manifesto” for the 2022 Venice Biennale. “Afro-Futurist Manifesto” brings together a stellar assemblage of African-American Artists who construct a future forged in transatlantic links and Afrofuturism’s ideology to expand the notion of Blackness at the intersection of technology and liberation.
** Come early at 6 pm to view the Afro-Futurist Manifesto exhibition with special guests.
Free Admission
Image Details (left to right):

Delita Martin, The Seeker, Acrylic, Charcoal, Hand-stitching, Decorative Paper, Reduction relief print,30w x 46h, 2019
Tawny Chatmon
Monica Ikegwu
Delita Martin
Myrtis Bedolla, Moderator

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Film Screenings and Post Discussion Afrofuturism: The Origin Story & Amethyst LoveGodz
2023-04-01 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Saturday, April 1, 2023 | 1 pm – 3 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum
This program is included with Museum Admission.
Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum for a double film feature examining the origins of Afrofuturism and discovering what it takes to keep Black love in the future. A post discussion with filmmakers Alexis Aggrey, Jamal Gray and Denai “B Fly” Nixon will follow.

Smithsonian Channel /Afrofuturism: The Origin Story (58 minutes) – From enslaved Phillis Wheatley’s poetry and Martin R. Delany’s alt-history novel “Blake” to Sun Ra’s avant-garde music and Marvel’s sci-fi blockbuster “Black Panther,” the African- American experience has been explored and reimagined for centuries through many artistic mediums. This special brings together some of today’s most influential Black musicians, writers, dancers, and theorists, who celebrate and examine the historical and cultural impact of Afrofuturism through deep discussion and electrifying, fantastical performances.
Amethyst LoveGodz (28 minutes) – While on a romantic date in their native land, Kariz Marcel & BlackShesus are captured and sold into the transatlantic slave trade. Four hundred years after their abduction and murder, they resurrect, blind, and in search of their other half. Guided separately by ancestral forces they journey through lifetimes and a foreign land to finally unite in holy matrimony and end the colonizers reign. In the tradition of family, we pray their village leads them safely to the other’s love. Will they? Executive produced by BlackShesus and musically scored by Kariz Marcel this breakout silent film will challenge your perception of dialogue, love, and Blackness.

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First Friday: Navasha Daya & Lafayette Gilchrist
2023-04-07 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Friday, April 7, 2023 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm | Location : Reginald F. Lewis Museum
The Museum is thrilled to celebrate the return of our First Friday Music Series this Spring. Kick off your weekend mingling at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum with local musical performances. Explore our latest on-of-kind exhibitions along with food and drinks by local chefs. During our Black Futures, Black Imaginings Music Edition, experience a wide range of music connected to Black futurism and celebrating the imagination, time, and liberation.

Black Futures, Black Imaginings Music Edition: Featuring Navasha Daya & Lafayette Gilchrist
Friday, April 7, 2023 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm | Performance begins at 7 pm, Exhibits Open at 6 pm.
For Jazz Appreciation Month jam with “astral soul goddess” Navasha Daya and jazz pianist/composer Lafayette Gilchrist as they perform music that will liberate the soul and spirit. Navasha Daya, Baltimore-based singer, songwriter and producer, has performed all over the globe for over 25 years as an indie – soul and jazz artist. Grammy- Award winning artist India.Arie described Navasha’s voice as “the true definition of soulful”. As a composer, Navasha has written numerous songs focused on culture, spiritual evolution and liberation pinning songs that encourage the utilization of indigenous technology as a solution to society’s injustices. As a solo artist she has received international acclaim from her solo releases. Prior to her solo releases, Navasha served as lead vocalist, songwriter and co-founder of the highly acclaimed Baltimore based soul/jazz band, Fertile Ground. Navasha’s composition “Peace & Love” was remixed in Europe and opened the door to Fertile Ground’s international acclaim. Continuing the musical legacy of her cousin the late great Gil Scott Heron, and embodying the influences of the likes of Phyllis Hyman, Patti Austin, Lyn Collins, Mahalia Jackson, Miriam Makeba, Mavis Staples… her live show fuses her eclectic mix of Soul-Jazz – Funk and World Rhythms while pulling from her Mississippi Blues lineage.
Drawing on the span of jazz history from stride to free improvisation, along with inspiration from hip-hop, funk, and Washington D.C.’s unique go-go sound, Lafayette Gilchrist’s music thrives on making surprising connections between styles and influences, boldly veering from pile-driver funk to piquant stride, vigorous swing to hip-hop swagger, contemplative abstraction to deep-bottom grooves. Gilchrist has performed with Cassandra Wilson, Macy Gray, Oliver Lake, Andrew Cyrille, Orrin Evans, Paul Dunmall, Hamid Drake, William Parker, and many more. He has also recorded and toured regularly with Grammy-Award winning legendary saxophonist David Murray. Lafayette’s previous album Dark Matter (2019), Gilchrist’s second solo recording, muses on the elusive and mysterious matter that ties the universe together and landed on numerous critics’ best of 2019 lists. His composition “Assume the Position” was used in the score for the HBO drama television series The Wire. His compositions have also been used in the HBO series Treme and The Deuce.
Special Admission: Members: $20 and Future – Members $25; Food Prices are Separate Cost.
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