Saturday, January 19th
Music Now! Scholes Street Studio, 375 Lorimer St., 7-11PM, $20. Brooklyn’s own Ras Moshe Burnett will play tenor sax and reeds on this bill, which includes veteran drummer Warren Smith, bassist Hill Greene, bassist Salim Washington, percussionist Lisette Santiago and others.
Sunday, January 20th
Cultural Caravan Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St., 1st Fl., 3-7PM, FREE (donations accepted). Join this Dr. King celebration and panel discussion on: “400 Years Later (1619-2019): “Reflecting Back and Moving Forward.” Moderated by CCP-TV Host/Founder Louise Dente, it features WBAI 99.5 FM Host/Producer Bob Law, WBLS 107.5 FM Host Ann Tripp and Our Time Press Publisher David Greaves. Other panelists to be confirmed. A Special Recognition Award will be given to Kwame Brathwaite, Sr., renowned photo documentarian of the “Black is Beautiful” movement. For information call 347-804-5810.
playing pool
2/20/1966 caption: Civil-Rights Leaders Take Cue in Chicago
Giving a cue to another leader in the Chicago campaign for better living conditions for Negroes was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His game opponent during a visit to a pool hall was Al Raby, head of the Coordinating Council of Community Orgazinations, a civil-rights group working with Dr. King’s Souther Christian Leadership Conference.
(A.P. Wirephoto / )
Monday, January 21st
Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave., 10:30AM. FREE tickets distributed first-come, first-seated, starting at 8PM. This annual community event features civic leaders and a keynote address by “Me Too” movement founder Tarana Burke. Enjoy the music of The Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir and Oddisee & Good Company. Borough President Eric L. Adams is the Master of Ceremony. For info contact Sarah Garvey at 718-724-8025.
Wednesday, January 23rd
Expressions Opening Reception St. Joseph’s College Alumni Room Gallery, 245 Clinton Ave. (DeKalb & Willoughby), 5:30PM -8PM, FREE. Meet the artists at the opening of this group exhibition featuring the artwork of faculty and staff at St. Joseph’s Brooklyn and Long Island campuses. Artist Ramona Candy is one of the 14 exhibiting. A Gallery Talk follows on 2/6 at 12:40PM and an Artist Talk & Dessert event is on 2/16 from 1-3PM.
Brooklyn M/WBE Borough Forum Medgar Evers College, 1638 Bedford Ave., AB1 Bldg. Cafeteria, 10AM-2PM, FREE. Attend the NYC Department of Small Business Services’ annual forum for an opportunity to make connections, learn how to do business with city agencies and become certified with NYC as a Minority- or Women-Owned Business Enterprise. Identify contracting opportunities and market your business to government buyers. Access mentorship programs, workshops, affordable loans and bond collateral assistance. Representatives from 18 city agencies will be present.
Thursday, January 24th
“Brooklyn Vanguard” Opening Reception Hudson Guild, 441 W. 26th St., Manhattan, 6-7:30PM, FREE. Curated by visual artist Danny Simmons, this exhibition honors some of the broad shoulders a new generation of Black Art Stars stood firmly upon. Join in the celebration of cherished cultural warriors. Featuring work by (among others): Jamilah Ausby, Che Baraka, Ramona Candy, Mary Chang, Jimmy James Greene, Myrah Brown Green, Kathleen Hayek, MLJ Johnson, Anders Knutson, Karl McIntosh, Otto Neals, Deborah Singletary and Ken Wright. The show is up until 2/27. Contact Hudson Guild for hours.
Book Launch: Leading While Muslim: The Experiences of American Muslim Principals after 9/11 Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St., 6:30PM, FREE. Dr. Debbie Almontaser’s book debuts with a panel discussion of post-9/11 Islamophobia and its impact through the lens of Muslim public-school principals. Dr. Almontaser, NYU Professor of Educational Leadership, Gary Anderson and HuffPost’s Rowaida Abdelaziz are moderated by BHS oral historian Zaheer Ali. Register at Eventbrite.
Saturday, January 26th
10th Annual 10-Minute Play Program Kraine Theater, 85 East 4th St., Manhattan, 7PM, $25. Enjoy this year’s selection of short-shorts featuring playwrights with a diverse variety of backgrounds and perspectives. They are Kendra Augustin, Francisca da Silveira, Adrienne Dawes, Samantha Godfrey, Garlia Corneila Jones, Bernard Tarver, York Walker and Kezia Waters. Directed by Kevin R. Free. For info, other dates, times and tickets call 212-777-6088.
Sunday, January 27th
Hedda (A Portrait of a Young Woman) at The Fire This Time Festival Kraine Theater, 85 East 4th St., Manhattan, 3PM, $5. Playwright Sandra A. Daley-Sharif gives the eponymous “plain ol’ crazy” hellcat of Ibsen’s classic play a fresh reexamination through music, movement, dueling and a Greek chorus. Tackling emptiness, mental illness and those flaky friends you used to have in college. The play explores the price of freedom and the story of one woman’s journey to find liberation within the confinements of her mind.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Monday, January 28th
Theater Talks: Black Theater Winter Preview Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., 6:30-8:30PM, FREE. Join in an evening of conversation, commentary and performance celebrating the unprecedented number of Black playwrights being produced during the 2018-2019 theater season. Presented in association with the NYC Black Theater Network and Walk Tall Girl Productions/Black Theater Online. Must register at Eventbrite.
Opening Day of Free Tax Preparation Season Restoration Plaza Economic Solutions Center, 1368 Fulton St., 5:30-9PM (M-Th), 10AM-2PM (Fri.), 10AM-5PM (Sats. & Suns.), FREE. New Yorkers who earned less than $55,000 in 2018 can make an appointment to have taxes prepared with a professional or drop them off, or do guided self-preparation. New Yorkers who earned more than $55,000 can use the guided self-preparation option. New this year: seniors over 65 will be served exclusively on Fridays at 10AM–2PM. Appointments at 929-432-3314. Find out what to bring at https://restorationplaza.org/wp-content/uploads/What-to-Bring.pdf.
Saturday, February 2nd
A Night of Philosophy and Ideas Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, 7PM-7AM, FREE. Kwame Anthony Appiah gives the keynote speech kicking off this sleepless night 12-hour exchange of ideas featuring top philosophers from around the world. Featuring discussions like, “Why Reparations?” with Kazembe Balagun, “An Initiation to Taoist Long-Life Practice,” “Colonial Persistence in New York City” and dozens more. Enjoy film, dancing to DJ sets, a flexin’ dance battle and music from groups such as Innov Gnawa and make a video call from a sound-proof booth to journalists in 150 countries. Food and drink are available all night, as is free espresso and a free pastry breakfast at 5PM. RSVPs not required and lineup updates are at 718-230-2200.