Community Calendar

Friday, February 21st
Her Life’s A Dance: A Toni Morrison Tribute Dance Party BAM Café, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave., 9pm, FREE. Join in a special edition of BAMcafé Live with a dance party hosted by the trailblazing DJ and sound collage artist DJ Reborn. The dance party directly follows Lilac Dust: Traces of Toni, an evening of remembrance and reflection through performance, dance, poetry and speeches, presented by actor and playwright Eisa Davis.

Saturday, February 22nd
B Scene’s Black TV Matters: Reclaiming the Narrative Weeksville Heritage Center, 2-4pm, FREE. This annual Black History Month edition of B Scene features content from community producers on social truths overshadowed by prejudice, rhetoric and institutions. Hosted by Matthew Allen and Jessica Mason, it features Artistic Reflections, produced by Melvin Isaac, James Woods’ Objective Opinion and Why Kaep Kneels, produced by Hadasah Cornell. B Scene is a thematic screening series featuring programming from Brooklyn Free Speech TV and Podcast Network. [RSVP at Eventbrite

Thursday, February 27th
A Community Discussion on Current High School Diploma Measures Boys & Girls High School Cafeteria, 1700 Fulton St., 5:30-8:30pm, FREE. The Board of Regents and Education Department announce the first regional information meetings to discuss a review of graduation measures in New York State. Up for discussion: What do we want students to know and to be able to do before they graduate? How do we want students to demonstrate such knowledge and skills? How do you measure learning and achievement to ensure they are indicators of high school completion? How can measures of achievement accurately reflect the skills and knowledge of our special populations, such as students with disabilities and English language learners? What course requirements or examinations will ensure that students are prepared for college and careers or civic engagement?

Two Can Play: Castillo Theatre, 543 W. 42nd St., Manhattan, 7:30pm, $40, Students & Seniors $30. It’s opening night for this play, which tells the story of Gloria and Jim, a lower-middle-class couple in Jamaica, who try their wildest schemes to escape gun crime and establish residence in the United States. They survive because they learn to communicate and rediscover each other. Written by Trevor Rhone and directed by Clinton Turner Davis, starring Michael Rogers and Joyce Sylvester. Presented by Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theater, in association with Castillo Theatre. [Through April 5th]

Friday, February 28th
Charities Symposium: A Program for Nonprofit Organizations St. Francis College, Founders Hall, 180 Remsen St., 10am-1:30pm, FREE. New York State Attorney General Letitia James, in conjunction with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, presents this forum. Topics include Workplace Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy Overview, Nonprofit Property Tax Exemption and Nonprofit Real Estate Transactions – Opportunities and Challenges. Register at bit.ly/st-francis-college. For further info contact Monica Abend at 212-416-6405.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Monday, March 2nd – Sunday, March 8th Teen Arts Week Various locations and times across the 5 boroughs, FREE. For seven days in March, dozens of arts organizations in New York City will offer free classes, performances, music jams, poetry slams, artmaking and career workshops, and more to youth. This year’s participating organizations include the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, BRIC, the Metropolitan Museum, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Education, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the International Center for Photography, among others. Launched in 2019, Teen Arts Week is led by 10 high school students in the 92nd Y’s Teen Producers Program, a two-year career mentorship program for New York City public high school students. All events are free to students ages 14 and up with a valid school ID. Educators are invited to bring student groups. For info visit www.92y.org/teen-arts-week.

Monday, March 9th
Race for Profit Discussion and Q&A Diana Center at Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, Manhattan 6:30-8:30pm, FREE. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s new book, Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership (long-listed for the 2019 National Book Award), uncovers how exploitative real estate practices continued well after housing discrimination was banned. Meanwhile, new policies meant to encourage low-income homeownership created new methods to exploit Black homeowners. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor is assistant professor of African American studies at Princeton University and author of From BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation.