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GALA CELEBRATION AND TRIBUTE TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS
TO BE HELD, FEB. 11 – 13, 2007
.February 11 thru 13, 2007 has been chosen by The Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance (DBNA) along with the Brooklyn Borough President, The House of the Lord Church, Polytechnic University and the Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) to host a three (3) day celebration highlighting the birthday of abolitionist, journalist, visionary Frederick Douglass.
This celebration will also highlight the fact that New York State and Brooklyn, New York in particular, was a gateway to liberation for freedom seekers, otherwise referred to as escaped slaves. 
During this three (3) day celebration the great-grandson of Frederick Douglass, Fred Douglass IV and his wife, B.J., will be present to discuss and remember Frederick Douglass and the contributions he made to the movement to abolish slavery.   In addition, a number of the noted sites in Brooklyn and Manhattan visited by Frederick Douglass during his noble struggle for the freedom of mankind will be revisited.  
The itinerary for the celebration is as follows:

Sunday, February 11, 2007 – 5:00 PM
At the historic House of the Lord Church, Fred Douglass IV and his wife will perform artistic skits of the life and times of Frederick Douglass in his quest for freedom and the abolishment of slavery. 

Monday, February 12, 2007 – 9:00AM
Fred Douglass IV and his wife will address the general assembly of two schools in Brooklyn named in honor of his great-grandfather (the Frederick Douglass Academy in Bedford Stuyvesant and Brownsville Brooklyn).

Monday, February 12, 2007 – 1:00 Noon
Luncheon at the New York City Polytechnic University hosted by the Brooklyn Borough President, FCRC and DBNA.  The present Wunsch Student Center located on the campus of Polytechnic University from 1854 to 1938 was the African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church, the first black congregation in Brooklyn now known as the Bridge Street AWME Church. In the basement the church housed and fed fugitive slaves, “it is important for us to recall and educate people on that piece of history” said Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, pastor the House of the Lord Church.

Monday, February 12, 2007 – 7:00PM
Dr. Adelaide Sanford will be the keynote speaker for the event held at the Mother Zion African Church in Harlem. This church was one of the first churches in New York built and led by African-Americans and thought to have been a major Underground Railroad depot. Rev. Gregory Smith is the pastor of this church.

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Tuesday, February 13, 2007 – 9AM
This celebration will begin with a brief ceremony at the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn.  Participants will cross the Brooklyn Bridge and pay  respect at the African Burial Grounds. Participants will later travel to the Manhattan pier where a marker will be placed earmarking the location of a soon to be statue erection of Frederick Douglass. From this point participants will trace the route of several safe havens in Manhattan and culminate with a special reception at City Hall hosted by Council Members Charles Barron and Alan Gerson. The contribution of David Ruggles will be lifted at the reception. In 1938 Mr. Ruggles was thought to have published the 1st black magazine in the United States, the “Mirror of Liberty.”  In that same year he provided shelter to Frederick Washington Bailey, a fugitive slave who arrived in New York disguised as a sailor who would later change his name to Frederick Douglass.  Special guest at this reception include student representation from Junior High School 258 in Brooklyn whose school name has been changed to The David Ruggles School. 
The celebration will begin each day at 8:00am with a prayer and continental breakfast at the historic House of the Lord Church located at 415 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York where the Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry is Pastor. 
For further information, contact: (347) 756-0049 and/or (718) 596-1991.

Monday, February 5
 7 p.m., Kevin Powell, Brooklyn activist and author of “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” shares an intimate discussion with poet/writer Asha Bandele. Co-sponsored by African Voices. FREE.  Kumble Theater at L.I.U., DeKalb/ Flatbush.

Tuesday, February 6
1:30p SWANN GALLERIES presents the first-ever auction devoted to African-American Fine Art, comprising over 200 prints, drawings, collages, paintings and sculptures by well-known African-American artists. The auction contains a veritable who’s who of important African American artists, and includes some of the scarcest and most important examples of their work. Represented are:  complete sets of Jacob Lawrence’s first and last major series, both based on paintings made by the artist early in his career; prints by other artists such as Dox Thrash’s Old Barns, aquatint, 1937-38; Charles White’s poignant Awaiting His Return, lithograph, 1946; Elizabeth Catlett’s Negro Woman, lithograph, 1945.  The sale also features works by Romare Bearden, including Untitled (Four Figures), collage composed of various papers with pencil additions, on wood panel, circa 1970; a number of fine oils on canvas, including Hale Woodruff’s powerful abstract Totem, circa 1950; Norman Lewis’s Many Faces of Legend #1, 1960; and Beauford Delaney’s Untitled (Yellow Painting), from his desirable Paris Yellow Paintings series, 1962. There are three fine sculptures in the sale. Leslie Garland Bolling’s Beautiful Womanhood, 1931 and New Moon, 1933. An exquisite carved mahogany Nude Torso, 1976, is believed to be the first sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett ever to come to auction.  Finally, there are many beautiful drawings and watercolors, including Palmer Hayden’s Ocean Point, Maine, watercolor circa 1925-26; and John Wilson’s Untitled (Farm Boy), charcoal portrait, 1944.
The works of art will be on public exhibition at Swann Galleries on Wednesday,  through Friday, February 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, February 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, February 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday, February 6, from 10 a.m. to noon. Swann Galleries: 104 East 25 Street, New York, NY.  The art works can also be viewed online at www.swanngalleries.com. For further information, please contact Nigel Freeman at (212) 254-4710, extension 33, or via email at nfreeman@swanngalleries.com.

Saturday, February 10:
1pm – “Chesstizing” – Sculptor Daniel Blake invites children to play an educational game called Chesstizing with his original wooden chess pieces that he carved to represent people who have played significant roles in African-American history.  .Central Library, Youth Wing Program Room, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2119

Banking Center Manager Flora Urrea, cuts the ribbon opening their newest branch at 449 Myrtle Avenue. The Myrtle Avenue merchants used the opportunity to preview their“Home Grown & Locally Owned” Myrtle Avenue marketing campaign.

Tuesday, February 13:
3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Spike Lee Screening Room at L.I.U. Free Media Arts professors Dennis Broe and Maureen Nappi will present “When the Levees Broke,” Spike Lee’s documentary on Katrina.

Friday, February 16
7a-2:30p: 2007 National Woman’s Heart Dayr  Health Fair Offers  Free 15-minute Screenings, Advice for New York City Women on Heart Disease, Madison Square Garden, NYC. “Women in general need to be advocates for their own heart health,” says Dr. Diane Acuna, a cardiologist at St. Vincents Hospital Manhattan. “But this is especially important for African-American women, given that they are 72% more likely to suffer from heart disease than white women. The most important way for African-American women to be advocates for their own heart health is by learning what their personal risk of heart disease is so they can take action to live a long and healthy life. Women should ask their doctors about receiving screening and about heart healthy lifestyle choices such as proper diet and activity levels.”

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RESTORATION and BLACK VETERANS for SOCIAL JUSTICE
EDUCATION & JOB PLACEMENT CLASS SESSSIONS
Restoration is pleased to announce its new partnership with Black Veterans for Social Justice, and Medgar Evers College called NYC Works! Our NYC Works Partnership offers a number of free resources for unemployed job seekers and those seeking to upgrade their skills. Also, get your GED and get access to career specific training including Commercial Driver’s License, CISCO Training, Pharmacy Technician/Medical Billing training and much more! Advance registration required for classes. All sessions begin at 10 AM. Call (718) 636-6978 to register for one of our information sessions.
Feb. 5:    Information Session; Feb. 6:    Life Skills Part I & II: Customer Services, Business Language, Mock Interviews, Financial Literacy, and Computer Intro: Feb. 7    Resume & Cover Letter  Feb.  12:  Information Session: Feb. 13:  Life Skills Part I & II: Feb. 14:  Resume & Cover Letter.

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