'Out Of Africa': Black History Month At Fortune Center In Red Bank

RED BANK, NJ —For this year’s Black History Month program, the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center will present an "Out of Africa Experience" as its theme for a month-long schedule of events. Here are the cultural programs to look forward to in February:

"Cry Freedom" film screening:

The true story of South African freedom fighter Steven Biko, who took a courageous stance against the racist apartheid government. Starring Denzel Washington and Kevin Kline. Feb. 12, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center; $20. Light refreshments.

On A Sunday Afternoon fundraiser: With The Brandon McCune Trio & The Black Wine Guy Experience. Feb. 19, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Triumph Brewing Company, Red Bank; $100.

In 1998, pianist Brandon McCune was selected as the Ambassador of Jazz to Africa. He has accompanied such jazz greats as bassist Buster Williams, Wynton Marsalis and the vocalist Betty Carter, to name a few.

MJ Towler is the host of the popular podcast the Black Wine Guy Experience, which
launched in 2020, and has made a splash into the world of wine culture. He will take guests on a wine-tasting journey through some of South Africa’s Black-owned vineyards that will broaden
participants' wine appreciation. The podcast was featured in the “Wine Enthusiast” Magazine. www.blackwineguy.com.

Tickets to the fundraiser are $100. To purchase tickets, visit the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center website and click on the Black History Month icon.

She Found Her Voice & Changed the World: Caroline Hunter-Williams in Conversation with Gilda Rogers, executive director of the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center. Feb. 23, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Brookdale Community College Lincroft Campus, Student Life Center/Twin Lights II. This is a free event.

Here is some background: Polaroid, the film company, produced passbooks for the racist apartheid South African government until they hired Xavier University graduate Caroline Hunter in 1970 as a chemist.

Hunter used her single voice to start a movement of financial divestment of American
corporations and universities in South Africa. She set off a chain of events that eventually led to the end of apartheid and the rise of President Nelson Mandela. Rogers is an award-winning journalist and history professor at Brookdale Community College.

African Tapestry: Fashions by Rashidah: Feb. 25, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center. $20.

Fashions by Rashidah is a continued celebration of Fashion Week with an atelier-style, two-story level fashion show at the Fortune House. Items will be available for purchase. Light refreshments. To be seated you must register with Shanel@tthomasfortunefoundation.org.

T. Thomas Fortune was born into slavery in 1856 and became one of the most influential American journalists and newspaper publishers of the 19th and 20th centuries, according to the cultural center's website. Fortune called his home in Red Bank “Maple Hall,” where he and his family lived between 1901 and 1915.

The T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center is a nonprofit organization located at 94 Drs. James Parker Blvd., Red Bank, Fortune's restored historic home. For more information visit the organization's website.