Summit Library Celebrates Black History Month With Film, Art History, Book Talk

SUMMIT, NJ — In commemoration of Black History Month, Summit Free Public Library is holding a variety of events to give community members a better understanding of Black narratives, art and history.

The Library will be hosting programs throughout the month of February, in collaboration with members of the community. All of these events are free and open to public.

The upcoming events are listed below:

Monday, Feb. 7 12:30pm and 6:30pm:

Our weekly Monday at the Movies will showcase Ali (2001), which chronicles the life of Muhammad Ali (portrayed by Will Smith) from 1964 to 1974. The film garnered 8 wins in the Black Reel Awards 2002, and 3 wins in the NAACP Image awards 2002. There will be two showings: one at 12:30pm and one at 6:30pm. Runtime 157 minutes. Rated R. Funded through the generosity of the Friends of the Library.

Friday, Feb. 11 11:00am:

Our Friday Film will showcase Zombi Child (2019). In Haiti, 1962, a man is buried alive by white colonists, and brought back from the dead to work in the sugarcane fields, unable to speak. In 2017, a Haitian teenager, survivor of the 2010 earthquake, tells her friends about this family secret, not expecting a terrible consequence to occur. In French, Creole and English with English subtitles. Runtime 103 minutes. Not Rated. Funded through the generosity of the Friends of the Library.

Tuesday, Feb. 15 7:00pm – 8:15pm:

Harlem Renaissance: Courage, Grace, and Vision
The Harlem Renaissance was a cross-disciplinary, intellectual, and cultural revival of Black art, politics, narrative, and scholarship which emerged in the early 20th century. In this event, we will discuss and introduce newcomers to the great variety of figures who headlined this renowned movement. This talk is headed by Lecturer Janet Mandel, who taught in New Jersey’s public schools for 32 years. In October 2003 she was named runner-up for the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) Teacher of the Year award, and in May 2004 she was the recipient of the “Innovations in Special Education Award” from the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and the Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped (ASAH). Via Zoom. Registration required: https://summitlibrary.libcal.com/event/8514644

Friday, Feb. 18 12:30pm – 1:30pm:
The Brown Bag Book Club, our lunchtime book group for adults, discusses Deacon King Kong (2020) by James McBride. This book subverts and transcends genre; it can be described as a crime novel, historical fiction, intelligent comedy, tragedy. It centers on life in the projects in the 1960's New York City, touching on the lives of Black, Latinx, Asian, Irish, and Italian residents. In 2016, former President Barack Obama awarded McBride the National Humanities Medal for “humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America”. Meets in person. Registration not required.

The Summit Free Public Library is located at 75 Maple St.

Visit their website at https://www.summitlibrary.org/ to learn more about the open events.

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