Renaissance Reborn: Reimagining the Past is a Harlem Renaissance conference on the 100th anniversary of the book launch party that brought together many of the African American intellectuals and artists who would drive it.
Renaissance Reborn: Reimagining the Past, Igniting the Future
Renaissance Reborn: Reimagining the Past is a Black Arts conference celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance and the 25th Anniversary of the Classical Theatre of Harlem with an esteemed panel and a special performance by Grammy nominee Mykal Kilgore (Motown The Musical); at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights, Manhattan; on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 7pm. Free with rsvp at stjohndivine.org 🇺🇸
This Conference is inspired by Jessie Fauset’s book launch party on March 21, 1924 that brought together the intellectuals and artists who together powered the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s.
The Panel
Mia Brabham @yourstrulymia
Panel Moderator (Shondaland)
Melba Wilson @melbasharlem
Restauranteur (Melba’s)
Carl Cofield @carlcofield
Associate Artistic Director (The Classical Theatre of Harlem)
Peter Francis James @peterfrancisjames_
Actor (Godfather of Harlem)
David Levering Lewis
Historian & Author (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Mark Harding
Historian (Emmy Nominated series researcher “Slavery and the Making of America,” PBS)
Entertainment
The evening features excerpts from Classical Theatre of Harlem’s upcoming production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” that is set in the middle of the Harlem Renaissance.
There is a special musical performance by actor and singer-songwriter Mykal Kilgore (NAACP Image Award/Grammy Nominee, “Motown The Musical”). @mykalkilgore
Reimagining the Past, Igniting the Future
This is the West African concept of Sankofa. It is a Ghanian term that means “to retrieve.” An associated proverb says, “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” 🇬🇭
It’s true that to create your best possible future, it helps to know where you come from. That’s especially true in the United States where the colonizers stole everything and tried to erase our heritage. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and the giants are our ancestors.
There is something else going on now. The future belongs to the young, and Mother Afrika is young. African Americans in Harlem are perfectly positioned to help birth this African Renaissance. It’s happening in New York City and it’s happening in Africa. Let’s get together, and we’ll be alright.
More Information
cthnyc.org
Instagram @classicalharlem