Black History Month Begins With Lively Lectures At Spady Museum’s Series In February February 4, 2009

The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum will be celebrating Black History Month with the return of its popular lecture series, Connecting Culture and Community. Lectures will begin at 5:30 p.m. beginning February 4 and continuing through mid-March.

Made possible through a generous grant from the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, the six-part lecture series is free to the public and designed to highlight the rich cultural heritage of American-Americans in South Florida.
“We’re very pleased to be able to bring back this very popular series,” said Brandy Brownlee, museum educator. “Over the last two years, this series has attracted a loyal following that includes people of all ages. We’re also very grateful to the Community Foundation for its continued support of this program.”

Guest lecturers, who will speak on a wide variety of topics, will give a presentation followed by a question and answer session, which has generated lively discussions in the past. New this year, two lectures will be held at the Delray Beach Public Library; the rest at the Spady Museum, as noted below.

Feb. 4 (at the Delray Beach Library): Tuskegee Airmen Leo Gray and the "Silver Wings & Civil Rights: Right to Fly" documentary; for more information on the film, visit www.fight2fly.com. Gray will introduce a documentary about the Tuskegee Airmen.

Feb. 13 (at the Spady Museum): Prof. Ralph Johnson. Johnson, Director of the Center for the Conservation of Architectural and Cultural Heritage at Florida Atlantic University, will speak about the culture of the Gullah, African-Americans who lived in the low-country regions of South Carolina and Georgia.

Feb. 18 (at the Spady Museum): Madafo of Miami. Madafo tells stories from around the world, primarily those that speak to the African-American experience. He is a master musician who often accompanies a story with creative movement and/or traditional African percussive instruments. Madafo's storytelling and musical presentations are crafted for audiences of all sizes, ages and ethnicities.

Feb. 26 (at the Spady Museum): Dr. Sika Dagbovie. Dagbovie, a professor of English, who specializes in African-American literature and women’s studies will speak on "Flavor of Love Chicks, Nappy Headed Hos, and R. Kelly’s Underage Hook-Ups: Where Have All the Black Girls Gone?"

March 4 (at the Spady Museum): Major Joe Bernadel and Dr. Diane Allerdyce. Allerdyce and Bernadel of Toussaint L’Ouverture High School will focus on the Haitian community.

March 11 (at the Delray Beach Library): Kitty Oliver. Author and oral
historian Oliver, also from FAU, will reflect on “Women Sharing Our Stories.”

The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, a non-profit organization located in Palm Beach County, is dedicated to discovering, collecting and sharing the African-American history and heritage of Florida. Located in the former home of the late Solomon D. Spady, the most prominent African American educator and community leader in Delray Beach from 1922 to 1957, the museum opened in July 2001. It is the only museum of its kind in Palm Beach County.

Upcoming Spady Events: The Spady Museum’s annual gala will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 4 at the Delray Beach Marriott. Tickets for the event, featuring dining, dancing, a silent auction, and community awards, are $125. For more information, call 561-279-8883 or visit www.spadymuseum.com.

Official Website: http://www.spadymuseum.org