Public Screening of "African American Pioneer Muslimahs in Washington, DC Part One!"

A Fascinating Look at the Lives of Muslim Women in DC

From a Press Release...

This one-hour screening is a fundraiser for POI television featuring the 50 + years journeys of three women (Sisters Baseemah Beyah, Aidah N. Sabir, and Shukriyyar T. Nisar) in their 80s and 90s. They each left South Carolina for Washington, DC as members and singers in the church and transposed their lives by joining the Nation of Islam and later all making their pilgrimage to Mecca as Muslims. These extraordinary, three ladies will be our featured guests for a question and answer segment after the viewing.

A donation of $20.00 per person over 10 years old and $10.00 per person over 65 years old is requested. However, If you cannot attend this exciting event, contributions can be made payable to the African-American Holiday Association, the fiscal agent and 501©3 organization financially handling this POI project. Please send c/o Z Productions, P.O. Box 77344, Washington, DC 20013. We have begun to work on Part Two, so we can continue to tell our stories.

Refreshments will be served before the screening and several, women business vendors will be available before and after the showing. Please try to RSVP and for further questions, directions and/or information call 202-302-4708 or contact zasha121@yahoo.com.

At the Rumi Forum, 1150 17th Street, NW, Fourth Floor,

Near M Street, NW across the street from the National Geographic Bldg.

On Sunday, June 10, 2012, 3:00 to 6:00 pm

Today in the Humanities... National Orchestra; Baha'i Celebration; and Ghosts of DC

A Dose of Humanities Happenings and Happeneds for the DC Humanist

An initiative to connect the NSO and its musicians to the residents of Washington, D.C., with performances by the full orchestra and small ensembles in untraditional spaces and multi-disciplinary collaborations.

- "The National Symphony Orchestra in Your Neighborhood," TheDCArts, (Art202)

Baha'i Faith Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India

On Nov. 12, the Baha’is of Washington D.C. and their friends will celebrate the 194th anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith.  This celebration at the Josephine Butler Parks Center in the nation’s capital will join with similar celebrations in over 100,000 localities around the world.

- "Bahai's celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah," Shastri Purushotma, (Washington Post, On Faith)

Thanks to a couple readers for sending the great photos of the Howard Theater sign going up right now. Howard Theater is located at 7th and T St, NW and plans on reopening in April 2012.

- "New Sign Goes Up at Howard Theater," Prince of Petworth, (Prince of Petworth)

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is proud to announce the 29th Annual Larry Neal Writers’ Competition, which commemorates the artistic legacy and vision of cultural understanding of Larry Neal, a renowned author, academic and former Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

The competition honors the artistic excellence of emerging and established DC writers with monetary awards for submissions in poetry, essays, dramatic writing and short story. Awards will be presented at the 29th Annual Larry Neal Writers’ Awards Ceremony on May 4, 2012, in partnership with the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

- "DCCAH Announces 2012 Larry Neal Writers' Competition," TheDCArts, (Art202)

This blog is about uncovering stories that have long been forgotten. I walk by buildings every day, and it’s hard not to imagine what happened there fifty or a hundred years ago. I want to learn about lost neighborhoods like Swampoodle and Murder Bay, find out who lived in my neighborhood when Woodrow Wilson was in the White House, and understand the fear of seeing confederate flags ominously flying within site of the Capitol, across the river in secessionist Virginia.

- "About the Blog,"  (Ghosts of DC)

Civil War to Civil Rights: Downtown Heritage Trail is undergoing a facelift! So if you see a blank sign, don’t fret. A new panel wil be in place soon.

- "Civil War to Civil Rights: Downtown Heritage Trail Undergoing a Facelift," (Cultural Tourism DC)

Cycle I Grantee Organizations Promise a Transformative Series of Documentaries, Forums, Screenings, And After-School Activities

Twenty One New Humanities Projects and Events

The first regular grant cycle of 2011 is underway as of Wednesday, May 11, after a brief, yet informative ceremony. Twenty-one organizations were funded this cycle, and 20 were in attendance at the historic Sumner School in Northwest DC. The grantee organizations were introduced by moderator and Humanities Council board chair Marianne Scott, and a representative from each group delivered a brief summary of their project.

Leading DC Humanities Organizations

Discuss their Upcoming Projects

The diverse humanities projects supported this cycle exemplify the Humanities Council's effort to reach a broad DC audience. The Studio Theatre and the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company each received grants to hold public discussions on the cultural themes explored in a collection of Irish plays, and the play, Clybourne Park respectively. Video/Action received a grant which will be used to fund filmmaker Cintia Cabib's documentary study of community gardening in Washington, and the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation's major grant award will support a documentary film on the history of African American basketball titled Supreme Courts. Other organizations that received funding include: the American Islamic Congress, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, DC Scores, the Double Nickels Theatre Company, Facing History and Ourselves, Ford's Theatre Society, the Latin American Youth Center, the Latino Economic Development Corporation, M.O.M.I.E.' S TLC, the National Hand Dance Association, People's Production House, the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, Friends of the Congo, the Military Road School Preservation Trust, Words, Beats, and Life Incorporated, and the 9/11 Unity Walk. The Textile Museum also received a grant, but was unable to attend the ceremony.

Footage from the ceremony is available on HCTV, the Humanities Council's Youtube Channel. We will be in touch with all the grantees as their projects develop. Let us know which humanities events or projects you are most looking forward to, and please post any feedback as you begin to check them off your Summer schedule.