Celebrate Black History Month with The Scarsdale Public Library's series of virtual events.
Registrants will receive an email with the Zoom link for each event approximately an hour before it starts.
Please register for each event separately.
Thurs. 2/3 at 7pm Discussion of Alice's Ordinary People with Director Craig Dudnick
Alice's Ordinary People is a documentary DVD about Alice Tregay – a woman who refused to stand still for injustice and brought others together to change what was. Her remarkable story spans the historic period from the marches of Dr. King to the election of Barack Obama. And her unique contribution in the field of politics is the thread which connects the two.
Alice Tregay's story of ordinary people effecting extraordinary change for human rights. Alice's life story reads like a history of the movement. Early on she fought the "Willis Wagons." The second class structures were built to relieve overcrowding in those Chicago schools which served the African American community. Their very existence perpetuated segregation.
Alice's Ordinary People is available on Kanopy. Patrons are encouraged to watch the film before the Zoom program, but the presentation can be enjoyed whether or not the participants have seen the film.
Tues. 2/8 at 7pm Not Forgotten: Scarsdale's Black History
Join Scarsdale Library Local History Librarian Dan Glauber and members of the Scarsdale Historical Society on Facebook Live (facebook.com/ScarsdaleHistory) for the premiere of an exhibition of documents, photographs, and other materials on Black history in Scarsdale. The exhibit will be on display in the Quiet Reading Room and Local History Center at the Scarsdale Public Library for the month of February.
Tues. 2/15 at 7pm An Evening of Poetry with David Mills
David Mills will read from and reflect upon the research behind his recent poetry collection, Boneyarn, the first-ever book of poems about slavery in New York City. The city holds the oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States—the African Burial Ground—which was open from 1712 to 1795 and is located in Wall Street’s shadows. Fifteen thousand enslaved and free Blacks, some Native Americans, and poor whites are buried there. Mills creatively “excavates” the tragedies and triumphs of New York’s enslaved and free Black community.
Tues. 2/22 at 7pm Madame CJ Walker: The First Black Female Millionaire
Born in 19th century rural Louisiana to former slaves, Sarah Breedlove rose to become the first female African-American self-made millionaire in the United States. Known as Madam C.J. Walker, she developed a line of beauty care products for black women. Walker built a factory, hair salon, mail-order business and a beauty school which trained 20,000 sales agents. Later she became a philanthropist and was active in organizing the NAACP’s Silent Protest Parade in New York in 1917.
Weds. 2/16 at 4:30 pm Build Your Own History Book for Black History Month
Join us for a fun and educational program where some of the most influential African Americans in history are highlighted.
This program is prepared for children from grades 2 and up. Registration is required.
Please come to the Children's Room in the Scarsdale Library to pick up your book in the Children's Room before the virtual program on February 1st.
Tues. 2/22 at 7pm African and African American Folktales with Eshu Bumpus
Join Eshu for tales and songs from Africa and the Diaspora, leavened with humor and mystery on February 22, 2022 @ 7pm..
This program is prepared for children from ages 5 and up.
Book Discussions
An electrifying novel about the meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970s, their sensational breakup, and the dark secrets unearthed when they try to reunite decades later for one last tour.
Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, Afro-punk before that term existed. Coming of age in Detroit, she can’t imagine settling for a 9-to-5 job—despite her unusual looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her at a bar’s amateur night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together for the fledgling Rivington Records.
In early seventies New York City, just as she’s finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal’s bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially black women, who dare to speak their truth.
A modern-day story of family, loss, and renewal, Halsey Street captures the deeply human need to belong—not only to a place but to one another.
Penelope Grand has scrapped her failed career as an artist in Pittsburgh and moved back to Brooklyn to keep an eye on her ailing father. She’s accepted that her future won’t be what she’d dreamed, but now, as gentrification has completely reshaped her old neighborhood, even her past is unrecognizable. Old haunts have been razed, and wealthy white strangers have replaced every familiar face in Bed-Stuy. Even her mother, Mirella, has abandoned the family to reclaim her roots in the Dominican Republic. That took courage. It’s also unforgivable.
When Penelope moves into the attic apartment of the affluent Harpers, she thinks she’s found a semblance of family—and maybe even love. But her world is upended again when she receives a postcard from Mirella asking for reconciliation. As old wounds are reopened, and secrets revealed, a journey across an ocean of sacrifice and self-discovery begins.