The Wichita Public Library has special programs throughout February in honor of African-American History Month. All of these programs are free.
Accommodations for those with special needs are available. Please request at (316) 261-8500 a minimum of 48 hours in advance of the event.
Monday, February 4
African-American Women Domestics: The Story of Two Kansans
6 p.m. at the Ford Rockwell Branch Library, 5939 E. 9th St.
688-936
Angela Bates shares the story of the Williams sisters from rural Nicodemus, Kansas. Ernestine and Charlesetta learned cleaning and cooking skills from their mother and grandmother, who had been enslaved in Kentucky by the family of Vice President Richard M. Johnson. When the sisters moved to California in the 1950s, their skills led to cooking for Walt Disney and John Wayne before Ernestine opened her own restaurant. Learn about the family legacy of domestic work through Ernestine’s cookbook and Charlesetta’s work scrapbook in this unique presentation. Co-presented by the Kansas Humanities Council. (60 minutes)
Tuesday, February 5
Family Fun Night: Anansi the Trickster
6:30 p.m. at the Evergreen Branch Library, 2601 N. Arkansas
303-8181
Sneaky spider Anansi is causing problems everywhere. Listen to other stories from Africa and make your own spider. For children aged 3 and up with family. (60 minutes)
Thursday, February 7
United We Stand, Together We Read
7 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Angelou Northeast Branch Library, 3051 E. 21st
688-9580
This interactive storytelling session with Oba William King will feature African folktales and poetry in the tradition of the African Griot. All ages welcome. Free and open to the public. (60 minutes)
Saturday, February 9
Awareness and Rhythm: The Stories Within
9 a.m. (Before-hours event, doors open at 8:45 a.m.)
Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library, 3051 E. 21st
• Registration is required and may be completed by calling 688-9580.
This workshop with Chicago-area storyteller Oba William King, the Poetic Storyteller, will help you develop your storytelling voice. Look at basic presentation skills including phrasing, accentuation, dramatic pauses, tone, rhythm, voice, and diction. Whether used for teaching, preaching, business presentations, dramatic performance, or personal storytelling, these skills will help you to use your voice to create the desired effect. (2 hours)
Time to Play: Stories for Children (and the Young at Heart)
1:30 p.m. at the Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library, 3051 E. 21st
688-9580
The Poetic Storyteller, Oba William King, shares nursery rhymes, call and response stories, playground games, songs, and activities designed to feed the imagination of even the youngest child. Drumming and dancing will be part of the fun! Join us for this festival of early literacy delights. (45 minutes)
Umoja Day Program with the Poetic Storyteller
4 p.m. at the Rockwell Branch Library, 5939 E. 9th St.
688-9361
In the Kiswahili language, “umoja” means “unity.” This program is designed to bring anyone and everyone together in a celebration of story, drum, and dance. Oba William King leads a special finale that invites participants to contribute to the festivities in multiple ways. As an African proverb tells us, “Many spiders working together can bring down an elephant.” (60 minutes)
Tuesday, February 12,
Family Fun Night: Anansi the Trickster
6:30 p.m. at the Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library, 3051 E. 21st
688-9580
Sneaky spider Anansi is causing problems everywhere. Listen to other stories from Africa and make your own spider. For children aged 3 and up with family. (60 minutes)
Wednesday, February 13
Senior Wednesdays: The History of Wichita’s Black Media
1:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 223 S. Main
261-8500
Bonita Gooch, publisher of The Community Voice, presents the journalistic history of Wichita’s black community and how current trends in publishing are affecting neighborhood publishers. Senior Wednesdays are designed for active seniors age 55 or better and offered in cooperation with other institutions across Wichita. See www.seniorwednesday.org for complete details. (60 minutes)
Saturday, February 16
Black History Archives of the Kansas Historical Society
1:00 p.m. at the Lionel Alford Regional Library, 3447 S. Meridian
337-9119
Michael A. Church, Digital Projects Coordinator with the Kansas State Archives & Library Division of the Kansas Historical Society (KSHS) will provide a presentation on African American materials in the KSHS online archives. The Kansas Memory project includes significant collections on black history in Kansas. Mr. Church will discuss the collections and how to access them. This program is made possible by the Wichita Genealogical Society. For more information, visit the Society at www.wichitgensoc.org. (2 hours)
