Express Newark presents its “Blues People” keynote conversation, Children of the Cosmos with Mayor Ras Baraka and esteemed art historian and curator, Dr. Kellie Jones.

Moderated by Express Newark’s Executive Director, Dr. Salamishah Tillet, and supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation and HarbourView Equity Foundation, this dynamic dialogue will explore art, activism, and "What Does it Mean to be a Blues People in the 21st Century?".

Given their unique perspectives as our most esteemed public figures and cultural workers as well as the children of Amiri Baraka, this conversation promises a deep dive into the essence of his groundbreaking book, its legacy on their own practice, and the evolving significance of the blues as a metaphor and a tradition in our modern world.

Blues People Opening at Express Newark

Opening Plenary: Contemporary Artists, Social Content, and Public Engagement

This session will highlight the evolving work of artists and creatives of color in furtherance of social change and public engagement, including strategies and initiatives that advance creative economy innovations and new possibilities in civic activism affecting BIPOC people and communities.

With Michael Aghahowa, Artist-Activist, RAW Artworks; Salamishah Tillet, Founder, New Arts Justice Initiative, Express Newark; Charisse Pearlina Weston, Artist; Jordan Weber, Artist-Activist and will be moderator by Jessica Lynne, Founding Editor, ARTS.BLACK.

CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK

Why Nina Simone Was Always Ahead of Her Time

A recently unearthed live version of “Blues for Mama,” written by Simone and Abbey Lincoln in the 1960s, took on domestic abuse in a momentous way.

Apocalypse Nowish: Singing the Prophetic Warnings of Octavia Butler

Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon adapted Butler’s dystopian “Parable of the Sower.” Their opera makes its New York debut at Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City.

A Town Called Victoria

Director Li Lu, Producer Anthony Pedone, 60 mins, 2023

Hours after the 2017 “Muslim travel ban” was announced, a mosque in Victoria, Texas, erupted in flames. This three-part docuseries chronicles the town, its residents, and its complex history as a quiet community reckons with the deep rifts that incited this hate crime. Episode 1 will be presented ahead of a fall broadcast on PBS.

Featuring a post-screening discussion with filmmakers Li Lu and Anthony Pedone, CAIR-JF executive director Selaedin Maksut, and author and organizer Deepa Iyer. Moderated by Pulitzer-Prize-winning cultural critic Salamishah Tillet.

Bringing together practitioners of different art forms and academic disciplines together to explore the role that art plays in how we feel about our history in America, Salamishah will be in conversation with artists Fred Wilson, Nona Faustine, and Dread Scott, and writer Akiba Solomon.

Excellence, Culture, and Connection: a Keynote Fireside Chat with Salamishah Tillet

Scholar, writer and activist Dr. Salamishah Tillet will be the keynote speaker for Moore's 174th Commencement on May 13, 2023, and will receive an honorary doctorate of fine arts degree.

2022–23 Arts & Humanities Dean’s Lecture Series Featuring Salamishah Tillet.

Presented by the College of Arts and Humanities in partnership with the School of Music at the University of Maryland, this event is part of Arts for All, a campuswide initiative leveraging the combined power of the arts, technology, and social justice to address the grand challenges of our time. This event is open to students, faculty, staff, and the general public.

Gloria Steinem and Salamishah Tillet in Conversation: Great Women Live from the Great Hall

The Poynter Fellowship in Journalism Lecture | “My Cultural Obsession with Afterlives”

The Story of an American Masterpiece is a public lecture and conversation based on Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Salamishah Tillet’s life-changing experiences reading and then returning again and again to Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple, and its adaptations at crucial points in her life. Traversing cultural criticism, memoir, and biography, Tillet’s book, In Search of the Color Purple: The Story of An American Masterpiece follows her as she recovers from sexual assault by finding herself in Walker’s most beloved characters, Celie, Shug, and Sophia. In this healing journey, she comes across others, including actress Oprah Winfrey, activist Gloria Steinem, artist Mickalene Thomas, and even Walker herself, who share their own stories of being inspired by Celie’s voice and vision of justice as well.

Following the reading, Tillet will discuss her work with James Goodman, a professor of history and creative writing at Rutger University. A Q&A session will follow the conversation.

I’m excited to participate in #BlackGirlFreedomWeek 2023, hosted by @blackgirlfreedomfund and the #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign. This year’s events will focus on celebrating Black girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth leading the way in arts, activism, and innovation! Please join me for a conversation on Investing in Black Girls’ Creative Power with Professor Nikkole Salter and students of Howard University’s Department of Theater Arts on Monday, 2/13 at 4:00 pm.

Please join us on Thursday February 9, 2023 for our in-person celebration of Lynn Nottage on the campus of The City College of New York: our symposium will take place from 12:30pm-1:45pm in Aaron Davis Hall. Moderated by Jodi-Ann Francis, Associate Director of the Black Studies Program, the conversation will include Laurie Woodard, assistant professor of History at CCNY; Kaitlyn Greenidge, novelist and features editor of Harper's Bazaar; and Quiara Alegría Hudes, Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright, lyricist, and essayist.

All are welcome for this free event!

*Limited seating available*

More Info: https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/lhf/44th-Annual-Langston-Hughes-Festival-Celebrates-Lynn-Nottage

The Black Women’s Film Conference convenes Black women and non-binary filmmakers from all over the world to share work, discuss the craft, exchange filmmaking strategies, and build community. Throughout the course of the conference, we explore the current landscape of cinema and the intersections of history, filmmaking, and political action.