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Press Release 12/9/98
The Newark Public Library and The City of Newark, Division of Recreation/Cultural Affairs, are presenting a pre-Kwanzaa program in the main library's Centennial Hall on Thursday, December 17, beginning 6:00 p.m. The evening's program will consist of the Kwanzaa ceremony, a guest speaker, and entertainment celebrating African-American culture. Funding was provided in part by a Community Development Block Grant/HUD, administered by the City of Newark, DORCA.
Joyce Smith Carter, a director of Kwanzaa activities for more than twenty-five years, will perform the Kwanzaa ceremony and present the keynote address. She is the program director of Quest Youth Service and has been honored as a pioneer of Kwanzaa.
The Freedom Troupe will provide the African-American cultural entertainment for the evening. Co-founded by Ronnell Bey and Yewande Kelley-Johnson, the troupe has been performing for more than three years. Ronnell Bey is a gifted singer and songwriter, who has performed on several CDs ("The Nearness of You," and "To the Max," among others), and has appeared off-Broadway and in jazz festivals in Finland, Italy, and Holland. Yewande Kelley-Johnson is a poet, dancer, and storyteller. She has performed at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and the Apollo; she is a four-time recipient of a folk art grant from the New Jersey State Council of Arts.
The Newark Public Library has been holding a pre-Kwanzaa celebration for a number of years as part of its multicultural programming. For more information about this free program, call 733-7735.