A Family Fun Day complete with storytelling will be held at the Male Academy Museum Feb. 27 to help celebrate Black History Month.
The free event will run 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Male Academy located beside the city park on Temple Avenue at College Street near downtown Newnan.
Newnan-Coweta Historical Society has arranged for “Sistah Olufemi” (Christine B. Arinze-Samuel) of Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia to entertain youngsters with a story session at 11 a.m. That will be followed by a craft time.
Sistah Olufemi will perform her story, “The Secrets of the Quilts – on The Underground Railroad as Harriet Tubman.” The theme ties into the continuing quilt exhibitions on display at the Male Academy.
Following the performance, children and families will be invited to participate in African-American and quilt-themed crafts. Among the activities, youngsters will create their own quilt-inspired designs. They will also help assemble the NCHS Dream Quilt from colorful cards on which participants have shared their own dreams. The project is in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In recent weeks NCHS graduate research assistant Harvee White, a grad student at the University of West Georgia, has distributed boxes around town and at the historical society’s McRitchie-Hollis and Male Academy museums inviting the public to share their dreams. Anyone may stop by one of the participating downtown businesses or the museums to fill out a card. The cards will be gathered for assembly at the Feb. 27 event.
Sistah Olufemi considers herself to be a natural “storyteller.” She specializes in telling the Underground Railroad story as Harriet Tubman. She is a veteran educator with more than 30 years of service, having taught every grade level and adult education as well. Her stories are tailored for the family.
As an educator, she said, she understands the importance of keeping the history of her culture in the forefront as a storyteller as well as the inclusiveness of all humanity. It is her desire to continue the oral tradition of storytelling and loving to tell stories that are meaningful, uplifting, thought provoking, informative and most of all stories that can be enjoyed by a genre of audiences.
As a published poet, she understands the rhythm, rhyme and the power of words.
Sistah Olufemi is co-chairperson of the initial inception of The Metropolitan Atlanta Kwanzaa Association (MAKA). She also has performed for the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta and was a part of the first NBAF parade.
For more information contact the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society at 770-251-0207. Keep up with NCHS events at www.newnancowetahistoricalsociety.com or on Facebook.
