THE NEW SCHOOL AND THE SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE PRESENT “VOICES OF CRISIS,” LECTURE SERIES AND EXHIBITION

FEATURING KHALIL GIBRAN MUHAMMAD, HARRY BELAFONTE, C.T. VIVIAN, AND MORE

Beginning Wednesday, February 12, 2014 in New York

The original poster for the 1964 American Race Crisis lacture series at The New School (New School Archives and Special Collections)

Curated by recent New School graduate Miles Kohrman, the lecture series and exhibition explore the American Race Crisis lecture series held at The New School in 1964, which welcomed speakers including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The VOICES OF CRISIS lecture series will feature three public programs throughout the month of February that examine the outcomes and ongoing progress of the Civil Rights Movement, the road to racial equality both here and abroad, the legacy of Malcolm X and the Muslim movement, and more. The exhibition will offer photographs, documents, transcripts, and audio recordings.

"The legacy of Dr. King is one I'm proud to stand upon and I look forward to restarting the conversation begun by King during his own American Race Crisis series back in 1964," said Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad. "Fifty years later, his words help to provide context to American's current issues involving race and justice."

The series and exhibition arose from research led by New School student Chris Crews who rediscovered long-forgotten audio recordings of Dr. King’s unscripted answers to audience questions at his 1964 lecture. The VOICES OF CRISIS exhibition will feature this original 1964 audio recordings and carry forward the legacy in a series of conversations.

See below for more information.

FOR LISTINGS: VOICES OF CRISIS LECTURE SERIES AND EXHIBITION

VOICES OF CRISIS Exhibition
Monday, February 12–Friday, March 6 (OPENING RECEPTION: Monday, February 12, 8:30 p.m.)
Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries,
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, 66 Fifth Avenue
Admission: Free
This exhibition features audio recordings from the American Race Crisis lecture series, which took place at The New School in 1964. The original series, intended to broaden understanding of the struggle for racial equality, brought leading lights of the civil rights movement to The New School. Speakers included Martin Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, James Farmer, Ossie Davis, and John Killens. Now, almost 50 years later, Voices of Crisis presents this historic series to the public once again.

VOICES OF CRISIS: Reliving the American Race Crisis
Wednesday, February 12, 6:30 p.m.
The Auditorium at 66 West 12th Street
(formerly known as Tishman Auditorium)
Admission: Free
C.T. Vivian, one of the most respected members of the civil rights movement and recent recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, joins Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, in an open-ended conversation about the struggle for racial equality over the last fifty years. With James Tillman, student at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music performing Sam Cooke’s, “A Change is Gonna Come.” Opening reception of VOICES OF CRISIS EXHIBITION follows at 8:30 p.m.

VOICES OF CRISIS: X(cluded)
Thursday, February 20, 6:30 p.m.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Blvd
Admission: Free
Following his controversial comments about President Kennedy’s assassination, Malcolm X was disinvited from The American Race Crisis lecture series. Join a conversation led by Zaheer Ali, researcher for the late Dr. Manning Marable and former project manager of Columbia's Malcolm X Project, exploring the role of muslim leaders in the struggle for equality, the impact of X’s teachings, and the influence of the Muslim voice over the last fifty years. With a musical performance led by Alex Claffy, a student at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and a special performance by Abiodun Oyewole, founding member of The Last Poets.

VOICES OF CRISIS: The Crisis Continues
Wednesday, February 26, 6:30 p.m.
John L. Tishman Auditorium, University Center,
63 Fifth Avenue (at 13th Street )
Admission: Free
How have activists from the civil rights era passed the torch to those fighting for justice and equality today? Join Harry Belafonte, actor and longtime activist; Phillip Agnew, director of the Dream Defenders; and Raquel Cepeda, journalist and filmmaker, in conversation with Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library. The evening will be kicked off by a performance led by Joe Harley, an alumnus of The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

Click here for more detailed information on the VOICES OF CRISIS lecture series and exhibit.

All events are co-curated by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library; and The New School. Dominque Howse, Event Design and Programming; Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf and Ladi'Sasha Jones, Schomburg Center, Event Co-Curators. Exhibition: Miles Kohrman, Curator. Abigail Muir, Exhibition Designer. Produced by the New School Archives & Special Collections. Presented by the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center. VOICES OF CRISIS is made possible with support from The New School Archives & Special Collections; The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library; The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music; The Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons The New School for Design; The New School University Student Senate; The University Social Justice Committee.

Founded in 1919, The New School was born out of principles of academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. Committed to social engagement, The New School today remains in the vanguard of innovation in higher education, with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students challenging the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The New School welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and calendar of lectures, screenings, readings, and concerts. Through its online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence. Learn more at www.newschool.edu.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of The New York Public Library, is generally recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world. For more than 85 years the Center has collected, preserved, and provided access to materials documenting black life, and promoted the study and interpretation of the history and culture of peoples of African descent. Educational and Cultural Programs at the Schomburg Center complement its research services and interpret its collections. Seminars, forums, workshops, staged readings, film screenings, performing arts programs, and special events are presented year round. More information about Schomburg’s collections and programs can be found at schomburgcenter.org.

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Sam Biederman,
The New School
212-229-5667 x. 3094
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