Chicago’s Griot Speaks About Public Art as Social Good

Timuel D. Black is known as Chicago’sgriot. He has spent his lifetime gathering the stories of Chicago’s African-American community, documenting the great social movements, and working for peace and justice. Born in Alabama in 1918, Black came to Chicago’s South Side with his family as part of Chicago’s first wave of the Great Migration–when tens of thousands of African-Americans left the South. After serving with distinction in World War II, Black attended Roosevelt University and the University of Chicago. A teacher, social scientist and historian, Black played a leading role in the civil rights movement in Chicago and nationally, working closely with Dr. King.  He is the author of countless articles and of Bridges of Memory, the oral history collection documenting the lives of African-Americans who came to Chicago in the first and second waves of the Great Migration. Mr. Black is currently at work on his own memoir.

Timuel Black’s talk will be followed by a solo piano recital by Reginald Robinson. Writer Sharon Warner will read Gardeners of Dreams to open the program.

Special guest : Sharon F. Warner is a writer of diverse interests and experience. Her work has been published in 3 countries, and of course, online.  She has been part of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance since 1997, and her work has appeared in the Journal of Ordinary Thought since that time. “Gardeners of Dreams” was inspired by remarks made by Timuel Black at an Edible Activism workshop at the Artistic Garden in Hyde Park.

with a solo piano recital by Reginald Robinson

Reginald R. Robinson, born and raised in Chicago is a noted pianist/composer and an educator on ragtime music across the U.S. Reginald became interested in playing Ragtime while in 7th grade after a city funded arts program visited the school. The program was led by Jazz trumpeter Orbert Davis and covered many different styles from Beethoven to Miles Davis but Reginald paid close attention when the musicians talked about Ragtime and performed “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin. He had heard this melody coming from the ice cream trucks every summer but had never heard the song played as a serious piece of music on piano before. For Christmas that year his mother bought him a small electronic keyboard in which he began to teach himself how to play. In 2004, Reginald received “the genius” fellowship Grant from the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for his innovation in Ragtime music !