Black History Museum Hosts Two Events

The Alexandria Black History Museum hosted two events on Saturday. In the morning patrons joined artist, writer and educator Sushmita Mazumdar and Nina Tisara, director of Living Legends of Alexandria for chai tea and a book writing workshop. The workshop is one of a series of programs sponsored by Family Legends, an activity of Living Legends of Alexandria.

Sushmita Mazumdar pours chai tea at the book writing workshop

In the afternoon, visitors were welcomed at a community open house to celebrate the museum’s current exhibition, Living Legends of Alexandria: African American Activists and a signing of the newly released book, African Americans of Alexandria, Virginia: Beacons of Light in the Twentieth Century, written by Char McCargo Bah, Christa Watters, Audrey P. Davis, Gwendolyn Brown-Henderson, and James E. Henson, Sr.  

 Patrons queue up to have their books signed by three of the authors,
James Henson, Sr., Char McCargo Bah and Christa Watters.


Photos by Nina Tisara

The exhibition features 13 African Americans who have been chronicled as part of the Living Legends of Alexandria project: Ferdinand Day, Lillie Finklea, Carlton Funn Sr., Eula Miller, Melvin Miller, Bert Ransom, Nelson Greene Sr., Lynnwood Campbell, Lillian Patterson, Gwen Menefee-Smith, Dorothy Turner, Willie Bailey Sr. and Rosa Byrd. The exhibition runs through August 2013.

The book is available at the museum, local bookstores and online at Historypress.net.

 

Chai and Story Telling, Community Open House and Book Signing

Living Legends of Alexandria: African American Activists

at Alexandria Black History Museum 

Over the years, 13 African Americans have been chronicled as part of the Living Legends of Alexandria project.  The African American Legends included in this exhibition are:  Ferdinand Day, 2007-08; Lillie Finklea, Carlton Funn Sr., Eula Miller, Melvin Miller and Bert Ransom, 2008-09; Nelson Greene Sr., 2010; Lynnwood Campbell, 2011; Lillian Patterson, Gwen Menefee-Smith and Dorothy Turner, 2012; and Willie Bailey Sr. and Rosa Byrd, 2013. The exhibition runs through August 2013. 

Upcoming events associated with the exhibition include:

Chai and Stories – A Writing Workshop for Adults, Saturday, July 20, 11 am – 12:30 pm
Join Instructor Sushmita Mazumdar for chai tea, relaxing storytelling and a chance to express your creativity with a handmade book. There is no charge for this event, but patrons are encouraged to make a tax deductible donation to Living Legends.

 

Community Open House and Book Signing - Saturday, July 20- 2-4 pm

Join the Living Legends past and present, organization founder Nina Tisara, and Living Legends board members for light refreshments a chance to see the exhibition and learn more about how to nominate a legend.

This event will also feature a signing for a newly released book, African Americans of Alexandria, Virginia: Beacons of Light in the Twentieth Century, written by Char McCargo Bah, Christa Watters, Audrey P. Davis, Gwendolyn Brown-Henderson, and James E. Henson, Sr.   Portraits of six Living Legends of Alexandria are included in the book.

The Alexandria Black History Museum is located at 902 Wythe Street in the Parker Gray historic district.  703-746-4356.   www.Alexblackhistory.org. 

 

 

Living Legends and the Art of Photojournalism

Nina Tisara was invited to speak to the Rotary Club of Alexandria on Living Legends and the Art of Photojournalism.  Her talk answered:

What is photo-journalism? 
How is it different from being a photographer or a journalist?
What does it take to do it well?
How can one recognize good photo-journalism when they see it? 

Why is it important for Alexandria to have a Living Legends program in Alexandria?
What were your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
What has been unexpected?

Tisara said,

"There are many types of photographers and in some ways, today’s technology lets anybody and everybody be a photographer, someone who makes pictures with light.  To my way of thinking being a photographer (with a capital P) means seeing the picture.  

"Virtually anyone, any age, can take a technically acceptable photograph with today’s automatic cameras and smartphones. What no machine is yet smart enough to do is to tug your sleeve and say take this picture.  

"A camera will photograph whatever it’s pointed at. You touch a button and you’ve got it. But you are the one who puts the camera in front of the picture. Where you stand, how you edit, what you leave in or out of the frame, that’s what makes a photographer. That and doing it in an instant because sometimes that as long as you get."

To schedule a similar program for your group, contact us at Legends@AlexandriaLegends.com

Photos by Steven Halperson/Tisara Photography