MEDIA ALERT
The Wright Museum Presents a Book Talk and Celebration for Ibram X. Kendi In Conversation with Neil A. Barclay
WHO:
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History kicks off its Black History Month Program on Thursday, February 1st, from 5-7pm, with the #1 New York Times bestselling author and scholar Ibram X. Kendi as he discusses his adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon for young readers with Neil A. Barclay, President/CEO, The Wright Museum. This adaptation gives young readers a well-done introduction to the true-life story of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last-known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade, who was abducted from Africa on the last "Black Cargo" ship to arrive in the United States.
WHAT:
In the first middle grade offering from Zora Neale Hurston and Ibram X. Kendi, young readers are introduced to the remarkable and true-life story of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last survivors of the Atlantic human trade, in an adaptation of the internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed Barracoon.
WHERE:
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 West Warren Ave., Detroit MI 48201
WHEN:
February 1, 2024, 5-7pm
WHY:
Adapted with care and delivered with age-appropriate historical context by award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi, Cudjo’s incredible story is now available for young readers and emerging scholars. With powerful illustrations by Jazzmen Lee-Johnson, this poignant work is an invaluable contribution to our shared history and culture.
Tickets:
Autographed Book: $20
The talk, admission is free ($0), but we do ask for everyone to register as space is limited.
Members, please make sure you login when securing your tickets!
For more information: call (313) 494-5800 or visit www.thewright.org
Author Bios:
Ibram X. Kendi is a National Book Award–winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include Antiracist Baby; Goodnight Racism; How to Be an Antiracist; and How to Raise an Antiracist. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. In 2020, Time magazine named Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He has also been awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship.
Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. She wrote four novels (Jonah’s Gourd Vine, 1934; Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937; Moses, Man of the Mountains, 1939; and Seraph on the Suwanee, 1948); two books of folklore (Mules and Men, 1935, and Every Tongue Got to Confess, 2001); a work of anthropological research, (Tell My Horse, 1938); an autobiography (Dust Tracks on a Road, 1942); an international bestselling nonfiction work (Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” 2018); and over fifty short stories, essays, and plays. She attended Howard University, Barnard College, and Columbia University and was a graduate of Barnard College in 1928. She was born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama, and grew up in Eatonville, Florida.
About the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History was founded in 1965 and is in the heart of Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center. The Wright Museum’s mission is to open minds and change lives through the exploration and celebration of African American history and culture. And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture — the museum’s 22,000 square foot, immersive core exhibit — is one of the largest, single exhibitions surveying the history of African Americans. The Wright Museum houses over 35,000 artifacts and archival materials and offers more than 300 public programs and events annually.
Media Contact
Kelly Miner, Marketing & Communications Manager
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
315 E. Warren Avenue, Michigan 48201
kminer@thewright.org or call 313.494.5865