Registration underway for Black Caucus of the American Library Association's 7th National Conference of African American Librarians in Birmingham, Ala.
Contact: Miguel Figueroa
Director, Office for Diversity
312-280-5295
NEWS
For Immediate Release
March 4, 2010
CHICAGO - Registration is underway for the 7th National Conference of African American Librarians, hosted by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, to be held August 4–8,2010 at the Sheraton Conference Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The theme is "Bridging the Divide with Information Access, Activism, and Advocacy."
Dr. Terrence Roberts, a member of the Little Rock Nine who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957, will serve as opening session speaker. He is the author of “Lessons from Little Rock” (Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, 2009) that details his childhood in the segregated south and “Simple, Not Easy: Reflections on Community, Social Responsibility, and Tolerance” (Parkhurst Brothers, 2010). Roberts and his fellow Central High students received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1958 and the Congressional Gold Medal, the U.S.’s highest civilian honor in 1999. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show, the Newshour, the Tavis Smiley Show and on the BBC, among others.
A frequent speaker on civil rights and diversity and a regular speaker at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, he is CEO of Terrence J. Roberts and Associates, a management consultant firm devoted to fair and equitable practices. Roberts received a bachelor’s degree from California State University at Los Angeles, a master’s degree in social work from the University of California at Los Angeles and a doctorate in psychology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
Comedienne Kim Wayans, of the Wayans comedy family, and her husband, Kevin Knotts, authors of the children’s book “All Mixed Up! (Amy Hodgepodge, No. 1),” published by Grosset and Dunlap, 2008, one in a series of Amy Hodgepodge novels, will speak at one of the author luncheons.
Born and raised in New York City, in the borough of Manhattan, Wayans headed to Hollywood after graduating from Wesleyan University with honors. After a brief stint as an office temp, she started hitting the local clubs to do stand-up comedy, which led her to booking acting gigs in television and film. In the 1990’s, Wayans starred in the ground-breaking sketch-comedy show “In Living Color,” along with her four brothers: Keenan, Damon, Shawn and Marlon Wayans. When the show ended its last season, she co-starred in the sitcom “In the House” with L.L. Cool J, and was featured in the film “Juwanna Mann” She left acting to become a writer/producer/director for the ABC hit family comedy “My Wife and Kids.”
Knotts was born and raised in Oklahoma, graduated from the University of Oklahoma and received a master’s degree in business administration from Central Oklahoma University. After a brief stint working in the oil and gas business, he moved to Newport Beach, Calif., to sell commercial real estate. Knotts later moved to Los Angeles and guest starred on such popular shows as “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “My Wife and Kids” He became a writer for “My Wife and Kids” and continues to write; penning three screenplays—one with his wife and writing partner Kim Wayans.
A variety of activities are planned for the conference, including walking and bus tours through historic Birmingham and an old-fashioned ice cream social at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Preconferences are planned for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. The John Tyson Memorial Lecture will officially launch the conference Thursday afternoon followed by the Exhibitors Reception. A film screening, author luncheons, workshops and poster sessions on multicultural library service, marketing, community activism and advocacy will also take place.
Birmingham Public Library will host the official welcome reception on Friday evening featuring a special exhibition of Alabama arts and crafts, cuisine, and entertainment. There will be a tour of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute followed by the BCALA President’s Gala and Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening.
For more information and to register, visit bcala.org, and click on "Culture Keeper VII Conference Information." Early-bird registration ends April 30 and advance registration ends July 5. Special rates apply for BCALA members, ALA ethnic caucus members, students, and retirees.
