Book Look - Award-winning actress and author Denise Nicholas will autograph copies of her best-selling novel, Freshwater Road, on Monday at 6:30 p.m., at Wal-Mart, 2500 W. 95th St. (near Western Ave.) in Evergreen Park and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kmart, 17550 S. Halsted in south suburban Homewood. Freedom Road, which focuses on what life was like during the Civil Rights Movement, is a wonderfully written and moving story about a 19-year-old young woman’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and her journey towards self-discovery.
During the summer of 1964, University of Michigan sophomore, Celeste Tyree, leaves the comforts of her middle-class life and travels to Mississippi to volunteer her efforts in Freedom Summer. She ends up helping voters register in the small town of Pineyville, best known for a notorious lynching that occurred only a few years earlier and received national attention. As the long, hot summer unfolds, Celeste befriends several members of the community who watch her develop into a powerful, strong young woman. Yet, there are those who are threatened by Celeste and fear the change she represents. Through her work, she finds inner strength as she helps lift the veil of oppression and learns valuable lessons about race, social change and violence. All the while, Celeste struggles with loneliness, a worried father in Detroit and her deep feelings for Ed Jolivette, a young man also in Mississippi for the summer. Sensitively written and refreshingly honest, Nicholas is a brave new voice in fiction and has received many awards and accolades for this novel. The Washington Post called Freshwater Road “surely the best work of fiction about the Civil Rights Movement since Ernest J. Gaines’ The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.”
Retirement Sunday - Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., who has served as the revered senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ for the past 36 years, will preach his final sermons before retirement on Sunday during the 7:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. worship services. In addition, following the 11 a.m. service, Wright will conduct Trinity’s annual Black History Month lecture at 2:30 p.m. During Wright’s pastorate, the membership at TUCC has grown from 87 members to over 8,000. TUCC’s new pastor is Rev. Otis Moss III, former pastor of the historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga. He received his B.A., in Religion and Philosophy from Morehouse College and continued graduate work at Yale University and was awarded the FTE Benjamin Elijah Mays Scholarship in Religion and the Yale University Magee Fellowship. A “preacher’s kid,” his dad is Rev. Otis Moss Jr., pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland and former president of the board of directors of Operation PUSH.
Heritage Sunday – Rev. Patrick L. Daymond, pastor of Sixth Grace Presbyterian Church, 600 E. 35th St. (at Cottage Grove), and his faithful congregants will present “A Tribute to African American History” on Sunday, from 2 p.m.–5 p.m. The tribute, themed Katrina: Restoring the Hope & Culture of a Community, will recognize the ongoing, positive transformation and restoration efforts to the historic New Orleans and Gulf sections by individuals, agencies and faith-based organizations. The afternoon will also feature exhibits, musical entertainment and regional cuisine. And we’re all invited! For Openers!
Award-winning playwright Marylene Whitehead’s "This Far By Faith" opened Thursday on the Mainstage at eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. The power of faith and family commitment drive this delightful musical about a minister, his job and his R&B artist son. It’s directed by Runako Jahi with music score by Rufus Hill. General admission is $30, and performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, at 8 p.m., and Sundays, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The “2 for 1” tickets, made possible by ComEd, are available for Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Student, senior and group discounts are available by calling (773) 752-3955.
Also opening on Thursday at eta Square was a gallery exhibit featuring artist Joyan Tang, a painter with an eye for beautiful flowers. Tang has won numerous awards including the 57th Street Art Fair’s “Best of Show Newcomer Award 2005.” The eta gallery is open free during regular business hours.
Music Monday - Vocalist Julia Huff takes center stage at tea’s monthly “Music Monday,” from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Huff “sings hard and plays everything” from R&B and soul to jazz and pop with a powerful, earthy voice and dynamic presence. Emcees: Sue Conway and Cliff Kelley. Admission: $15; $12 for groups of 10 or more.
Whazup! Whazup! – Macy’s and Gallery Guichard host “Living in Color,” the Stephen S. Mitchell Collection in honor of Black History Month on Saturday at Macy’s on State Street, the seventh floor. The VIP reception is from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. The collection highlights a number of noted artists, including Andre Guichard, Debra Hand, Dr. Margaret Goss Burroughs, Annie Lee, Floyd Atkins, Marva Pitchford, Jolly, Sylvester Britton, Jason E. Jones, Dale Washington, Gus Nall, Robert Johnson, Allen Stringfellow, Mary Reed Daniel, Ted Ellis and so many, many more!
Black World AIDS Day –A fave popular Chicago vocalist, Terisa Griffin, and Kevin Vasser, gospel singer, perform tonight, 8 p.m., at the Grand Ballroom, 6351 S. Cottage Grove, for Jo-Ray House, a community- based nonprofit organization that provides a wide array of services to individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS.
“Parallel Lines Collide” is a black tie affair celebrating Black World AIDS Day.
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