- Created on 19 February 2013
AUC's Woodruff Library Presents ‘An American Story’
The Atlanta University Center's Robert Woodruff Library\ will play host to the work of legendary photographer Charles "Teenie" Harris in its exhibit, "Teenie Harris, Photographer: An American Story."
The exhibit has been called a groundbreaking retrospective of the works of African American photographer who was born in 1908 and passed away in 1998. The exhibit, "Teenie Harris, Photographer, An American Story," runs through May 24 and is free and open to the public.
On loan from the Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Art, the exhibit features selections of Harris' most artistic and historically significant images. The exhibit is making its first appearance in the Southeast at the Robert W. Woodruff Library in sponsorship with PNC Bank. Harris' photographs — made in his studio and for the Pittsburgh Courier, a leading national black newspaper of the time — chronicle a vibrant black urban community during the Jim Crow and civil rights eras.
"He captured the poetry of everyday common experience, as well as the extraordinary people who shaped the 20th century," said a Woodruff Library spokesperson in a statement.
Complementing the exhibit is "Hill District Beat: A Tribute to Teenie Harris," which is a video gallery of Harris's work set to an original soundtrack. Also on display is the Trezzvant Anderson: Roving Reporter and the Jim Crow South, an archival exhibit with materials highlighting Anderson's career as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier.
In conjunction with the Teenie Harris exhibit, the AUC Woodruff Library is also hosting a series of programs that are free and open to the public.
For exhibit hours and directions to the Robert W. Woodruff Library, visit the library website at www.auctr.edu.
Photo: Archibald Hill (from left), market manager, community development for PNC Bank, and Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library CEO and Director Loretta Parham stand with photographer Teenie Harris' daughter, Cheryl Harris, and grandson Taun Henderson at the opening reception for the exhibit featuring the work of the long-time Pittsburgh Courier newspaper photographer.
- Created on 17 February 2013
Hammonds House Presents "Homecoming" Exhibition in Atlanta
The Hammonds House Museum will announce their partnership with the Auburn Avenue Research Library on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013 during its public opening reception of the "Homecoming: African American Family History in Georgia" exhibition—which will run until April 28.
The "Homecoming" exhibition, which began on Feb 3, is comprised of engaging African-American photography that captures a general view of the Black family through the lens of Black photographers.
The exhibition will profile photographs from the 1800's to the mid 1960's that account for moments that will resonate with patrons. Such familiar moments as birth, childhood, courtship, marriage and death can all be seen in the exhibit.
"This is a great pictorial on the African American family unit in Georgia before slavery, after slavery," said Hammonds House Administrative and Communications Manager Serena Garcia.
The fact that this is the first time this exhibition has been seen in more than 30 years—since it debuted at the Atlanta Public Library at its first "Homecoming" exhibition in 1982— "is reason the community should care about this event," noted Garcia.
In 1978 the African American Family History Association inspired most of the "Homecoming" exhibits that followed, as it was the first to give the history of Black families in Georgia which inadvertently promotes the same passion for the arts like the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds.
The Hammonds House, now converted into a museum, was the home of prominent Atlanta physician and arts lover Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds. Located at 503 Peeples St. SW Atl., the home was converted into a museum in 1988 and has since been a hub for African American art and exhibitions.
"To engage the public in the research and appreciation of the family history of a people whose heritage has generally been unrecognized," said the AAFHA as part of its goal when planning its exhibit in 1978.
Carole Merritt's follows that tradition when developing the "Homecoming" project.
"For African Americans, home has many meanings...bloodlines extend from African to America, and kinships survived slavery, oppression, war and migration," said Merritt, ethnographer and author of "Homecoming: African American Family History in Georgia."
Patrons are encouraged to share their copies of vintage photograph with the Hammonds House Museum.
For more information on the exhibition and Sunday's event, contact (404) 612-0481.
- Created on 11 February 2013
Fulton County Health and Human Services Departments Re-Open the Oak Hill Center
The Fulton County Departments of Health Services and Housing and Human Services held a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday to re-open the Oak Hill Child, Adolescent and Family Center located at 2805 Metropolitan Parkway after an extensive renovation. The center is part of the County's integrated care service delivery which supports the philosophy of providing integrated health services to the communities in which they are located.
Oak Hill will tackle issues such as childhood obesity, asthma and social-emotional issues. The facility will be staffed with health professionals who will provide behavioral health, youth employment services and nutrition education. The state-of-the-art facility has a teaching kitchen as a new addition designed to show children and parents how to prepare healthy meals for themselves and their families. A community garden, gymnasium and a walk/run track have also been included in the newly renovated facility.
Oak Hill is located on a 22-acre campus and is the fourth facility of its kind opened by the Board of Commissioners who have pledged to combat health disparities within the County.
Fulton County Chairman John Eaves said, "I have been a great promoter of Fulton County's Common Ground initiative and the re-opening of Oak Hill is a major milestone in our efforts to help young people access the resources necessary to become healthy, functioning adults. We will continue to support every effort to offer integrated, equitable health services to the families of Fulton County."
"The Oak Hill Child, Adolescent and Family Center is a place where children and youth get the opportunity to get a little help, a little hope and receive services from people who believe in them so that they can learn how to successfully face life's challenges," Commissioner Joan Garner said.
The ten-month renovation project was paid for by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds.
- Created on 15 February 2013
Obama Visits Decatur Early Childhood Learning Center
Fresh off his invigorating State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Obama visits metro Atlanta Thursday to amplify his strategies to create jobs and strengthen the nation's middle class.
"We have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and we can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is strong," Obama said in an hour-long address to a joint session of Congress and a television audience of millions.
Education figured in Obama's plans to boost American competitiveness in the global economy. In his speech he proposed that the federal government should help states provide pre-school for all 4-year-olds. Officials did not provide a cost for the pre-school programs but said the government would provide financial incentives to help states.
To underline this proposal, Obama visited the College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center in Decatur. College Heights offers early learning programs for infant, toddler, preschool, and pre-kindergarten students ''through a unique partnership with City Schools of Decatur, and Partners for Community Action Inc. (Head Start Program),'' according to its website. College Heights' website says the school serves 326 children.
A report from the AJC notes that the state was considered far ahead of its time two decades ago when it used lottery funds to launch
a statewide pre-kindergarten program. In recent years, though, flattening lottery revenues and increasing enrollment have forced the state to reduce pre-kindergarten schedules and increase class sizes.
"Our pre-k program is still a national example. But certainly we can do more to increase quality and access," said Mindy Binderman, the executive director of Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, an advocacy group. "We have to be sure we don't rest on our laurels."
Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, said the president's expected proposal has the potential to offer "a remarkable boost" to efforts to provide educational and economic opportunities for all.
"Well-designed preschool education programs could close the entire achievement gap between children from low- and high-income families at school entry and as much as half the gap permanently," Barnett said.
- Created on 09 February 2013
Atlanta Women Look for Education and Income in the Perfect Man
WhatsYourPrice.com, the world's largest dating-auction website, surveyed 1,317 Atlanta females in order to determine Atlanta's definition of "The Perfect Man" based on the following male qualities: Income, Education, Hair Color, Eye Color, Body Type, and Vice.
Female members were asked to rank the most important qualities in a man. The answers were then weighted accordingly when determining the overall value of "The Perfect Man." In Atlanta, women believed education was the most important quality, followed by income, body type, hair color, eye color, drinking, and smoking.
"In the online dating world, 'The Perfect Man' transcends superficial qualities such as looks and body type," says Brandon Wade, the CEO and founder of WhatsYourPrice.com. "Our study indicates that women look past profile pictures and also value certain intangibles when choosing a first date—success, intelligence, and social habits."
The following qualities were weighted by importance and based on the responses of 1,317 Atlanta female members. The percentages indicate the likelihood of a first date with a woman from Atlanta. The more a man matches the most desirable qualities, the more likely a woman will date him.
The Perfect Man (% Chance for First Date)
1.) Education (27 Percent): Bachelor's Degree
2.) Income (24 Percent): $75,000 to $100,000
3.) Body Type (23 Percent): Athletic
4.) Hair Color (12 Percent): Black Hair
5.) Eye Color (11 Percent): Brown Eyes
6.) Drinking (2 Percent): Social Drinker
7.) Smoking (1 Percent): Non-Smoker
Based on the results of this study, Atlanta's perception of "The Perfect Man" earns $75,000 to $100,000 a year, obtained a Bachelor's Degree, has black hair with brown eyes, an athletic build, and is a social drinker who doesn't smoke.
