Learn past, present, future of HBCUs at Cheyney doc screening
THORNBURY » Cheyney University of Pennsylvania hosts an exclusive screening of the documentary film “Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities” at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12. Cheyney, the nation’s first HBCU, partners with public media provider WHYY and Firelight Media, the film’s production company, to host the event in the campus’ Marian Anderson Music Center.
Written, directed and produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson and produced by Firelight Films, “Tell Them We Are Rising” examines the impact HBCUs have had on American history, culture and national identity. The 90-minute film begins with the earliest attempts at education and spans to today’s campuses. Immediately following the screening, Cheyney holds a panel discussion to further engage with viewers.
The film is also the centerpiece of a yearlong multiplatform effort, HBCU Rising, that celebrates and examines HBCUs through partnerships with national organizations, exclusive events, video shorts and an HBCU campus tour.
Filmmaker Stanley Nelson is renowned for examining the history and experiences of African Americans. He has directed and produced over 12 documentary features, including “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” “Freedom Riders,” “Freedom Summer” and “The Murder of Emmett Till.” “Tell Them We Are Rising” is Nelson’s most recent film and premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim.
Nelson is also the cofounder of Firelight Media, a non-profit production company dedicated to advance contemporary social justice causes via the use of historical film, and mentoring, inspiring and training a new generation of diverse young filmmakers committed to advancing underrepresented stories. The screening event is free and open to the public. To register, search “Tell Them We Are Rising” at www.eventbrite.com and select the event at Cheyney.
For information, contact Thomas Nixon, director of Residence Life & Housing, at tnixon@cheyney. edu. Stay connected with up-to-the-minute screening announcements by following @cheyneyuniv on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Nominate now for women’s awards
MEDIA » In honor of Women’s History Month, the Delaware County Women’s Commission recognizes women who have profoundly influenced women and girls in the county and seeking nominations for two awards.
Every year, the National Women’s History Project — the organization that successfully lobbied Congress for the creation of Women’s History Month — offers a premise to base these honors. The theme for 2018 is “Nevertheless She Persisted: Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.” The commission celebrates women of Delaware County who represent the 2018 theme in honor of Women’s History Month.
The commission is seeking nominations from the community in one of two categories: The Woman of Achievement Award and the Hall of Fame Award. The Woman of Achievement Award is offered to an extraordinary person whose daily interactions and activities work in a positive way to end discrimination against woman and girls in Delaware County. The Hall of Fame Award is offered to a woman who has passed, but whose actions have continued a legacy that extends beyond her lifetime.
Once nominations are received, candidates are considered, the nominees announced, and an awards celebration held on March 21.
For award criteria and to submit a nomination form, visit www.co.delaware.pa.us/womencom. The deadline for nomination submissions is Thursday, Jan. 25.
Register for host family program
MARPLE » Life Sharing Through Family Living, a Catholic Social Services program, seeks paid providers in Delaware County to share their homes with persons with intellectual disabilities. Providers can be single persons or married couples living in homes or apartments. Once successfully matched, providers receive payment plus tax free income for expenses.
Deadline to enroll as a provider is Jan. 31. For information, call Catholic Social Services at 610-5447813.
See Delco trades exhibit
CHESTER » The building trades of Delaware County showcase their history in a new exhibit at the Delaware County Historical Society Museum, Library & Research Center, 408 Avenue of the States. The exhibit features the charity and pro bono work performed by the Delaware County Building Trades over the last several years in Delaware County.
At the opening, apprenticeship and training directors and instructors explain the nature of the work of each respective trade and its importance in the construction of several prominent Delco projects, such as the Talen Energy soccer stadium, the Sun Center movie studio, Episcopal Academy, and Harrah’s Casino.
Photographs, news articles and listings of these many community volunteer projects that the trades have engaged in over the years are on display at the museum, as well as tools, models, clothing and other wars and artifacts showing each trade’s specific set of skills and work.
The Building Trades consist of the operating engineers, laborers, carpenters, plumbers, steamfitters, bricklayers, electricians, iron workers, sheet metal workers, painters, dry wall finishers, roofers, teamsters, sprinkler fitters, insulators, elevator constructors, boilermakers, plasters and cement masons.
After the opening, the exhibit is on view for the public from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; 1-6:30 p.m. Thursdays; and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. For information, call the museum at 610-872-0502. Parking is free on the society lot behind the building or across the street in the municipal lot.
Founded in 1895, the Delaware County Historical Society preserves, protects and documents the artifacts, history and traditions of Delaware County.
Through its Passport to History and Veterans Education programs, more than 7,000 elementary, middle and high school students learn about the military, veterans, the country’s founding and more than 60 historically significant sites in Delaware County for free.
The society also operates and maintains the DCHS Museum, Library & Research Center in Chester, where thousands of artifacts dating back to the Revolutionary period are housed.