Actress Daphne Reid to Highlight Black History Month Activities at University of Richmond

January 17, 2003

An appearance by actress Daphne Maxwell Reid, a performance of a play about an imaginary meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and an exhibit that pays tribute to black actors, actresses and authors will highlight Black History Month at the University of Richmond, beginning Jan. 19. All events are free and open to the public.

Reid, who along with her husband Tim founded the New Millennium Studios in Petersburg, is best known for her role as Aunt Viv on the NBC hit comedy "The Fresh Prince of Belair." She will be featured in "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants," a university series that honors contemporary black leaders, at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5 in the North Court Reception Room. She will talk and answer questions about her career.

"The Meeting" by Jeff Stetson will be performed at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 in the Tyler Haynes Commons. The one-act play dramatizes an imagined 1965 meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X in Harlem one week before Malcolm X's assassination and compares their approaches to justice and equality.

The African American Cinema Gallery, as part of its national tour, will give a multimedia presentation from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 3-4 in the Tyler Hayes Commons. The exhibit includes tributes to African American films and drama series and African American actors and actresses. It also includes essays, posters and books.

Deborah Jewell-Sherman, superintendent of Richmond Public Schools, will be guest speaker at Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday services at 11 a.m. on Jan. 19 in Cannon Memorial Chapel.

As part of the Jan. 20 MLK Jr. celebration, Dr. King's sermons, taken from the collection "A Knock at Midnight" and accompanied by a slide presentation, will play on the chapel sound system throughout the day. A march will begin at Stern Plaza at 12:25 p.m., followed by a 12:45 p.m reading of the March on Washington speech by student Jennell Whitfield. UMOJA Gospel Choir also will perform. At 6 p.m., Choeur du Roi, the university's co-ed a capella group will perform at a candlelight vigil around Westhampton Lake.

Other events include:

Jan. 27, 7-8 p.m. "Jazz Poetry Cafe." Open mike for student poets and musicians. Keller Hall Reception Room.
Feb. 6, 8-11 p.m. "The Souls of Black Folks Shining Through the Generations: Talent Showcase." The Cellar.
Feb. 10, 4-5 p.m. "Equal and Opposite Reactions: Women in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the Growth of Feminism" featuring Megan Maxwell. Room 201, Tyler Haynes Commons.
Feb. 11, 12:30-1:30 p.m. "First Soloist of Jazz: Louis Armstong." Music professor Gene Anderson will discuss his research on Armstrong. Room 201, Tyler Haynes Commons.
Feb. 21, 9-11 p.m. "The Soulful Sounds of Black Rhythm and Jazz" featuring the V.A. Players. The Cellar.
Feb. 23, 11 a.m. Bishop Walter F. Sullivan. Cannon Memorial Chapel
Feb. 24, 7-8:30 p.m. "Religious Diversity in America" featuring Harvard theologian Diana Eck. Cannon Memorial Chapel.