Cotton Club Comes to AARLCC

African-American Research Library and Cultural Center Timeline: 1997 - 2007
5th Anniversary Celebration

1997 – 2001

• News conference on African-American Research Library
  and Cultural Center.
• Broward County commits $5 million to project.
• 1st fundraiser @ MOA by Jonathan Green.
• Donation of $1 million from Mr. Wayne Huizenga.
• Groundbreaking Ceremony - October 23, 1999.

2002

• October 26 Grand Opening Dedication.
   
• “No Dream Too Large” for Samuel F. Morrison and Broward County.
• Ashanti Cultural Arts Dance Class (every Wednesday evening) - Ashanti Cultural Arts, Inc. partners with the Friends of AARLLC to offer weekly, low-cost modern-dance classes to county residents.
• North Broward County Links.
• Nan Knox Boys and Girls Club.
• Gift from Ebohon at Library opening - Nigerian High Priest Osemwegie Ebohon honors the library with seven gifts from the Kingdom of Benin. The gifts were presented to seven elders in Fort Lauderdale. Many were included in the Exhibit “Benin: A Kingdom in Bronze” in October 2005.
  

2003

• Buffalo Soldiers Theatre IV from Cincinnati, Ohio, presents a two-act play honoring the Buffalo Soldiers based on the life of Hones Morgan, who in 1990 was revealed living in poverty at the age of 109.
• Phylicia Rashaad – Black History Month - Actress Phylicia Rashaad reads from the works of famed-Harlem Renaissance-writer Zora Neale Hurston to an overflow crowd of customers in the auditorium and seminar rooms of the Library.
• Sudarkasa scholarly series, “Bridging Great Divides” - Former-Lincoln University president and native daughter of Fort Lauderdale, Niara Sudarkasa organizes and moderates a series of lecture presentations that include world-renown scholars such as Ali Mazuri and Ivan VanSertima.
• Tim and Daphne Reid – Premier of films Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored and For Real - Actor Tim Reid and his wife Daphne premier For Real, a motion picture directed by Reid and produced at his film company, and include a viewing of the film Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored, starring Reid.
• Retired-Congresswoman Carrie Meeks - The library presents a Lifetime Achievement Award to Congresswoman Carrie Meeks.
  
• James Porter Collection Exhibit - More than 100 paintings and drawings featured in the 5,000-square-foot gallery by the acclaimed artist called the “Father of African-American Art History.”
• Jubilee Dance Theatre (children’s dance class every Tuesday) - Jubilee Dance Theatre, under the direction of former-Alvin Aley dancer and Fort Lauderdale-native Lucretia Welters, partners with the Friends of AARLCC to offer low-cost, ballet and modern-dance classes to tots, teens, and adults every Tuesday.

2004

• Juan Williams - 50th Anniversary of Brown vs Topeka - National Public Radio-commentary Juan Williams presents a lecture on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling “Brown vs the School Board of Topeka” that called for the end of segregation.
• Hillary Clinton attends Hip Hop Get Out the Vote, speaking to an overflow crowd on the grounds of the AARLCC.
• Victor Ekpuk Exhibit - Contemporary African Visual Artist Victor Ekpuk displays his dazzling oil paintings that use ancient African writing symbols that have been used by secret societies for hundreds of years. Exhibit curated by Ancestral Legacies, Inc.
• Chicago Black Golfers donate $5,000 - SunBird Golfers organizes a lobby exhibit on the history of black golfers, hosts a presentation as part of the Florida-Chicago Connection Golf Tournament, and donates $5,000 to support the AARLCC.
• Ben Oyandiran Exhibit - African artist and Yoruba High Priest Ben Oyandiran is featured in an exhibit that includes his hand sculptured and painted divination boards.
  
• Income tax-preparation assistance is offered to all.
• Play by Tony Thompson, Just Us – From Bean Pickers to President - Metropolitan Theater Company-president Tony Thompson writes, directs, and performs a play on the history of African American pioneers in Fort Lauderdale
• Broward County Early Voting location.

2005

• Florida Highwaymen - Audubon features five original Florida Highwaymen painters and several of their offspring in an exhibit and workshops that speak on the importance of the Everglades and the North Fork of the New River. The five artists collaborated on an original painting, “Shrine on the New River” that features the Sweeting Estate Shrine.
  
• Painters of North Haiti - More than 100 works of art from painters in North Haiti are featured in an exhibit organized by Twin Cities and Legrace Benson, consultant.
  
• 3rd Anniversary – “Benin: A Kingdom of Bronze” - The history and artistry of Benin are depicted in works of bronze.

2006

• Nicole Yarling - Nationally renown jazz musician and vocalist Nicole Yarling organizes a tribute to Hip Hop culture and its relationship to the history of African-American music.
• Tuskeegee Airmen - The Fort Lauderdale Air and Sea Show honors living legends from the Tuskeegee “Red Tail” airmen.
  
• Eddie Daniels - South African Liberation-activist Eddie Daniels wows the audience with his firsthand presentation on the struggle for the end of apartheid and his friendship with Nelson Mandela during and after their imprisonment.
  
• Esther Rolle Collection and Exhibit - Emmy Award-winner, Pompano-native Esther Rolle is honored in an exhibit of her artifacts donated by her family.
  
• One-millionth person visited AARLCC during Black History Month.
• Negro Baseball League Hall of Fame - Negro Baseball League Hall of Fame loans its exhibit “Buck: Right on Time” that features legendary Negro League-player Buck O’Neil. The exhibit was a part of the Library’s annual tribute to the Negro Baseball League.
   

2007

• Ancestral Legacies “South Africa Rises” Colors & Textures - A stunning array of artifacts from South Africa are exhibited by Ancestral Legacies Inc. The exhibition includes a simulation of a traditional hut, fabrics, beadwork, ceramics and more.
  
• Betty’s Soul Food Restaurant 30th Year Anniversary Celebration.
• Jubilate Chorus “Seasons of Excellence” - The Friends of the African-American Research Library hosts its first four-part season of cultural events, including Miami vocal-ensemble Jubilate, two plays (Mahilia and Moms Mabley at the Apollo) by the M Ensemble theatre troupe, and an African dance and drumming concert by Le BalletIvoire Spectacle.