African Influences in the Caribbean: West Africa and Puerto Rico
Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda, Valencia College and the Puerto Rican Organization for the Performing Arts (PROPA) are partnering together to provide a series of panel discussions called “African Influence in the Caribbean.” During this fourth program, ethnographic and archival research and area expertise will inform a discussion on how West and Central African descendants have preserved a connection to the Mother Continent through dances in the Caribbean.
The Legacy of Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA in Florida
This talk will be in person. Free to the public. Please RSVP. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was one of FDR’s most wide-ranging, yet controversial programs. Many saw it as a ‘make work’ program which did not accomplish its goals – the acronym was derided as ‘We Piddle Around.’ The evidence indicates that the program was far more successful and, even today, Floridians enjoy the buildings and constructions created by
Valencia Voices: Oral Histories of Immigration in Osceola County
At its second venue at the Osceola County Welcome Center and History Museum, the “Voices of Immigration” is an exhibition designed and created by the Humanities Department at Valencia College-Osceola Campus. This exhibition is based on “Valencia Voices,” an oral history project started in 2018 that has been collecting interviews from local Valencia residents with a focus on the impact of immigration in Osceola County. The Osceola Historical Society will
Female Superheroes: What Are Their Real Powers?
This talk will be in person. Free to the public. Please RSVP. Join us for this talk about an examination of the perceptions of women in popular culture through comic books and how this culture has changed over time. Professor emeritus and avid comic collector, Magdalena Lamarre, will give an examination of the perceptions of women in popular culture through comic books and how this culture has changed over time.
African Influences in the Caribbean: Congo and Puerto Rico
Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda and Valencia College have partnered to provide a series of panel discussions called “African Influence in the Caribbean.” The March presentation is a deep dive into the history, background and rhythmic relationship between the African country Congo and the Caribbean island Puerto Rico. Eric Wright, Professor of Evolution of African American Culture and Music at Valencia College, will discuss the history behind how
FCV Book Club: The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of Oceans by Cynthia Barnett
Join the FCV Book Club for an online discussion with author Cynthia Barnett on her book The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans on February 24 at 6:00 p.m. ET. The event is free and open to everyone. Registration is required. A personalized Zoom link will be emailed to all registrants. Author Cynthia Barnett will cohost the FCV Book Club discussion on her newest book,
The Jim Crow Era
This talk will be in person. Free to the public. Please RSVP. Join us for this talk about how The Jim Crow era did more to create anti-black beliefs and feelings than slavery. Stereotypes created during the Jim Crow era are deeply embedded in the collective American consciousness and unfortunately have been internalized by many. This racial cultural conditioning of the American mind is the most destructive legacy of the
African Influences in the Caribbean: Genealogy
Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda and Valencia College are partnering together to provide a series of panel discussions called “African Influence in the Caribbean.” During this second panel discussion, the panel of experts will be discussing the Transatlantic Trade; Caribbean DNA research with a focus on Puerto Rican genealogy; and case studies of Folkloric practitioners. There will be musical demonstrations of Puerto Rican and African rhythms. For those
Respect: Soul Music and the Civil Rights Movement
Words, images and stirring music tell the story of the soul music that became the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement: Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Sam and Dave, James Brown, and Florida’s own Timmy Thomas (“Why Can’t We Live Together”). John Capouya, author and professor of journalism and non-fiction writing at the University of Tampa, will present. John Capouya is an author and professor of journalism and non-fiction writing at
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Comes to Life
Join us for a free presentation by Ersula Know-Odom as she introduces us to Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. Dr. Bethune (1875-1955) was the founder of Bethune-Cookman University. She served as a New Deal government official – in one of the 20 highest-level offices held by women in the administration, and the highest held by an African American woman; was founder of FDR’s “black cabinet;” served as president of the National