Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier star in the 1972 film “Buck and the Preacher,” which will be screened at the library.
The award-winning daylong “When Tribes Meet: The History of Black Native Americans” program is organized by youth services specialists Veronica Winley and Mia Buggs.
Winley works at the Scott Candler Library and Buggs works at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown branch where the program will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“When Tribes Meet: The History of Black Native Americans” won the 2012 Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff Creative Outreach Grant at Kent State University.
The $1,000 grant is helping fund the event.
Winley said she hopes people leave the event with an appreciation of the connections between African-Americans and Native Americans.
“I just hope they can get fascinated,” she said. “People need to know that there was a cooperative effort between African-Americans and Native Americans. A lot of our culture has been influenced in some way by Native Americans.”
In the meantime, interested people are encouraged to loan relevant artifacts such as baskets or family pictures for display at the event, and volunteers are encouraged to help out on the day of the program.
The organizers have planned a series of events including book discussions, food-tasting, cultural dancers, a movie and crafts.
Two hours of the event will be devoted to a screening of the 1972 film “Buck and the Preacher,” starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Harry Belafonte. The movie follows a group of former slaves traveling to the West at the end of the Civil War who meet up with Native Americans along the way.
Also at the event, Buggs will do a book discussion with youth on a book written by Virginia Hamilton called “Arilla Sundown.”
The book explores the identity crisis of 12-year-old Arilla Adams, who is part African-American and part Native American.
Winley will conduct book discussions with adults, using the following titles:
• “Proudly Red and Black: Stories of African and Native Americans” by William Loren Katz and Paula A. Franklin.
• “Our Land Before We Die: The Proud Story of the Seminole Negro” by Jeff Guinn.
• “Black Indian Genealogy Research: African-American Ancestors Among the Five Civilized Tribes” by Angela Walton-Raji.
Walton-Raji used government documents to trace her ancestors to slaves owned by Native Americans. Read more about her at http://www.african-nativeamerican.com
/news.html.
The Wesley Chapel Library is at 2861 Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur.
To volunteer for the library program or for more information, call Winley at 404-286-6986 or Buggs at 404-286-6980.
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