To celebrate Native American Heritage Mont h\, join us for an insightful musical storytelling presentation by Mwalim "DaPhunkee Professor" that \;explores the cross pollinations of Africa n and First Nations people that are at the core of American culture.
\nBorn Morgan James Peters\, Mwalim "DaPhunkee Professor\," is a celebrat ed artist\, educator\, and scholar known for his mastery of the oral tradi tion. His diverse body of work spans music\, literature\, theater\, film\, and multimedia installations\, earning him acclaim as a multi-award-winni ng composer\, musician\, playwright\, and educator. Mwalim's storytelling brilliance is rooted in his West Indian/Bajan (Barbados) and Mashpee Wampa noag heritage.
\nA nationally recognized Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Edu cator/Lecturer\, Mwalim is a founding member of his tribe&rsquo\;s Educati onal Department and is a trained Parent&rsquo\;s Advocate in Special Educa tion and was appointed to the advisory board for Special Education of the Bureau of Indian Education by the Secretary of the Interior in 2011. He is also one of the only living authorities on the &lsquo\;Ahaneenun&rsquo\; (sacred clown) tradition of the Wampanoag people.
\nRaised in both B ronx\, NY\, and Mashpee\, MA\, he is a mixed-genre artist performing soul\ , nu jazz\, afro house\, and funk\, and is considered the 'Godfather of So uthcoast Thump &\; Soul.' Mwalim entered the music industry in the mid- 1980s and gained international recognition with his single "Her Groove" an d subsequent releases. He has performed with notable artists like The Four Tops and Dizzy Gillespie\, and won numerous awards\, including multiple N ew England Urban Music Awards and a Silver Arrow Award. As a member of The GroovaLottos\, he&rsquo\;s received six Grammy nominations. An accomplish ed playwright and novelist\, his first novel "LAND of the BLACK SQUIRRELS" was published in 2020.
\nAs an educator\, Mwalim has over 30 years of experience teaching theater\, language arts\, and music to students of all ages. His teaching venues have included schools\, community centers\, colleges\, festivals\, and even street corners\, illustrating his dedicati on to bringing the arts to diverse audiences. His academic career is disti nguished by his role as a tenured Associate Professor of English and Black Studies at UMass Dartmouth\, where he has also served as Director of Blac k Studies.
\nRegistration required.
\nThis Contemporary Conver sations program is co-sponsored by Friends of the Library\, Montgomery Cou nty (FOLMC)\, Montgomery County Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ)\, Montgomery County Office of Human Rights (OHR)\, Montgomery Cou nty Office of Community Partnerships (OCP) and Classrooms 2 Community (C2C ).
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\n\nAccommodation Requests
\nPeople who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request \ ;English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation \;at least five days before the library-sponsored progra m they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.
\ncm 1.1 01/03/2023
\nhttps://mcpl.libnet.info/event/11784352 URL;VALUE=URI:https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/11784352 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR