BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//sebbo.net//ical-generator//EN NAME:DC Public Library X-WR-CALNAME:DC Public Library BEGIN:VEVENT UID:248c5071-08a0-45f2-a0e6-c85d57b926df SEQUENCE:0 DTSTAMP:20260721T220816Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251201T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251201T220000 SUMMARY:World AIDS Day: Come Together â€” Artâ€™s Power for Chan ge LOCATION:Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library\nMartin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Martin Luther King Jr. Mem orial Library - Central Library;X-APPLE-RADIUS=10;X-TITLE=Martin Luther Ki ng Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library:geo:38.8986823,-77.024871 GEO:38.8986823;-77.024871 DESCRIPTION:Join us as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the feature fi lm Dirty Laundry and the World Premiere of the new 20-minute short film Co me Together: Artâ€™s Power for Change..\nhttps://dclibrary.libnet.inf o/event/15097390 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

This special evening marks \;20 years since the release of the groundbreaking film \;Dirty Laund ry \;and unveils the new 30-minute short documentary&nbs p\;Come Together: Art&rsquo\;s Power for Change \;&mdash\; ch ronicling the film&rsquo\;s creation\, legacy\, and lasting social influen ce.

The program honors the late filmmaker \;Maurice Ja mal\, celebrates the enduring power of creative storytelling in t he fight against HIV stigma\, and brings together guests \;from the ar ts\, advocacy\, and civic communities for a night of reflection\, joy\, an d purpose.

World AIDS Day: Come Together &mdash\; Art& rsquo\;s Power for Change \;ho nors the intersection of \;art\, advocacy\, and activism\, reigniting the conversation on \;HIV awareness\, LGBTQ+ acceptance\, and creative storytelling as a tool for cultural transformation. \;Through film\, reflection\, and fellowship\, the evening recognizes how& nbsp\;Dirty Laundry \;helped open doors for Black queer repre sentation and continues to inspire healing and social progress two decades later.

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What to Expect:
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- 5:00 PM &ndash\; 6:00 PM | Doors Open
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- 6:00 PM &ndash \; 6:10 PM | Welcome Remarks
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- 6:00 PM &ndash\; 6 :30 PM | Short Documentary Premiere
Come Together: Art&r squo\;s Power for Change \;(20 min) &mdash\; a behind-the-scenes journey into \;Dirty Laundry&rsquo\;s creation and cultural resonance.
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- 6:30 PM &ndash\; 6:45 PM | Intermission
A udience reset\, and transition.
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- 6:45 PM &ndash\; 8:30 PM | 20th Anniversary Screening: \;Dirty Laundry
Full feature presentation celebrating the legacy of Maurice Jamal&rsquo\;s trailblazing film.
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- 8:30 PM &ndash\; 9:00 PM | Talkback: Stories That Heal
A conversation with the cast and producer s on storytelling\, stigma\, and social change featuring. Learn more about the Panelists below.
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For reasonable accommodations\, please c ontact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation\, please allow at least seven (7) days n otice.
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The Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coali tion (BLACC) powered by AHF
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The Black Leadership AIDS C risis Coalition (BLACC) is an affinity group of AIDS Heal thcare Foundation. The group was developed to create a coalition of Black-American cultural influencers and health advocates\, that through the use of innovative\, culturally relevant messaging and initiatives\, a re revolutionizing outreach to the Black American community and elevating the education and awareness of sexual health and wellness and bringing gre ater awareness to the social justice issues disproportionately impacting t he health and wellness of Black Americans. \;
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Marissa \;Mitchell is a five-time Emmy-winning news anchor at FOX 5 DC (WTTG-TV). \; She&rsquo\;s the ne twork&rsquo\;s main anchor on several number-one rated programs on "FOX 5 Morning" and "Good Day DC." \;Marissa \;is also the executive prod ucer and host of the weekly interview series "Motivation with \;Mariss a\," which celebrates people who have overcome incredible odds.
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Ma rissa \;has expansive experience in print\, broadcast and digital medi a. The Atlanta native has worked as an anchor and reporter at WAGA-TV in A tlanta\, WBMA-TV in Birmingham\, Alabama and WTVC-TV in Chattanooga\, Tenn essee. Her work has also been featured in major outlets and publications\, including BBC World News\, NBC Universal\, CNN and O\, The Oprah Magazine . Her first media jobs included working as a writer for \;Crossroa ds News \;in Decatur\, Georgia and traveling the country to cover the biggest stories in entertainment\, including the BET Awards and the E ssence Music Festival for \;RollingOut \;Magazine.
\nMarissa \;has covered major events across the nation\, including nat ural disasters\, elections and high-profile police investigations and prot ests. She has also interviewed newsmakers\, including media mogul Oprah Wi nfrey\, screen titan Clint Eastwood and world-renowned wellness guru Deepa k Chopra\, just to name a few.
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In August of 2023\, \;Marissa&n bsp\;executive-produced\, wrote\, booked and hosted a 30-minute news docum entary special on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington called & ldquo\;March on Washington: 60 Years Later.&rdquo\; That special\, not onl y aired on FOX 5 DC\, but on the nationally-syndicated\, interactive strea ming channel\, FOX Soul. It won the "Best Documentary" award in the top 15 market category from the National Association of Black Journalists. That was \;Marissa's second national award from the prestigious organizatio n.
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Marissa \;attended both Emory University in Atlanta \; and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston \, Illinois on full-tuition scholarships\, obtaining her bachelor&rsquo\;s and master&rsquo\;s degrees in political science and journalism\, respect ively. She also received a certificate in media management from the presti gious Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. \;Maris sa \;is enshrined in Emory University&rsquo\;s Hall of Fame and was na med &ldquo\;40 Under 40&rdquo\; among the school&rsquo\;s illustrious alum ni. She has won the Emmy for &ldquo\;Best Host&rdquo\; two years in a row in the DMV region. \;Marissa \;was honored by SpeakerCon in 2023 a s &ldquo\;News Anchor of the Year" and became one of Bethesda Magazine's " Women Who Inspire" in a special edition issue in 2024. \;
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Mari ssa \;has received numerous community awards throughout the years for her commitment to philanthropy and community service\, and is a member of the Washington Association of Black Journalists\, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Rho Mu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha So rority\, Incorporated in Washington D.C. She also sits on the Board of Gov ernors of the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Acad emy of Television Arts and Sciences. \;
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Marissa \;also spe aks to several youth\, women and nonprofit organizations on a regular basi s in an effort to inform\, entertain and inspire. She believes writing and speaking are the center of her calling and she gives back tremendously in every way she can.
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Nath an Hale Williams is the President and CEO of iN-Hale Medi a LLC\, a multifaceted creative services and media company\, wher e he continues to shape brands and tell stories that start with the heart. He is an Emmy®\;-nominated director\, writer\, and pr oducer\, a best-selling and award-winning author\, and a seasoned
ent ertainment attorney.
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Named a Bl ack Enterprise Magazine Modern Man of Excellence®\;\, a GLAAD Media Award®\; winner\, Best Picture winner at the American Black Film Festival\, a two-time NAACP Image Award®\; nominee\, and the recipient of the Thurgood Marshall Prestige Award for Excellence\, Nathan is a master storyteller across genres and platforms. His upcoming documen tary feature\, Come Together: Art&rsquo\;s Power for Change\, will premiere at the 2025 American Black Film Festiv al and is the first in an eight-part series exploring how art dri ves social progress. His Emmy®\;-nominated film All Boys Aren&rsquo \;t Blue&mdash\;currently streaming on Amazon Prime&mdash\;won two ~~Telly Awards\, an inaugural Anthem Award\, and earned Nathan recognition for his Outstanding Direction.~~

\nNathan is also an alum of Mara Brock Akil/Story27&r squo\;s prestigious Writer&rsquo\;s Colony\, where he developed his next f eature film\, Love Will Save the Day. His award-winning short\, 90 DAYS\, screened at over 40 festivals\, winning numerous awards including an African Movie Academy Award and Cann es Diversity Showcase &ndash\; Overall Winner. Other notable film and TV credits include Dirty Laundry (Fox)\, The Ski Trip (MTV)\, Blackbird (RLJ Entertainment)\, The Kimchi Chronic les (PBS)\, Girls Who Like Boys... (Sundance)\, and My M odel Looks Better Than Your Model(BET). Nathan also made history on S howtime&rsquo\;s The American Candidate as part of the first open ly gay Black couple on reality TV. In 2019\, he fulfilled a lifelong dream directing and producing live-action films for Sesame Street&rsquo\;s 49th season. His film BURDEN continues to serve as a powerfu l DEI tool for major organizations and law firms.
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Nathan is the author of five books\, including Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing Our World (Abrams)\; the award-winn ing novel Ladies Who Lunch &\; Love\; and What You Don&rsq uo\;t Know Is Hurting You: 4 Keys to a Phenomenal Career&mdash\;a #1 Amazon Best Seller. He&rsquo\;s also co-author of Tru e Diversity: Going Beyond the Pie Graph and contributed to For Colored Boy s Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Still Not Enough\, which won the American Library Association Stonewall Award. A former columnist for Essence\, \;Nathan has writ ten for Elle\, The Huffington Post\, The Root\, and Black Enterprise. Through his latest platform\, Creative T rippin&rsquo\;\, Nathan brings his passion for storytelling and creat ivity to a wider audience with a dynamic universe of content&mdash\;includ ing weekly Substack articles\, a YouTube channel\, and an upcoming podcast &mdash\;all designed to inspire creatives\, celebrate the power of art\, a nd demystify the creative process.
A Chicago native\, Nathan began pe rforming at age 8 and continued his classical training at the Univ ersity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earne d his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School\, where he served as president of the Student Bar Association and recei ved the GW Law Alumni Association Award for Outstanding S cholarship and Leadership. Nathan currently resides in Los Angeles and is a former board member of Outfest Los Angeles and a foundi ng board member of Emil Wilbekin&rsquo\;s Native Son.
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Terri J. Vaughn is the definition of multi-hyphenate magic. A three-time NAACP Ima ge Award
winner\, she broke out as America&rsquo\;s favorite homegirl\, Lovita Alizé\; Jenkins\, on The Steve Harvey Show &mdash\; and she&rsquo\;s been stealing scenes and stacking credits eve r since.
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From cult classics like Fr iday and Don&rsquo\;t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking your
Juice in the Hood\, to bold TV hits like Soul Food\, All of Us\, and Meet The Browns\, Terri has always brought heart\, humor\, and tons of charisma to the scree n. She&rsquo\;s given life to recurring characters on Ava DuVernay&rsquo\; s Cherish The Day\, BounceTV&rsquo\;s Johnson\, and HBO& rsquo\;s Insecure\, \;where her recurring guest role as Rose Cranberry\, was so memorable it spun off into the hit comedic podcast seri es\, We Stay Looking &mdash\; a Webby Award winner (x3!) produced by Issa Rae&rsquo\;s Raedio and TenderfootTV.
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In 2025\, Terri&rsquo\;s shaking up Netflix as Antoinette Dunkerson in Miss Governor &mdash\; the sharp\, satirical comedy series she co-created with Niya Palmer and enter tainment mogul Tyler Perry.
Behind the camera\, Terri is a force. She &rsquo\;s directed everything from soul-stirring dramas\, like Kingdom Business and courtroom dramas like Reasonable Doubt\, to la ugh-out-loud holiday hits\, like &lsquo\;Twas The Chaos Before Christm as\, Christmas Belles and even brought Hallmark its first-ev er \;Gracie Award with Unthinkably Good Things\, shot on loca tion in beautiful Rome\, Italy. Her signature? Real characters\, great vib es\, and stories that feel like home. Her directing credits span several p rojects for BET\, Paramount\, ABC Studios\, Disney\, Viacom\, and Hulu &mdash\;including the kid&rsquo\;s classic Bunk&rsquo\;d. She made her directorial debut with the self-produ ced indie hit #DigitalLivesMatter\, bringing together viral comedy stars l ike DC Young Fly and B. Simone for a modern-day Friday.
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As co-founder of Nina Holiday Entertainm ent\, Terri has produced over 16 projects with longtime
crea tive partner Cas Sigers. In 2025\, Terri branched off and launched TJV Enterprises &mdash\; debuting her original Netflix series Mi ss Governor and setting the stage for what&rsquo\;s next in her ever-
evolving creative empire.
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Crystal McCrary is an award-winning filmmaker\, producer\, author\, and entrepreneur. Sh e began her career practicing entertainment law with Paul Weiss. Since lea ving the firm\, she has published two New York Times best -selling novels and written the critically acclaimed non-fiction book INSPIRATION: Profiles of Black Women Changing the World. She also cre ated original programming for BET and Nickelodeon . \;
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In 2023\, Ms. McCrary\, along with her son Cole Anthony\, launched the youth sports tech platform GameUp\ , which is a resource to help families navigate the fragmented world of yo uth sports. \; \;
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Ms. McCrary received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her Juris Doctor from \;New York University.
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C urrently serving as National Director for Communications &\; Co mmunity Engagement for AIDS Healthcare Foundation\, the world&rsq uo\;s largest\, non-profit\, HIV/AIDS service and advocacy organization an d Chair\, Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition (BLACC)\ , W. Imara Canady\, referred to as the &ldquo\;all around go-to guy&rdquo\; by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution\, is a highly respected executive leader\, nationally known for building par tnerships and collaborations that have a sustainable community impact.
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Prior to his current role\, Imara served as the Area Development Dire ctor for the Atlanta Regional Office of the United Negro College F und (UNCF)\, where his portfolio included overseeing the communit y engagement and fundraising operations in South Carolina\, Georgia\, and Tennessee\, annually raising over $2.5 million dollars\, in support of the office&rsquo\;s multi-million dollar goal to achieve the organization&rsq uo\;s mission of assisting students to get to and through college. Prior t o UNCF\, he was Vice-President of Programming and Strateg ic Partnerships for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights\, where \, as part of the institution&rsquo\;s executive leadership team\, he crea ted and developed the Center&rsquo\;s national programmatic infrastructure and foundation. Known as a &ldquo\;connector and bridge-builder&rdquo\; h e worked with the national Board of Directors\, CEO and Executive Vice-Pre sident\, cultivating global relationships and building collaborations that connected the center&rsquo\;s vision and mission with a broad array of lo cal\, national and international cultural\, academic and community organiz ations and institutions\, that led to the successful execution of the inst itutions historic groundbreaking in June 2012 and the framework for the Ce nter&rsquo\;s current impactful programs and initiatives.
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Imara wa s raised in Atlanta\, Georgia\, graduated from Northside School of the Arts\, though spent most of his early academic years at Woodward Academy. He received an Associate&rsquo\;s Degree in Journalism from Atlanta Metropolitan College and a Bache lor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis on Public Relat ions and Broadcast Journalism from Georgia State University. Currently residing in the Grant Park community in the City of Atlanta\ , he is an active member of the Baha&rsquo\;i&rsquo\; Faith\, and lives hi s life in accordance to a quote from the Holy Writings which states &ldquo \;that service to humanity is like service to the Kingdom of God.&rdquo\;\n
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Known as the "Father of Black Gay Cinema"\, \;Patrik-Ian Polk \;made h is filmmaking debut in the year 2000 with \;Punks\, the first U.S. fil m centering Black gay characters. He went on to create the first Black gay TV series\, \;Noah&rsquo\;s Arc \;and its two feature fi lm follow-ups\, \;Noah&rsquo\;s Arc: Jumping the Broom \; and this year's \;Noah&rsquo\;s Arc: The Movie. Other credits include \;The Skinny \;starring Jussie Smollett and gay coming-of-age drama \;Blackbird \;starring Oscar-winner M o&rsquo\;Nique as well as acclaimed drama series \;Being Mary Jane \, \;The Chi \;and \;P-Valley.
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Polk's work has garnered him three GLAAD Awards\, two Independent S pirit Award nominations and one NAACP Image Award and seven nominations. P olk has received numerous lifetime achievement awards including the inaugu ral Lifetime Achievement Award at L.A.&rsquo\;s Outfest Fusion Film Festiv al and the Founder&rsquo\;s Award at the Pan-African Film Festival.
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The Hattiesburg\, Mississippi native attended film school at the U niversity of Southern Mississippi and graduate film school at the Universi ty of Southern California.
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\nhttps://dclibrary.libnet.info/eve nt/15097390 URL;VALUE=URI:https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/15097390 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/dclibrary/cometogetherfilm poster.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR