The New Orleans Public Library’s REACH Center is hosting a variety of popup events while gearing up for a grand opening early next year.
This new initiative from the New Orleans Public Library will feature a community event and resource center, free co-working space, and public art gallery, located inside building C of the Corpus Christi Epiphany Church Community Center, 2022 St. Bernard Ave. Guided by a strong focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion, the REACH Center aims to be a thriving community center that empowers individuals and businesses to reach their full potential.
On Sept. 23, the REACH Center will host an African dancing and drumming workshop, led by N’Guvu’s director, Myiene. Myiene is a Guinea certified dance instructor, who will teach attendees about West African music, dance, and folklore. The hour-long class kicks off at 11 a.m. in the REACH Center gym.
On Sept. 30, local photographer CFreedom will be at the REACH Center to take professionally edited headshots for local entrepreneurs in the community. Spots are limited, please email aarc@nolalibrary.org to book a spot. Registration is required.
Photography sessions will be held on the 3rd floor of Corpus Christi Building C, in the REACH Center co-working space.
Attendees at both events will have the opportunity to win a $25 gift card, courtesy of the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library and Capital One Bank.
New Orleans Public Library
City Archives & Special Collections
The New Orleans Public Library’s City Archives & Special Collections will present a screening of John Richie’s “Iron Sharpens Iron,” at 1pm at Algiers Regional Library on Saturday, Sept. 23.
This event is part of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities “Currents” film series.
“Iron Sharpens Iron” is the story of the historically Black community of Ironton in Plaquemines Parish, which has found itself at the forefront of both coastal change and recent efforts to address it. This film captures this community’s fight against the development of the Plaquemines Liquids Terminal (PLT) atop land that includes their ancestral cemetery.
The two consulting producers on this film are Angela A. Allen-Bell, a B. K. Agnihotri Endowed Professor at Southern University Law Center, and coastal scientist Dr. Alex Kolker. They will lead a discussion on the impacts that coastal and minority communities experience at the hands of fossil fuel corporations in southern Louisiana
The Library will also stream this event live on Zoom. Visit nolalibrary.co/Iron-Sharpens-Iron to register for the virtual event.
This program is made possible through an LEH grant and the help of the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library.
On Oct. 7, local historian and genealogist Gaynell Brady will present the story of Louisiana African American soldier, Cary Clifford at Norman Mayer Library.
Born on a plantation Clifford was one of over 2.5 million African American men to enlist to fight in World War II. When he returned, he was a changed man.
Like many, Clifford was motivated to enlist by the Double V Campaign message that was printed in The Philadelphia Courier, as a way to elevate his family and escape sharecropping work on the plantation. In her presentation, Brady – Owner/Educator of Our Mammy’s – will use genealogy methods and oral history to explore Clifford’s life.
The Library will stream this event live via Zoom. Visit nolalibrary.co/Cary-Clifford to register.
This event is presented by the New Orleans Public Library’s City Archives and Special Collections department, located on the third floor of Main Library, 219 Loyola Ave. Visit archives.nolalibrary.org to learn about their resources, services, and materials.