Chickadee: J Read The Artist Sings His Book! (Ages 3-6)
Sunday, Apr. 12, 4 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Local Musician J Read The Artist reads (sings!) his picture book Chickadee to young children. He’ll talk about the history of the violin and classical music and share his wonderful story. J Read is a singer, violinist and community activist and emcee based in Newark. Registration recommended for reminders.

A Night of Jazz with the Bradford Hayes Quartet
Thursday, Apr. 16, 6:30 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

The Bradford Hayes Quartet featuring Bradford Hayes on Saxophone, Michael Cochrane on Piano, Takashi Otsuka on Bass and Joe Brown, Jr. on Drums will perform a set of originals and classic jazz hits.

African Dance for Beginners
Thursdays, Apr. 23–May 15, 6:30 p.m.
DiRasa House of Diversified Arts

Join us for our all-new African Dance Workshop, an exciting opportunity to move, connect, and celebrate culture in a setting open to dancers of all levels. Karen Miles of Zawadi African Dance will teach Dansa, a vibrant traditional dance of the Malinké people from Upper Guinea.

The Iconic Contralto: Marian Anderson
Thursday, May 14, 6:15 p.m.
Online

Professor Gayle Murchison will lead a deep dive into the life, music and activism of Marian Anderson. The celebrated American singer and a pivotal civil rights figure broke racial barriers in classical music, famously singing at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 after being denied a venue. She was the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.

My Lord, What a Night! Outing
Sunday, May 17, 2 p.m.
George Street Playhouse

Join our outing for discounted tickets to a performance of an acclaimed play by Deborah Brevoort dramatizing the friendship between famed singer Marian Anderson and Albert Einstein at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.

North Star Codes: Heroes and Symbols of the Underground Railroad (Ages 6-11)
Tuesday, Jun. 16, 4 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Learn about the symbols and meanings hidden in music and folk art used by the heroic “conductors” of the railroad. Listen to readings of “Freedom River” by Doreen Rappaport, “Follow the Drinking Gourd” by Jeanette Winter, and other books about the underground railroad. We’ll also learn about the secret map song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” and make a north star paper quilt block. Registration required.

RuWriting History: The Social Impact of RuPaul’s Drag Race
Thursday, Jun. 18, 6:15 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

This illustrated talk and discussion by drag historian Joe E. Jeffreys will offer an in-depth look at how RuPaul’s Drag Race revolutionized the way drag is consumed, appreciated and sponsored in the 21st century.

Enjoy the New Studio Museum of Harlem, Soul Food Dinner and Gospel Concert
Wednesday, Jun. 17, 12:15 p.m.
Bus Trip

Join us for a visit to the remarkable new Studio Museum of Harlem, taking a docent tour of two new exhibitions of exciting emerging artists. Registration deadline: May 18. 

Open Book, Open Mind; Nicholas Boggs, “Baldwin: A Love Story”
Sunday, Mar. 8, 4–6 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Author Nicholas Boggs will be talking about his instant New York Times bestseller, “Baldwin: A Love Story,” with Rachel Swarns (“The 272”), an associate professor at NYU’s journalism school.

Harriet (2019) Screening
Thursday, Mar. 5, 5 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Join us for a screening of 2019 film Harriet (PG-13) which tells incredible true story of one of America’s greatest heroes, Harriet Tubman played by actress Cynthia Erivo. From her escape from slavery to the dangerous missions she led, setting free hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad.

“Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius)” Screening and Discussion
Monday, Mar. 2, 5–7:30 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Join us for a screening of Questlove’s 2025 Emmy-nominated documentary on the life and musical legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, followed by a panel discussion led by MSU Associate Dean Dr. Leslie Wilson.

Swahili Storytime with Sabina Wasonga-Gitau (Ages 5-12)
Sunday, Mar. 1, 3–3:45 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Learn words in Swahili and listen to bilingual Swahili tales. Storyteller Sabina Wasonga-Gitau is a native Swahili speaker who has taught children in many countries, and at Nishuane’s PTA Explorers program in Montclair where she lives with her family. She has performed at the UN during the World Kiswahili Day and at the Montclair Literary Festival. 

Unsung Black Artists of Antebellum Era
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 6:15–7:45 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Despite the trauma of enslavement, racism and segregation African American artists had their own forms of art. Join Onnie Strother to explore how Black artists before Emancipation created, pottery, quilts, paintings and photographs, which forged a tradition of creativity and excellence for future generations to follow. Among others, we’ll address Augustus Washington and Joshua Johnson.

Open Book, Open Mind: A’Lelia Bundles, “Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance.”
Saturday, Feb. 21, 4–6 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Award-winning television producer and author A’Lelia Bundles will be talking with Princeton professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad about her new biography of A’Lelia Walker, her great grandmother, the hair care heiress and patroness of the Harlem Renaissance whom Langston Hughes called “the joy goddess of Harlem.” Bundles will also show a PowerPoint presentation of historic images and rare archival family photos.

From Africa to America: The Poetry of Phillis Wheatley
Thursday, Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Online

In 1761, Phillis Wheatley arrived in Boston as an enslaved girl from West Africa. As noted in her poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” Wheatley was well aware of that she and other Africans were presumed inferior to whites, yet she defied assumptions by beguiling the literary world with her talent while implicitly challenging the logic of her enslavement. In this course, we examine Wheatley’s poetry and her extraordinary life in the historical context of the American Revolution and the burgeoning abolitionist movement of the late eighteenth century.

Author Chat – A Black Congressman’s Fight for Civil Rights
Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6:15–7:45 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Charles C. Diggs, Michigan’s first Black member of Congress, was the only federal official to attend the trial of Emmett Till’s killers, worked behind the scenes with Martin Luther King Jr., and founded the Congressional Black Caucus. Join Prof. Marion Orr of Brown University in conversation about his new book, “The House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr.” with Prof. Domingo Morel of NYU.

Urban Stomp Live: Defiant Joy, Improvisation & Social Dances at MPL
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2–4:30 p.m.
Montclair Public Library

Join cultural anthropologist and curator Dr. Derrick León Washington—curator of Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor, currently on view at the Museum of the City of New York—as he brings to life the story of social dance: from ragtime and the Charleston to Lindy Hop, Mambo, and beyond. Through vivid storytelling, photographs, rare video excerpts, and the music that shaped each era, participants will experience how these dances carried both joy and defiance.

After the talk and Q&A, stay for free food and a social dance session—a chance to learn dance steps, connect with neighbors, and dance together.

Author Talk: Gloria Browne-Marshall and Lawrence Hamm
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 6-7:45 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Join Gloria Browne-Marshall, Professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) in a presentation of her book, “A Protest History of the United States”. The presentation will be followed by a conversation with activist Lawrence Hamm, chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress, and author of “Lawrence Hamm: A Life in the Struggle”. Books will be available for sale and signing.

The Complicated Impact of the 1619 Project on African American History
Monday, Feb. 2, 6:15–7:45 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Montclair State University Associate Dean Dr. Leslie Wilson will lead a panel of scholars in a discussion on the creation and controversy surrounding the New York Times’ interpretative multimedia initiative on American Slavery and its complicated legacy on the future of African American history instruction in schools.

Happy Birthday Langston Hughes Read-a-thon
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2–4 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Join the Montclair Branch of the NAACP and MPL as we honor Langston Hughes on his birthday by reading his poems aloud.

Come Celebrate With Me: 100 Years of Honoring Black History Kickoff
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 3–5:30 p.m.
Montclair Public Library Main Branch

Join us as we launch Come Celebrate With Me: 100 Years of Honoring Black History with a screening of the 2014 Civil Rights film Selma (PG-13) in celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Participants are invited to decorate a postcard answering the question, “What does Black history mean to me?” to be later incorporated into a display in the library for everyone to enjoy.