By Farrah Turenne
Black-owned ICE Theaters will celebrate the 10th Annual “Community Day” on two different days – Saturday, August 18, at ICE Chatham 14, located at 210 West 87th Street, and on Saturday, August 25 at ICE Lawndale 10, at 3330 West Roosevelt Road (Homan and Roosevelt).
The “Community Day” hours are 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. With more than 10 pavilions, there will be information, activities and fun for all ages. Both theaters will show first-run movies throughout the day.
Now in its 10th year, the event offers health screenings, fitness demonstrations, voter registration, public forums, educational programming, safety/crime prevention tips, live entertainment, $1 movies, and special programming for the entire family.
A short preview list of indoor and outdoor activities includes: Chicago Sky/WNBA, GameTruck (mobile video gaming), back-to-school immunizations; glucose, blood pressure, breast cancer, and diabetes screenings; HIV testing; Zumba workouts with Curves; Visions Blu films by youth; storytelling and face painting; youth poetry slam; genealogy workshop by Donna Beasley; special programming for seniors, including “Senior Talk with Clara Hubbard” of WGBX-AM, and Mather’s More Than a Café; salsa, stepping and line dancing; and demonstrations by the Pink Panthers Double Dutch team.
The Economic Empowerment Pavilion at the Chatham event also will feature a panel discussion and networking session entitled “Building A Legacy: 2012-2032,” where local minority business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs can learn best practices and tips from those who have achieved success.
Panelists and participants include Eugene Dillanado (Black Pages International), Darrin Yarborough (Waddell & Reed), Monica Watson (JGH Capital Investments) and Carolyn Arthur (Toastmasters International). In addition, a variety of business resources will be available on entrepreneurial opportunities.
Debunking Myths
Author and college professor Lakesia Johnson
The hot topic of stereotypes and its effects on Black culture and the Black family continue to be debated. And, the discussion is never lacking for new insight offering fresh perspectives.
Author and college professor Lakesia Johnson and psychologist Kathryn Ogletree will appear at the Chatham fest discussing their book Iconic: Decoding Images of the Revolutionary Black Woman, which showcases the strength of African-American women from 1970s to today, and how these women have managed their images despite the negative labels applied to strong Black women.
Likewise, Tom Burrell, founder of Burrell Advertising, will discuss his book Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority, which is a powerful examination of the greatest propaganda campaign of all time – the masterful marketing of Black inferiority, according to the ad exec.
Burrell poses 10 questions that make Black people ask themselves why, nearly 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, so many still think and act like slaves. Burrell will be at the Lawndale event.
What started as a family pledge in 2009 by John and Maggie Anderson and their two children became “The Empowerment Experiment (EE),” a public call for African Americans across the country to buy Black. Maggie Anderson shares her family’s groundbreaking year-long journey captured in their book EE: Our Black Year on Saturday, August 18 at the 87th Street ICE.
Monique Spence and Maze Jackson, hosts of WVON’s Talk It Out radio show, will moderate two panel discussions on relationships – one on Black women and one on Black men.
For Youth
True Star, Midwest Gap, The Black Star Project, Tuskegee Airmen, and Visions Blu will host programming designed to appreciate, inspire, educate and entertain youth participants and parents.
Forums focus on a variety of topics ranging from youth filmmakers, culture, self-esteem and identity to street life and safety. Serving as media partner, Crawford Broadcasting’s Power 92-FM radio station will broadcast live at each site.
The festival attendance is expected to be high given the opening of Sparkle, Whitney Houston’s much anticipated last film, which opens at ICE Theaters on Friday, August 17.
This is the 15th anniversary of Inner City Entertainment (ICE). The ICE Theaters, started by African-American power couple Donzell and Alisa Starks, are the only movie theaters bringing Hollywood blockbusters and acclaimed independent films to the inner city.
“Community Day” is an annual family festival held at each ICE Theaters location in August. Pages International is partnering with ICE Theaters this year and to present panel discussions, workshops and networking sessions for local minority business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
For a schedule of movies and “Community Day” events at both theaters, visit www.icetheaters.com.
