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Event
Arts at Old First hosts Darnell Moore
Arts at Old First is honored to host inspiring author and activist Darnell Moore to present the paperback edition of his book No Ashes in the Fire: Coming Of Age Black and Free in America. Moore, a leading organizer in the Black Lives Matter movement and a former seminary intern at Old First, uses his own experience of growing up as a gay black man to give voice to the varied experiences of all those who survive on the edges of the margins, and chart a glorious path toward liberation. Darnell discusses his story and its intersections with his time in the church with Mia Charlene White, professor of race and geography and fellow congregationist at Old First, as part of Old First's ongoing literary series on art and faith. Audience Q&A and book signing to follow.
Seating is limited; RSVP required. A wine reception follows the event. Books offered for sale by Community Bookstore. A portion of all book and ticket sales benefits the Old First Restoration Fund.
Please note: online ticket sales end at 3:00 PM on March 27, but additional tickets are available at the door.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
What happens to the black boys who come of age in neglected, heavily policed, and economically desperate cities that the War on Drugs and mass incarceration have created? How do they learn to live, love, and grow up? Where should they turn when history rejects their very existence? Darnell L. Moore explores these questions in No Ashes in the Fire. Darnell tells his life story, not just as a window into his own experiences, but as a testament to the lives of the black queer, transgender, and gender non-conforming individuals who have come before him. His writing is a celebration of radical black loveso often removed from our national narratives on gender and sexuality. As he excavates his memories, Darnell reveals not just the pain of growing up as a gay black manbeaten down and ignored by white and black America, by his school, and even his church, but also the supreme joy that comes from finding your calling and embracing your true self. With the enduring support of his family - both his close-knit relatives in Camden and his family of activists - Darnell recognized that his "queerness was magic expressing itself in and through [his] black body."
In bold and inspiring prose, Darnell traces his life from his childhood in Camden, a city scarred by uprisings and repression; to his search for intimacy in the gay neighborhoods of Philadelphia; and, finally, to the movements in Newark, Brooklyn, and Ferguson where he found his voice and his calling as a leading organizer with Black Lives Matter, a movement that recognized him and insisted that his life counted. No Ashes in the Fire is a story of beauty and hope, giving voice to the varied experiences of all those who survive on the edges of the margins. As he reckons with what it means to be free, Darnell charts a glorious path toward liberation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Darnell L. Moore is the head of Strategy and Programs at BreakthroughUS. He is also a
columnist at LogoTV.com and NewNowNext.com, and a former editor at large at CASSIUS and senior editor at Mic, where he hosted their widely viewed digital series The Movement. His writings have been published in Ebony, Advocate, Vice, Guardian and MSNBC. Moore is a writer-in-residence at the Center of African American Religion, Sexual Politics, and Social Justice at Columbia University, has taught at New York University, Rutgers, Fordham, and Vassar, and was trained at Princeton Theological Seminary. In 2016 and 2018, he was named one of The Root 100, and in 2015 he was named one of Ebony magazines Power 100 and Planned Parenthood's 99 Dream Keepers. Darnell divides his time between Brooklyn and Atlanta. Follow him on Twitter: @Moore_Darnell
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER:
Mia Charlene White is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies in the Environmental Studies Program at The New School for Public Engagement, with a co-teaching appointment at the Milano School for International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy. She is a faculty-affiliate of the Tishman Environment and Design Center (TedC), as well as with the Heilbroner Center for Capitalism Studies. She has a bachelors degree in Anthropology and Political Science from the State University of NY at Stonybrook, a Master of International Affairs (Environmental Policy) from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and a Ph.D in Urban Studies and Planning (Housing and Environment) from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Given the diversity of her training, Mia's work is interdisciplinary and she situates herself among radical geographers (race geography) and applied anthropologists, planning/urban theorists (fugitive planning), radical sociologists/historians and those others seeking to link social science concepts of space and race, to the humanities via art and protest.
ABOUT ARTS AT OLD FIRST:
Arts at Old First carries out Old First's mission to offer hospitality to creative and art-minded community groups. This includes the annual Brooklyn Bluegrass Bash, the annual Park Slope Messiah Sing-along, and various other events supporting the visual, literary, and musical arts. Arts at Old First events benefit the Old First Restoration Fund.
ABOUT OLD FIRST BROOKLYN:
Old First Reformed Church, founded in 1654, is a diverse, open, and supportive church community that welcomes persons of every ethnicity, race, and orientation to worship, serve, and love God, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Its 200 members and adherents are from all walks of life and reflect a diversity of backgrounds.
Old First's main sanctuary has been closed since 2011 when plaster fell from the ceiling, revealing wear in the 19th century structure. Listed on the National Register of Historic Place and a hub for community events in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, the building is undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration project, supported by grants as well as community contributions. More at oldfirstbrooklyn.org/restoration.
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LocationOld First Reformed Church (View)
729 Carroll Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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