As part of Black History Month, the Red Bank Public Library will serve as a host to an event dedicated to an iconic African-American journalist.
Entitled “Reading Fortune: A Voice for the Ages”, the event will be presented by the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation and will take place at the Red Bank Public Library, which is located at 84 W Front St, on Feb. 21. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 7 p.m.
The T. Thomas Fortune Foundation is named after Timothy Thomas Fortune, a journalist who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries and who served as the editor of the New York Age.
He is described by the non-profit organization as having “set standards for integrity and professionalism in African-American journalism” and made “significant contributions to the advancement of civil rights and justice.”
The event will feature poetry, prose, letters, excerpts of speeches and editorials written by Fortune, including letters corresponding with President Theodore Roosevelt and African-American leader Booker T. Washington. Fortune’s works will be read aloud at the event by members of the community, including youth members of the New Jersey Orators, according to the organization.
The event will also be held at the Long Branch Public Library, 328 Broadway, on Feb. 24 from 3 p.m.-4:30, with doors opening at 2:30 p.m.
“Reading Fortune: A Voice for the Ages” is part of the 2018 African-American Read-In, which is made in honor of Black History Month. According to the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation, the African-American Read-In is intended as a national celebration of African-American culture and literature. Having begun as a national event in 1990, it will celebrate its 28th anniversary this year.
The T. Thomas Fortune Foundation is based in Red Bank at the T. Thomas Fortune House, which Fortune resided in after acquiring it in 1901, according to the organization. The house, formerly known as “Maple Hall” is recognized as a national historic landmark.
Currently, the house is being restored as a cultural center after being purchased by developer Roger Mumford, according to the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation. This year’s 28th African-American Read-In and the “Reading Fortune: A Voice for the Ages” event will precede the scheduled opening of the cultural center, which is planned to take place in the spring of 2018.
