Celebrate Black History Month At The Sheen Center

The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture celebrates Black History Month with three special events featuring and representing some of the preeminent Black writers, artists and activists of our time. Tickets/reservations are available online at SheenCenter.org, by phone at 212-925-2812, or in-person at The Sheen Center box office.

"Every month is Black History Month, because Black history is American history. That said, what is unique about February is it allows us to collectively focus on an experiences that many of us may not know about, to educate ourselves about where we have been in order to ensure a future for all of us where the mistakes of the past will not be repeated," said Kelley Girod, producer of The Sheen Center's Black History Month programming.

"Our Black History programming will show our struggles toward freedom, uncover our forgotten histories, including a chapter of scientific racism in the eugenics movement here in the U.S., and celebrate the triumph of the human will to adapt to survive, and thrive against all odds."

MISSISSIPPI BURNING 30TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING AND PANEL WITH Frederick Zollo

A film screening and panel discussion event Presented by The Sheen Center February 4, 4:30PM screening, 7PM talkback Loreto Theater

Seven-time Academy Award-nominated Mississippi Burning was a thriller starring Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe. The film is loosely based on the real-life case of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, an African American and two Jewish civil rights workers who were abducted and murdered in 1964. For the 30th anniversary, the film will be screened and a panel will be held afterward featuring the film's producer, Frederick Zollo, Keith Beauchamp (producer and director of the documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till) and Michael C. Reilly, co-writers of an upcoming feature film about the murder of Emmett Till. The panel will be moderated by Obie Award-winning producer Kelley Girod and David DiCerto, Programming Associate and Director of Program Administration respectively at The Sheen Center. In light of the racial divide that still exists in our country, among the topics for the panel will be how the film influenced the conversation about race in America when it was released and how it is still relevant now. $15

HAUNTED FILES

An immersive theatre experience and panel discussion event Produced by American Slavery Project & The Sheen Center February 20 at 7PM & 9PM

The Sheen Center in collaboration with The American Slavery Project presents Haunted Files, an immersive evening of theater, recreating through audience interaction, performance, and talkback the history of scientific racism in America. Eugenics, the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics, is a controversial subject even today, especially after activities of the Nazi regime. Featuring a post show panel with Adam Cohen, author of Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck; Noah Fuller and Jack Tchen, co-curators of the original Haunted Files exhibition; and Judy Tate, co-founder of The American Slavery Project. $25

FORGIVENESS MAKES YOU FREE: A DRAMATIC STORY OF HEALING AND RECONCILIATION FROM THE HEART OF RWANDA A film screening and panel discussion event Presented by Frassati Society NYC & The Sheen Center February 22 at 7:30PM Loreto Theater The premiere of the documentary on the life and work of Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga, a Catholic priest in Rwanda. Through this film, Fr. Ubald shares his message of forgiveness as a pathway to reconciliation and peace, a message he has steadfastly shared with thousands of his fellow Rwandans in the aftermath of the unspeakable horror of their country's 1994 genocide. His mission is to bring forgiveness, peace and reconciliation to the people of Rwanda through God's word and healing. The evening will include a screening of the film followed by a panel discussion with Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga, Katsey Long (Executive Producer/ Director), and other special guests. $20

Visit www.SheenCenter.org for more information about the above event as well as other theater, film, music, poetry, art, and talk events featuring artists and thought leaders including Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter; Tony Award winner Lena Hall; Grammy Award-winning musician and recording artist Eileen Ivers; and journalist and former Wall Street Journal columnist Sohrab Ahmari. Events will include the new Broadway Backstage series featuring Joe Iconis and cast members from Be More Chill, and company and creative team members from the upcoming Roundabout Theatre revival of Kiss Me Kate; anniversary screenings of milestone films Mississippi Burning and The Wizard of Oz; direct from London's West End, the U.S. premiere production of All Our Children; an in-depth exploration of the Morgan Library & Museum exhibition Inside Tolkien: Maker Of Middle-earth; as well as special talk events tackling topical national themes including race, faith, the disabled, and more.

The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (www.sheencenter.org) is a New York City arts center located in NoHo that presents a vibrant mix of theater, film, music, art and talk events. A project of the Archdiocese of New York, The Sheen Center serves all New Yorkers by presenting performances and artists that reflect the true, the good, and the beautiful. Named for the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, best remembered as an inspirational author, radio host and two-time Emmy Award-winning television personality, The Sheen Center reflects his modern-day approach to contemporary topics. The Sheen Center is a state-of-the-art theater complex that includes the 270-seat off-Broadway Loreto Theater, equipped with five-camera high-definition TV and live-stream capability and a multi-track recording studio; the 80-seat off-off-Broadway Black Box Theater; four rehearsal studios; and an art gallery.

Tickets/reservations for all events at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture are available online at SheenCenter.org, by phone at 212-925-2812, or in-person at The Sheen Center box office (18 Bleecker Street, at the corner of Elizabeth Street, NYC), Monday through Friday, noon to 5PM and one hour before showtimes.