JUNETEENTH WorldWide Concert, Denyce Graves, June 19th, 2011

The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum will exhibit a variety of rare objects, sheet music, photographs, books and works of art chronicling African American History and Culture at The Terrace Theater in Long Beach, CA in conjunction with the Juneteenth Concert Performance by Denyce E. Graves. Items slated for exhibition include; rare photographs of African Americanoperatic singer, Marian Anderson. Also on display will be an autographed copy of the first book of poetry written by an individual of African American descent. The book titled, Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral, was written by the enslaved, African American, Phillis Wheatley and was published in London, England in 1773. The exhibit will also highlight African American participation in a number of music genres. Rare signed sheet music by Duke Ellington and a variety of other historical artifacts will be on display in celebration of Black Music Month.

The mission of the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum is to collect, preserve; exhibit and celebrate the unique history and cultural heritage of Americans of African descent thereby helping to provide a more complete view of American history.

The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum (MCLM) is home to the Mayme Agnew Clayton Collection of African American History and Culture. The collection contains over two million rare books, films, documents, photographs, artifacts and works of art related to the history and culture of African Americans in the United States, with a special focus on Southern California and the American West. The collection is one of the nation’s most important collections chronicling the history and culture of Americans of African descent.

Online at : http://www.claytonmuseum.org/