The Academy hosts an annual Tribute and fundraising event. Since 2007, The Academy has invited the community to enjoy dinner, a silent auction, and to honor an African American community member whose contributions have supported Academy principles.
1989
The Academy begins
1990 - 2006
The Academy is housed at Kirkwood Community College
2002 - 2012
Akwi Nji directs The Academy Summer Program
2007
First fundraiser "roasts" community icon Dr. Percy Harris (1st Annual Tribute)
No School - Parent/Guardian/Student/Teacher Conferences
No School - Parent/Guardian/Student/Teacher Conferences
July 2, 20211:00 pm - 6:00 pm
We hope that you are well and having a productive summer, so far. If you have already signed up for a conference, thank you.
*R.I.S.E. PARTICIPANTS: You will be receiving, or may have already received an email from Ms. Thomas for a group conference.
July 2 & July 7 have been selected as our mid-session parent/guardian student conferences. Both days we will utilize our Google Classroom Homebase link. That link is the one that each student has access to.
Below you will find the link to the Google Spreadsheet Sign-up sheet. Please select the date and time that works best for you. When inserting your name, please write your student's name as well. Your student is required to attend with you.
July 7, 20219:00 am - 12:30 pm Mt Mercy University, Basile Hall, 1330 Elmhurst Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, USA
*optional to R.I.S.E. students
Mount Mercy University, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Basille Hall,
3rd Floor Rooms: 304, 311, 312, 315.
During in-person classes, all students & staff are required to wear masks, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. This helps us provide a safe environment for all. If you have any concerns regarding our in-person sessions.
Read Awoke - Weekly Topics/Speakers - July 7, Be Heard
Read Awoke - Weekly Topics/Speakers - July 7, Be Heard
July 7, 202111:00 am - 12:00 pm
Visit the African American Museum of Iowa virtually. Get a taste for some of the museum's exhibits and learn ways you can contribute to the museum's collection.
Read Woke is a nationwide initiative started by school librarian Cicely Lewis. Join us for weekly programs that spark critical conversations and connect our community.
June 2 – Mary Vermillion Author Interview
June 9 – Be Heard
June 16 – Inclusive ICR and Other Online Resources
June 23 – Allyship, presented by the Civil Rights Commission
June 30 –Dr. Percy and Lileah Harris House Tour
July 7 – Be Heard
July 14 – Exploring Diversity in the History of Cedar Rapids
July 21 – Mini Virtual Tour of the African American Museum of Iowa
We hope that you are well and having a productive summer, so far. If you have already signed up for a conference, thank you.
*R.I.S.E. PARTICIPANTS: You will be receiving, or may have already received an email from Ms. Thomas for a group conference.
July 2 & July 7 have been selected as our mid-session parent/guardian student conferences. Both days we will utilize our Google Classroom Homebase link. That link is the one that each student has access to.
Below you will find the link to the Google Spreadsheet Sign-up sheet. Please select the date and time that works best for you. When inserting your name, please write your student's name as well. Your student is required to attend with you.
July 9, 20219:00 am - 12:30 pm Mt Mercy University, Basile Hall, 1330 Elmhurst Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, USA
*optional to R.I.S.E. students
Mount Mercy University, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Basille Hall,
3rd Floor Rooms: 304, 311, 312, 315.
During in-person classes, all students & staff are required to wear masks, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. This helps us provide a safe environment for all. If you have any concerns regarding our in-person sessions.
July 14, 20219:00 am - 12:30 pm Mt Mercy University, Basile Hall, 1330 Elmhurst Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, USA
*optional to R.I.S.E. students
Mount Mercy University, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Basille Hall,
3rd Floor Rooms: 304, 311, 312, 315.
During in-person classes, all students & staff are required to wear masks, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. This helps us provide a safe environment for all. If you have any concerns regarding our in-person sessions.
Read Awoke - Weekly Topics/Speakers - July 14, Exploring Diversity in the History of Cedar Rapids
Read Awoke - Weekly Topics/Speakers - July 14, Exploring Diversity in the History of Cedar Rapids
July 14, 202111:00 am - 12:00 pm
Visit the African American Museum of Iowa virtually. Get a taste for some of the museum's exhibits and learn ways you can contribute to the museum's collection.
Read Woke is a nationwide initiative started by school librarian Cicely Lewis. Join us for weekly programs that spark critical conversations and connect our community.
June 2 – Mary Vermillion Author Interview
June 9 – Be Heard
June 16 – Inclusive ICR and Other Online Resources
June 23 – Allyship, presented by the Civil Rights Commission
June 30 –Dr. Percy and Lileah Harris House Tour
July 7 – Be Heard
July 14 – Exploring Diversity in the History of Cedar Rapids
July 21 – Mini Virtual Tour of the African American Museum of Iowa
Race in America: Black Culinary History with Jessica B. Harris, PhD & Stephen Satterfield
Race in America: Black Culinary History with Jessica B. Harris, PhD & Stephen Satterfield
July 14, 20213:00 pm - 4:00 pm
On Thursday, July 14 at 3:00pm ET, Satterfield and Harris join opinions columnist Michele Norris to discuss how African American food has shaped our culinary landscape and offers a lens into larger questions about our country’s history.
“High on the Hog” is a new docuseries about Black culinary history. Based on the seminal book of the same name by Jessica B. Harris, it follows the host Stephen Satterfield as he travels from West Africa to the Deep South. On Thursday, July 14 at 3:00pm ET, Satterfield and Harris join opinions columnist Michele Norris to discuss how African American food has shaped our culinary landscape and offers a lens into larger questions about our country’s history.
Provided by representatives with Jessica B. Harris.
Jessica B. Harris, considered by many to be one of the ranking authorities on the food of the African diaspora, is the author, editor, or translator of 18 books including 12 cookbooks documenting the foodways of the African diaspora. She is a sought-after speaker and has lectured widely and written extensively for scholarly and popular publications. Harris consults internationally and conceptualized the award-winning cafeteria of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. She is currently leading the Culinary Institute of America’s new African Diaspora Foodways initiative. Dr. Harris is also lead curator for the exhibit African/American: Making the Nation’s Table to be presented by New York’s Museum of Food and Drink in 2022.
Dr. Harris holds numerous awards and accolades including an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Johnson & Wales University. In 2019, her food-related works were inducted into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame and she won the 2020 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Harris has taught at Queens College/CUNY, New York, for five decades where she is currently professor emerita.
Provided by representatives with Stephen Satterfield.
Stephen Satterfield is a publisher, public speaker, writer, event, and multimedia producer. He is the founder of Whetstone, a groundbreaking magazine and media company dedicated to the story of food. Since 2007, he has spent his career using food and wine as means of organizing, activating, and educating. Before his career in media, Satterfield was a sommelier and social entrepreneur using wine as a catalyst for socioeconomic development for Black wine workers in South Africa. Satterfield is among the most prominent and respected voices in American food media.
July 16, 2021 Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 5th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401, USA
UPDATE: Registration Closed
Celebrate the colors of the skin we're in! This kit includes the book Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin, supplies to make a UNITY poster, a set of multicultural crayons, and more.
"When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another." - Kate DiCamillo
This program is geared toward preschool children. Program to Go kits are reserved in advance for pick up at the Downtown or Ladd Library. Everything in the kits, including books, is yours to keep. Registration required; please only register if you are able to pick up your kit on July 16 or 17. Supplies are limited; one per family, please.
July 16, 20219:00 am - 12:30 pm Mt Mercy University, Basile Hall, 1330 Elmhurst Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, USA
*optional to R.I.S.E. students
Mount Mercy University, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Basille Hall,
3rd Floor Rooms: 304, 311, 312, 315.
During in-person classes, all students & staff are required to wear masks, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. This helps us provide a safe environment for all. If you have any concerns regarding our in-person sessions.
July 21, 20219:00 am - 12:30 pm Mt Mercy University, Basile Hall, 1330 Elmhurst Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, USA
*optional to R.I.S.E. students
Mount Mercy University, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Basille Hall,
3rd Floor Rooms: 304, 311, 312, 315.
During in-person classes, all students & staff are required to wear masks, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. This helps us provide a safe environment for all. If you have any concerns regarding our in-person sessions.
Read Awoke - Weekly Topics/Speakers - July 21, Mini Virtual Tour of the African American Museum of Iowa
Read Awoke - Weekly Topics/Speakers - July 21, Mini Virtual Tour of the African American Museum of Iowa
July 21, 202111:00 am - 12:00 pm
Visit the African American Museum of Iowa virtually. Get a taste for some of the museum's exhibits and learn ways you can contribute to the museum's collection.
Read Woke is a nationwide initiative started by school librarian Cicely Lewis. Join us for weekly programs that spark critical conversations and connect our community.
June 2 – Mary Vermillion Author Interview
June 9 – Be Heard
June 16 – Inclusive ICR and Other Online Resources
June 23 – Allyship, presented by the Civil Rights Commission
June 30 –Dr. Percy and Lileah Harris House Tour
July 7 – Be Heard
July 14 – Exploring Diversity in the History of Cedar Rapids
July 21 – Mini Virtual Tour of the African American Museum of Iowa
ASPS 2021 LAST DAY - AM Summer Session (In-Person)
ASPS 2021 LAST DAY - AM Summer Session (In-Person)
July 23, 20219:00 am - 12:30 pm Mt Mercy University, Basile Hall, 1330 Elmhurst Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, USA
*optional to R.I.S.E. students
Mount Mercy University, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Basille Hall,
3rd Floor Rooms: 304, 311, 312, 315.
During in-person classes, all students & staff are required to wear masks, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. This helps us provide a safe environment for all. If you have any concerns regarding our in-person sessions.
Read Awoke - Weekly Topics/Speakers - July 28, Mother Mosque Virtual Tour
Read Awoke - Weekly Topics/Speakers - July 28, Mother Mosque Virtual Tour
July 28, 202111:00 am - 12:00 pm
Visit the African American Museum of Iowa virtually. Get a taste for some of the museum's exhibits and learn ways you can contribute to the museum's collection.
Read Woke is a nationwide initiative started by school librarian Cicely Lewis. Join us for weekly programs that spark critical conversations and connect our community.
June 2 – Mary Vermillion Author Interview
June 9 – Be Heard
June 16 – Inclusive ICR and Other Online Resources
June 23 – Allyship, presented by the Civil Rights Commission
June 30 –Dr. Percy and Lileah Harris House Tour
July 7 – Be Heard
July 14 – Exploring Diversity in the History of Cedar Rapids
July 21 – Mini Virtual Tour of the African American Museum of Iowa
