GRAND OPENING FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM AND LIBRARY AT OAKLAND SET FOR FEBRUARY 22-23, 2002

Oakland, CA.--The African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO), a division of the Oakland Public Library, will host its Grand Opening Celebration in its new home, the historic Charles Greene building (659 14th Street), on February 22 and 23, 2002. Tours of the museum exhibitions, lectures, musical performances, children's storytelling, and other activities will celebrate the expansion of AAMLO into the 17,500 square foot, American Beaux-Arts style Carnegie building, on the corner of 14th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way in downtown Oakland. The opening of AAMLO in its new home marks the culmination of a $11.2 million project to renovate and seismically retrofit the building, which was severely damaged in the Loma Prieta Earthquake, and to return it as a treasured city facility for public use and education.

"As the former main library for Oakland, we are pleased to see the reincarnation of the Greene building as an unique museum/library partnership that will preserve and share the rich heritage of our African American community," states Carmen Martínez, Oakland Public Library Director. "We hope to bring history to life with major exhibits and community programs that will get people excited in learning about California's black history and culture."

"We are extremely excited and challenged by the opportunity to make the African American Museum and Library at Oakland the preeminent institution of its kind on the West Coast," adds Rick Moss, Chief Curator of the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.

The African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) was established in 1994 as a merger between the Oakland Public Library and the Northern California Center for African American History and Life (NCCAAHL). Its mission is to discover, preserve, interpret, and share the historical and cultural
experiences of African Americans in Northern California. Construction on the Charles Greene building began after the City of Oakland received $1 million from a California State Library/Library Services and Construction Act, Title II. Grant; $7.2 million from the Measure I Bond; and $3 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Michael Willis & Associates was engaged to work on the conceptual design, Oakland's Public Works Agency provided project management, and Lindquist-Van Hook served as principal contractor.

The Charles Greene building was named after Charles Samuel Greene, the Oakland Public Library Director at the time of its original construction. It was the first of five Carnegie-endowed libraries constructed in Oakland, and was designed by the architectural firm of Bliss and Faville of San Francisco. Dedicated on June 30, 1902, the building served as the main library for Oakland from then until it was replaced by the current main library in January 1951. It subsequently became a branch library and then a city administrative office until 1989 when it was damaged in the Loma Prieta Earthquake. The Charles Greene building is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the State Historic Resource Inventory.

The Oakland Public Library¹s African American Museum and Library at Oakland will host two days of Grand Opening Celebrations for the public on February 22 and 23. Doors will open for limited (museum only) service and exhibition viewing on Friday, February 22, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. From 12:00 ­ 2:00 p.m., the City of Oakland¹s Community and Economic Development Agency¹s (CEDA¹s) African American History Month Committee will present the Olivette Inspirational Choir, Center of Hope Praise Dancers, and Ms. Virginia Rose, the descendent of a fugitive slave. As part of a larger African American History Month series, a special author reading featuring Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due will take place at
6:30 p.m. in the African American Museum and Library, co-sponsored by Marcus Books, which is opening a satellite store within AAMLO.

On Saturday, February 23, AAMLO will officially open for full service between 10:00 a.m. -5:30 p.m. for exhibition viewing and library/archival service. Beginning at 12 noon, a formal celebration will take place, featuring the Blackhouse School Performers; African American Genealogical Society of Northern
California Workshops (1:00-1:30 p.m. and 2:30-3:00 p.m.); children¹s storytelling with Opal Palmer Adisa (1:30-2:30 p.m.); and a lecture by Anthony Gleaton, photographer, about his opening exhibit, Tengo Casi 500 Anos (2:00-3:00 p.m.)

Opening exhibitions will include the following:

Golden Road to Freedom: The African Legacy in California, 1775-1900: As early as 1535, persons of African descent were part of the Spanish-led expeditions into Baja (lower) and Alta (upper) California. The exploratory expedition of Hernan Cortes included as many as 300 full and mixed African sailors and soldiers. People of African descent would continue to play important roles in later expeditions and settlements. This historical exhibition documents this important period in California history before American annexation.

Tengo Casi 500 Anos: Beyond the Middle Passage, Africa's Legacy in the Americas (title sponsor: Albertsons): Tengo Casi 500 Anos ("I have been here 500 years") is a photographic exhibition (65 framed archival silver gelatin prints) representing the ten-year odyssey of photographer Anthony Gleaton to research and document the descendents of Africans who were brought to Mexico, Central and South America during the height of colonial Spain's involvement in the slave trade. Gleaton's journey was as much an effort to define his life with its heritage encompassing Africa and Europe, as it was an attempt to throw open the discourse on mestizaje, the "assimilation" of Africans, Asians and Europeans with the indigenous native populations.

The West Oakland Senior Citizen Oral History Project: Under the direction of Dr. Opal Palmer Adisa and photographer Jonathan Eubanks, this exhibition visually and orally captures the history of some of West Oakland's senior treasures in 51 black and white photographs and recorded conversations. Among the
seniors featured are Dr. Marcella Ford, Ruth Beckford, Anthony Martinez, Alonzo Fields, and more.

The festivities will continue with special presentations by the Dagara Peace Commission on February 24, 25, and 26, 1:00-2:30 p.m. These lectures will examine the Dagara peoples of West Africa and show how Africans in the Diaspora can re-establish a connection with their ancestors.

For further details about the African American Museum and Library at Oakland and its Grand Opening Celebration, call (510) 637-0200 or visit the Library's Web site at www.oaklandlibrary.org. The Oakland Public Library is a department of the City of Oakland's Life Enrichment Agency.