The Skanner News - Seattle News and Events for Feb. 5

PHOTO: Panelists Jazmyn Scott, Ouwar Arunga, and Ishmael Butler take questions from the audience during a panel discussion about the State of Black Music in Seattle, January 31 at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. The Black Music Summit featured several forums on topics like "Making Money in Today's Music Biz", "Establishing A Cultural Arts District" and a young artists roundtable. Susan Fried photo

Alexandra Fuller Reads from Her Newest Book

Memoirist Alexandra Fuller will read from her latest book, "Leaving Before the Rains Come," from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium.

Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $6 after 5 p.m.
Fuller takes on the rise and fall of her marriage and addresses how her father shaped her view of the world in her new memoir. In hopes of understanding what went wrong and finding ways to rebuild her life after a painful divorce, Fuller turns to her African past for answers. As she explores the memories of her childhood, she hunts for clues as to what it means to live life completely and without regret.

Fuller is the author of "Don't Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood," a memoir about coming of age in Rhodesia as a long civil war raged in neighboring Mozambique, and the follow-up memoir "Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness."

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

‘Through the Eyes of Art’

The Brandkings and EMP Museum present Through the Eyes of Art, the kickoff event for EMP's Black History Month celebration, Feb. 7, from 6 -9:30 p.m. at the EMP Museum Sky Church, 325 5th Avenue N.

This year, Seattle’s premier Black History Month celebration brings together work from regional artists and photographers in The Value of Black Life art showcase.

The second annual Through the Eyes of Art will feature a keynote address from the former National Director of Youth Engagement at World Vision Derrick Wheeler-Smith, remarks from City of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Seattle City Council Member Bruce Harrell, and a live performance by hip-hop heavyweights Talib Kweli and Draze.

Community activists Eddie Rye will be honored with the 2015 Servant of the People Award.

For ticket prices and more information go to http://www.empmuseum.org.

HIV Awareness and Testing App

National Black HIV Awareness Day is on Feb. 7 and the CDC estimates that nearly 20 million new sexually transmitted infections occur every year. A simple, life-saving tool is Healthvana – a yelp-like health app that helps users find Free HIV & STD testing centers in their area.

The app or website - https://www.healthvana.com/free-std-testing/ provides users the following information.

STD Testing Services offered at the location.
Hours of Operation and Average wait time
Communities Serviced – LGBT, Youth or Women
STD Treatment services offered at the location
If Services are Free or if Insurance is accepted
Shows when listing is last update
Phone number and website of clinic
Recommendations by other Healthvana users

The highly curated locator was developed over a three-year period with Healthvana team members traveling all over the U.S. to visit and recommend centers. If you are interested in speaking to the CEO, Ramin Bastani, please let us know. Utilizing smart design and technology, Healthvana believes it will dramatically reduce STDs through its radically different approach to prevention. The company’s mission is to help people make better health decisions by giving them high quality information at their fingertips.

For more information tweet @healthvana or go to www.healthvana.com.

Documentary Film Screening of 'Deepsouth'

In recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, The Seattle Public Library will present a film screening and discussion of "Deepsouth" from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. In addition, free testing for HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) will be available in the SirsiDynix Gallery behind the Microsoft Auditorium.

Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $7.

The film "Deepsouth" is a documentary about the neglected crisis of HIV/AIDS in rural American South. Beneath layers of history, poverty and now-soaring HIV infections, the film highlights the stories of three Americans who redefine traditional Southern values to create their own solutions to survive.

During the event, free testing for HIV and HCV will be available in the gallery behind the auditorium. Trained staff from the Lifelong AIDS Alliance will provide rapid-result HIV testing, administered with a quick finger prick. Test results will be anonymous and available within five to 10 minutes. For the HCV tests, trained staff from the Hepatitis Education Project will take a mouth swab sample. Results for HCV tests will be available within 20 minutes.

This event is presented in partnership with the Multicultural HIV/Hepatitis Action Network.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or go to www.spl.org.

Engineers Week Starts at the Seattle Public Library

In recognition of National Engineers Week, Feb. 22-28, The Seattle Public Library and Pacific Science Center will host a full month of programs that introduce children and teens to the wonder of engineering and the importance of science literacy.

For kids aged 4-12, Pulleys, Weights and Strings, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 at the South Park Branch, 8604 Eighth Ave. S. at S. Cloverdale St., 206-615-1688.

How do construction cranes lift heavy metal beams? How can a tow truck pull a two-ton car out of a ditch? What’s the easiest way for someone to lift 300 pounds? By using pulleys! Budding young engineers will assemble different pulley arrangements and measure pull length and pull forces while discovering the everyday applications of pulley-based mechanical advantage. For ages 6 up. No registration required.

Library events are free and everyone is welcome. Visit www.spl.org/engineersweek for more information.

Fortune's Bones: A Tale of Slavery and Medical History Book Reading

Storyteller Eva Abram will weave slavery, science, history and medical ethics together when she tells the tale of Fortune's Bones from noon to 1 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium.

Library programs are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage at the regular rates.
Fortune's Bones is the story of an enslaved African-American man named Fortune, born in the 1740s. Abram will share Fortune's history, a tale of slave ownership that goes well beyond death. When Fortune died, his owner rendered his body to preserve the bones and used them to teach medical students.

Abram is a writer, actress and storyteller who shares American history from an African-American perspective. She has been commissioned to write a story about Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight, and has written and performed a piece for the Washington State History Museum’s "Women’s Suffrage Jubilee."

Abram has also presented storytelling workshops for the Seattle Storytelling Guild and the Museum of Flight.

This program is offered in partnership with the Northwest African American Museum.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

For more Portland and Seattle events, see our community calendar.