African American Culture

Including Music and the Arts

Pittsburgh Region

• Afrika Yetu
  Afrika Yetu promotes African culture through the presentation of music, dance and education.
• Afro-American Music Institute
  Located in Homewood, the Afro-American Music Institute (AAMI) provides systematic, specialized instrumental and vocal training in all styles of the African-American music tradition (i.e. Gospel, Negro Spirituals, Jazz, etc.). In addition, the Institute provides a forum both in performing and recording opportunities for otherwise undiscovered talent in the Greater Pittsburgh community.
• August Wilson Center for African American Culture
  The August Wilson Center for African American Culture (formerly known as the African American Cultural Center of Greater Pittsburgh) is a not-for-profit organization that presents performing, visual and education programs that celebrate the contributions of African Americans within the region and the impact of cultural expression from Africa to the African Diaspora.
• Jazz Workshop, Inc.
  a nonprofit organization established in 1973 by accomplished musician and social worker Harold Young, Sr. and provides free jazz music lessons to more than 200 inner city children and adults yearly. It operates in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Homewood.
• Kuntu Repertory Theater
  Since 1974 Kuntu Rep has been presenting plays reflecting the African-American experience and nurturing Africana performers and playwrights.
• Manchester Craftsmen's Guild
  a multi-cultural arts education and presenting organization that has been providing cultural activities to residents of Western Pennsylvania for the past twenty-nine years.
• Multicultural Arts Initiative
  The Multicultural Arts Initiative is an arts organization that works to put more black arts and artists in the spotlight and to build awareness and audiences for black arts groups.
• Nego Gato
  A dance troupe performing Capoeira, a mixture of dance and martial arts that originated among Brazilian slaves.
• UMOJA African Arts Company
  UMOJA is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of African culture through the public performance of authentic traditional and neo-traditional music, dancing, and storytelling, and through demonstrations and educational lectures and workshops in African heritage, culture, and arts.
• United Black Book Clubs of Pittsburgh (UBBCP)
  UBBCP is an association of librarians, readers and book clubs in Pittsburgh. Through a united effort, UBBCP was formed to promote literary activities and events to provide community outreach programs and to spread the love of reading throughout the community.
• Wacongo Dance Company
  The WACONGO Dance Company is a traditional ensemble of master drummers, musicians and dancers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who perform the ancestral songs and dances of Central Africa.
• Women of Visions
  Women of Visions is a nonprofit organization promoting the art and education of African American women in Pittsburgh through collaborative exhibits with other arts groups and individual artists.

Pennsylvania

• African American Museum in Philadelphia
  Founded in 1976, The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is dedicated to collecting preserving and interpreting the material and intellectual culture of African Americans in Philadelphia, the Delaware Valley, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Americas.

Art

• African Odyssey Interactive (AOI)
  Promoting an ongoing exchange of ideas, information, and resources between artists, teachers, and students of African arts and culture. It is an adjunct initiative of the Kennedy Center's African Odyssey Festival program and the Kennedy Center Education Department's ARTSEDGE Program.

Books & Literature

• African American Women Writers of the 19th Century
  This Digital Library project from the New York Public Library includes a digital collection of some 52 published works by 19th-century black women writers.
• Black American Feminism
  A Multidisciplinary Bibliography Compiled by Sherri Barnes, Associate Librarian, Davidson Library - University of California, Santa Barbara.

Movies, Television and Radio

• Black Voices
  AOL Black Voices offers African-American message boards, profiles and chats, African-American sports, African-American news, African-American entertainment, African-American style and beauty, relationship advice and more.
• BET: Black Entertainment Television
  This is a complete portal site for Black Television.
• BlackAmericaWeb
  BlackAmericaWeb.com, launched in June 2001, is a broad-based effort to become a timely and credible source for news and information covering all aspects of daily life, featuring a wide array of viewpoints and perspectives. It was launched by Tom Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show."
• Oprah Winfrey
  The Oprah website covers the show, after the show, the magazine and more.

Music & Dance

See also Jazz and Blues.

• Archives of African American Music and Culture
  Established to establish a unique collection of primary and secondary source materials on African American music and culture where such materials are scarce or nonexistent
• Center for Black Music Research
  The CBMR of Columbia College Chicago documents, preserves, and disseminates information about black music in all parts of the world.
  • Musical Styles and Genres
    Brief description and introductory bibliography on Black musical styles such as Blues, Jazz, Gospel, and many more.
• International Association of African American Music
  A marketing vehicle for Black music in the entertainment industry