The King County Library System (KCLS) invites residents to join Ijeoma Oluo in conversation with Ahamefule J. Oluo on Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm PST to celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a holiday held on June 19, to commemorate the day in 1865 when news of their freedom finally reached enslaved African Americans in Texas. The announcement came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. In this live webcast, the siblings will discuss Black joy, liberation and creativity.
Residents may register for the event at Crowdcast. If you are unable to watch live, you may access a recorded version of the webcast on the KCLS YouTube Channel, and in KCLS’ podcast, “The Desk Set.” The video and podcast show notes will feature captions and a transcript respectively.
“We are honored to host this important conversation with Ijeoma Oluo and Ahamefule J. Oluo,” said KCLS Executive Director Lisa Rosenblum. “KCLS is committed to providing programming that reflects and celebrates diverse voices and experiences. We hope you can join us.”
Ijeoma Oluo is a Seattle-based writer, speaker and internet yeller. Her work on social issues such as race and gender has been published in The Guardian, The Stranger, The Washington Post, ELLE magazine, NBC News and more. Her NYT bestselling first book, “So You Want to Talk About Race,” was released January 2018 with Seal Press. Ijeoma was named one of the Most Influential People in Seattle by Seattle Magazine, one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Seattle by Seattle Met, and one of The Root's 100 Most Influential Americans in 2017 and 2018. She is also the recipient of the Feminist Humanist Award 2018 by the American Humanist Association, the Media Justice Award by the Gender Justice League, and the 2018 Aubrey Davis Visionary Leadership Award by the Equal Opportunity Institute.
Ahamefule J. Oluo is a Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, writer and stand-up comedian. He is a founding member and trumpet player in the award-winning jazz-punk quartet Industrial Revelation, was a semi-finalist in NBC’s “Stand Up for Diversity” comedy competition, and co-produced comedian (and writing partner) Hari Kondabolu’s albums, “Waiting for 2042” and “Mainstream American Comic,” for Kill Rock Stars. Oluo has appeared on “This American Life” and is a recipient of the prestigious Creative Capital Award as well as the Artist Trust Arts Innovators Award. He has premiered two autobiographical musicals at the Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival: “Now I’m Fine” (2016) and “Susan” (2020). “Now I’m Fine” was adapted into the film “Thin Skin,” co-written, starring and scored by Oluo, and set for a late 2020 release.
Presented by the King County Library System with support from the King County Library System Foundation.
