Duke Performances, a notable musical concert series held at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is set to host a recording of Alan Lomax songs first heard on Songs of the South, a collection of songs Lomax recorded during a two-year visit to the American southeast between 1959 and 1961.

Duke commissioned North Carolina avant garde trio Megafaun to curate, perform and record the songs. Megafaun will be joined by jazz collective Fight the Bull, Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon and Brooklyn-based soprano Sharon Van Etten.

The musical event will take place between Friday, September 17, 2010 and Sunday, September 19, 2010 at the Hayti Heritage Center, a former AME Zion church that is rumored to have amazing acoustics for recording. The Hayti has been the site of many of Durham's best folk and avant garde performances. The Green Family Foundation looks forward to hearing the fruits of the Duke Performances-commissioned recordings.

Get tickets and find out more.

Monday, August 23, 2010

The school year began today, and many young residents of Little Haiti have new backpacks and school supplies., care of the 7th Annual Back to School Event held on the 13th at the Little Haiti Soccer Park on NE 2nd Avenue. The Green Family Foundation is a major sponsor of the event, which brings many families and neighborhood residents together for giving, laughter and education. The City of Miami Little Haiti/Edison/Little River Neighborhood Enhance Team (N.E.T.) orchestrated the event with the help of the Little Haiti Optimist Club.

One thousand backpacks were given away at the event, along with school supplies and free lunch and beverages for all who attended. There was a lot of entertainment, care of Patrick the Pencil who performed magic and led the kids in fun and educational lessons. Also on hand was Miss Black Florida USA 2010 Jennifer Ubiera, who led some raffles, served as the show emcee, and handed out backpacks.

There were bounce houses, City of Miami Fire Department trucks, free health kiosks, and lots of fun at the water playground. The event was well-attended and there were happy school-age children everywhere. The other sponsors of the event were: BioCollections Worldwide, Miami Spaces, The G Spot Soul Food Restaurant, MLK Restaurant, United for Haiti, Charles Coin Laundry, Hook & Tackle, Coastal Rags, Communities United, Chef Nicole, Adolphe Restaurant, and Webberman Traditional Foodservice.

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August 11, 2010
The Green Family Foundation is happy to report that the Lomax legacy continues to bring cultural light and awareness to people around the world. This article is about a children's program in Anguilla that uses Lomax materials to enhance the cultural and historical offerings of its summer camp.

'Jollification Time' is the theme of the 2010 Children's Library Annual Summer Programme (CLASP).  The programme, offered by the Anguilla Library Service, consists of a day camp for approximately sixty participants, ages 5-12.  For two weeks children and teachers have learned about and pushed for the revival of jollification, Anguilla's historical tradition of communal work. 

This year's CLASP students were divided into three teams: the Johnny Cakes (ages 5-7), the Shantees (ages 8-9), and the Jollies (ages 10-12).  They completed interviews with parents, grandparents, and others who remember details about how and why people gathered for jollifications.  Through these exchanges they came to better understand the jollification tradition. 

The teams also learned about the work of Alan Lomax, the folklorist and anthropologist who visited Anguilla and other parts of the Eastern Caribbean in 1962.  Lomax's collection consists of photos and audio recordings of Anguilla's culture-bearers. His work preserves local knowledge at the same time that it documents jollification songs and conversations about the tradition.

Read the full article.

On Wednesday, August 4, 2010, the Green Family Foundation (GFF) was proud to participate in the orientation session for students of Florida International University's Green Family Medicine & Society Program, a part of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at the university. The group of bright students represent the second year of new medical students embarking on their careers as physicians.

Among the speakers were Dr. John Rock, Founding Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs; Dr. Pedro "Joe" Greer Jr., Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs Chair, Department of Humanities, Health & Society; Dr. Iveris Martinez, Chief of the Division of Green Family Medicine & Society; Anthony Colon, Executive Director of the Green Family Foundation; Dr. Luther Brewster, Chief, Division of Policy & Community Development; Ms. Barbara Howard, Community Advisory Team, and Cheryl Holder, Associate Professor, Division of Family Medicine.

Speaking topics included NeighborhoodHELP (Health Education Learning Program), a Humanities, health and society overview, an overview of the Green Family Medicine & Society Program, and a Physician's Perspective on Working in Neighborhoods. The students got a chance to interact with the faculty members and meet one another.

The Green Family Foundation is committed to improvements in social medicine throughout the world and congratulates Florida International University's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine's class of 2014.

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