Afrikan Poetry Theatre
176-05 Jamaica Avenue | also 176-03 Jamaica Avenue | Jamaica | built 1931
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1979
The Afrikan Poetry Theatre moves into 176-03 Jamaica Avenue
The theatre grew out of the Afrikan Poetry Theatre Ensemble, a group of poets, singers and musicians working in jazz, funk, African rhythms and poetry that John Watusi Branch and Yusef Waliyaya founded in 1976. Incorporated in 1977, it first settled on Merrick Boulevard in 1978 and moved to this corner of 176th Street and Jamaica Avenue in 1979. Its best-attended event is an annual Kwanzaa celebration that draws thousands of residents.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2002
An electrical fire damages the theatre's second floor and its African artifacts
An electrical fire on March 31, 2002, left much of the Afrikan Poetry Theatre's second floor damaged, including the cultural center's small collection of African artifacts and books. Since 2000 the building has also been the base of the local newspaper Queens Teens Voices.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2006
Borough President Helen Marshall proclaims Afrikan Poetry Theatre Day on its 30th anniversary
The theatre marked thirty years on November 5, 2006, and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall declared the date "Afrikan Poetry Theatre" day. Its programs have ranged from jazz jam sessions, open mics and poetry workshops to film and acting classes and its own film festival.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2016
The corner outside the theatre is named John Watusi Branch Way for its co-founder
On June 25, 2016, the corner of 176th Street and Jamaica Avenue received the name John Watusi Branch Way. Branch, a figure in the pan-African movement, co-founded the theatre and under his direction it added cultural tours to West Africa and a summer youth employment program. After his death his son, Saiku Branch, became executive director.
“On June 25 of 2016, the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and 176th Street in Jamaica, Queens was named John Watusi Branch Way.”
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- Afrikan Poetry TheatreWikipedia
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