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DEKALB COUNTY, GA—The DeKalb County Public Library (DCPL) system will offer a smorgasbord of activities to celebrate the Doris K. Wells Heritage Festival honoring DeKalb’s first African-American librarian. The festival, which begins Dec. 1 and runs through Jan. 31, 2022, will feature more than 25 programs including music, dance, food, crafts, informational workshops and other activities for all ages at many of DeKalb’s library branches.
The Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library, where the late Wells was a longtime manager, will kick of its event on Dec. 10. The event will include African folk tales with children’s author Ada Ari; family portraits with photographer Kaylinn Gilstrap; a cooking demonstration; and a jewelry-making experience with Virginia Milner.
“We invite the community to come and celebrate DeKalb County’s diversity by taking part in one of our many programs,” said DeKalb County Public Library Director Alison Weissinger. “The Doris K. Wells Heritage Festival is one of DCPL’s most highly-anticipated events and this year is especially exciting because in-person events return.”
On Dec. 27, a Kwanzaa celebration will be held at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library. The event also will recognize the 30th anniversary of the naming of the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library, which was named for the late African-American trailblazer whose career and community service spanned 46 years. Dr. Brown served as a DeKalb County commissioner from 1992-2000, DeKalb library trustee, a member of Omega Ps Phi fraternity and was the founding president of the 100 Black Men of America’s DeKalb County Chapter.
The Heritage Festival was first celebrated in 1983 as the Kwanzaa Awareness Festival at Scott Candler Library with more than 1,000 people in attendance, library officials said.
To register for the Dec. 10 Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library event and for more details about other festival events, visit www.dekalblibrary.org/events. Search for Doris K. Wells.